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[Awards Review]
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▶ France Going Home Early After Danish Defeat
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[2002/06/12 ]
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Incheon, June 11 (Yonhap) - Reining World Cup champions France were sent spinning out of the 2002 World Cup Tuesday, going down 2-0 to Denmark at Incheon's Munhak Stadium.
Goals from Dennis Rommedahl and Jon Dahl Tomasson sealed the win for the Danes in a match that was probably a lot easier than they had expected.
Les Blues, who relinquished their World Cup crown without scoring a single goal in the tournament, will now be heading back to France to determine where it all went wrong, though Zinedine Zidane's thigh injury in the week leading up to the tournament was perhaps the most significant factor in their downfall.
With the inclusion of Zindane and Christophe Dugarry in the starting line up, France, needing to beat Denmark with at least a difference of two goals, looked more purposeful from the off and an early chance for David Trezeguet suggested the Danish defense might be in for a busy afternoon.
However, it was France's rearguard that was breached in the 22nd minute with a goal that highlighted the deficiencies of a defense still struggling to come to terms with the retirement of Laurent Blanc from international football.
With Denmark sustaining pressure around the French box, Stig Tofting, the Danish footballing answer to Arnold Swartzeneger, curled the ball to the back post where Rommedahl was waiting completely unmarked.
The PSV Eindhoven winger wasted no time in knocking the ball home with the outside of his right foot past a helpless Fabien Barthez.
Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen made a good stop to deny David Trezeguet a headed equalizer 10 minutes later before Zidane struck an exquisite 20 yarder just past the post.
The second half began with France again on the offensive and within five minutes Les Blues had another sign that this was not to be their day. Zidane's outswinging corner was met by Marcel Desailly's powerful header, which came crashing back off the
Danish crossbar with Sorensen well beaten.
That stroke of ill-fortune was to come back to haunt France as in the 68th minute, Denmark scored the second killer goal.
Thomas Graveson released substitute Jesper Gronkjaer down the French left with an intelligent pass inside Vincent Candela, and when the Chelsea midfielder squared the ball across goal, Tomasson was there to claim his fourth goal of the tournament, side footing past Barthez from six yards out.
The goal seemed to suck the life out of France and while Trezeguet struck the underside of the bar from no more than a yard out and Djibril Cisse cracked a volley off goalkeeper Sorensen later on, the Danish defense deserved their clean sheet.
The win gives Denmark first place in Group A and a possible match up with England in the second round as they must play the second place team in Group F.
- Scorers:
Denmark - Dennis Rommedahl 22, Jon Dahl Tomasson 67
France - None
- Halftime: 1-0
- Red Card: None
- Attendance: 48,100
- Teams:
Denmark - 1-Thomas Sorensen (GK), 2-Stig Tofting (23-Brian Nielsen 79), 3- Rene Henriksen, 4-Martin Laursen, 6-Thomas Helveg, 7-Thomas Gravesen, 9-Jon Dahl Tomasson, 10-Martin Jorgensen (8-Jesper Gronkjaer 46), 12-Niclas Jensen, 17-Christian Poulsen (20-Kasper Bogelund 76), 19-Dennis Rommedahl
France - 16-Fabien Barthez (GK), 2-Vincent Candela, 3-Bixente Lizarazu, 4-Patrick Vieira (22-Johan Micoud 71), 7-Claude Makelele, 8-Marcel Desailly, 10-Zinedine Zidane, 11-Sylvain Wiltord (6-Youri Djorkaeff 83), 15-Lilian Thuram, 20-David Trezeguet, 21-Christophe Dugarry (9-Djibril Cisse 54)
- Referee: Vitor Melo Pereira (Portugal) |
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