 After Italy’s last-gasp heroics on Tuesday, France take on Portugal this evening to discover who will face them in the final.
It still leaves a nasty taste in the mouth when you think it could, and probably should, have been England facing Thierry Henry and co.
Portugal were no better than us on Saturday and I can only put defeat down to the tactics of Sven-Goran Eriksson.
‘Big Phil’ Scolari may have beaten the odds to guide his men in to the last four, but it’s a measure of the man that he’s yet to do himself justice in the tournament so far.
England, and Sven, would be more than happy to be in the same position, but the fans would still be disappointed if we played the same way.
Paul Robinson didn’t have a lot do against them and, with just the one up front, Portugal have struggled to punish teams.
That’s the reason why I just can’t see them beating France.
Raymond Domenech’s men started the tournament slowly and their big players rightly took a lot of stick. But, like true champions, the likes of Claude Makelele and Zinedine Zidane have now come to the fore.
Zidane has been a revelation and looks like he’s got a few more years left in him at international level yet. His influence on the French team is immeasurable, and you can guarantee they wouldn’t be on the brink of another World Cup final if he hadn’t come out of a premature retirement from international football.
He might stroll around at times but, when he’s on song, Zidane is up there with the very best.
The same can be said of Thierry Henry and, when you think about it, it should come as no surprise France are where they are. For my money, Henry is the best striker in the world and if he’s convinced France can win the World Cup, I’m not about to argue.
It’s France to win 2-0 and don’t dare bank on anyone but Henry to bag the first goal.
That’s all for now, but I’ll be back tomorrow to start the countdown to Berlin.
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