Arsenal Connection Send France Through To 2nd Round
It took an ex-Gooner and a current one to apply the killer touch to Togo to send a stuttering France through into the second round of the World Cup and help alleviate the pain of group stage failure four years ago in Japan/Korea 2002.
Frank Ribery had wasted a couple of gilt edged chances to open the scoring against a hard working and spirited west African side when he danced around a couple of Togo defenders and played the ball to Patrick Vieira in the penalty area and Vieira turned and buried the ball in the net to celebrate his birthday in style.
It was a knockdown from Vieira (who took a shocking headbutt in the process) that gave Thierry Henry the chance to kill the game off soon after and from close in the Arsenal mainman doesn’t miss too often. This time he passed up his usual caress of the ball for a hammer shot that nestled in the bottom corner. Job done.
France still weren’t all that convincing mind you but the important thing for them was to qualify and they’ve done it now. The next problem will be how to overcome a rampant Spanish side in the 2nd round and quite possibly, how to fit Zinedine Zidane back into the side. Those legendary feet have lost a little of their sparkle and by playing Zizou they have to change their whole system to accomdate him as playmaker. Maybe now the time has come to break the link and use the great man as a sub when they need him.
Thierry Henry deserves to be made the main focus of the French side and their World Cup hopes may hinge on that very choice.
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POSTED IN: Past World Cups
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