France Matches Live Streaming Online Sopcast in Fifa World Cup 2010, HD Quality
France
Group A
Manager: Raymond Domenech
Star Player : Thierry Henry, Anelka, Karim Benzema, Florent Malouda
LIVE STREAM FRANCE MATCHES :
June 11, 2010 @ 18:30GMT Group Stage Group A
Uruguay vs France
at Cape Town Stadium
June 17, 2010 @ 18:30GMT Group Stage Group A
France vs Mexico
at Peter Mokaba Stadium
June 22, 2010 @ 14:00GMT Group Stage Group A
France vs South Africa
at Free State Stadium
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Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 12
Best result: Champions (1998)
All-time record: 51 games played, 25 wins, 10 draws, 16 losses
Goals for: 95, Goals against: 64
Biggest victory: 7-2 vs. Paraguay in 1958
Biggest defeat: 5-2 vs. Brazil in 1958
Top scorer: Just Fontaine (13 goals)
Most appearances: Fabien Barthez (17 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: 1938, 1998
Short History:
FIFA member since: 1904
Team nickname: Les Bleus
All-time caps leader: Lilian Thuram (142)
All-time leading scorer: Thierry Henry (51 goals)
Notable achievements: European Champions (1984, 2000)
Legendary Player: A veteran of three World Cups (1978, 1982, 1986), Michel Platini ranks among the greatest players of all time. The elegant Frenchman was a brilliant playmaker in midfield who anchored France’s national side for years, and led them to victory in the 1984 European Championship. He’s the only player to be voted European player of the year three times in a row (1983-85). Helped Juventus win the European Cup in 1985.
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Want To Know More About France ? Keep Reading !!
France Matches Live Streaming Online Sopcast in Fifa World Cup 2010, HD Quality
Appearances at finals:
1930 – First round
1934 – First round
1938 – Quarter-finals
1954 – First round
1958 – Third place
1966 – First round
1978 – First round
1982 – Fourth place
1986 – Third place
1998 – Winners
2002 – First round
2006 – Runners-up
Overall record at finals: Played 51, Won 25, Drawn 10, Lost 16.
Best performance: Winners in 1998.
Most appearances at finals: Fabien Barthez (1998, 2002, 2006) – 17.
Most goals at finals: Just Fontaine (1958) – 13.
World Cup high: Ending their wait for World Cup glory on home turf in 1998 as a 3-0 win over Brazil in the final ensured that Zinedine Zidane became a national hero to rival Michel Platini thanks to his two goals.
World Cup low: Losing on penalties to West Germany in the semi-finals in 1982. After seeing Patrick Battiston knocked unconscious by a horrendous challenge from Harald Schumacher that went unpunished, France took a 3-1 lead in extra time only to lose on penalties when Schumacher saved twice.
World Cup legend: Zinedine Zidane, who scored twice in the 1998 final to beat Brazil and was the star of the tournament. Eight years later in Germany, he recaptured his best form to help France reach the final and scored an audacious penalty against Italy, only for his tournament to end in ignominy when he plunged his head into the chest of Marco Materazzi, earning a red card.
The story so far: A third-place finish in Sweden in 1958 aside, France had for a long time been accustomed to early exits on football’s biggest stage, but all that was to change in 1982 thanks to a team led by the masterful Michel Platini.
Les Bleus reached the semi-finals in Spain but were defeated in cruel circumstances as Harald Schmacher’s Germany progressed on penalties following a 3-3 thriller, with France finishing fourth. Four years later in Mexico, they went one better, defeating Brazil in a thrilling quarter-final before losing to West Germany in the semi-finals and eventually finishing third.
France subsequently failed to qualify for the next two World Cup finals but upon their return, as hosts in 1998, a new generation of stars led them to their first and so far only triumph. Thierry Henry, Zinedine Zidane, Marcel Desailly and Didier Deschamps were among the key performers under Aime Jacquet, but his successor, Roger Lemerre, oversaw a shocking campaign in 2002 as they failed to qualify from their group. In 2006, they surprised many observers by making the final before Zidane ended his career in explosive fashion as Italy eventually won out in a penalty shoot-out.
Qualification: The circumstances of France’s qualifiction for the finals are now infamous, with Thierry Henry’s handball at the Stade de France infuriating Republic of Ireland, who subsequently demanded a replay of the play-off second leg.
WATCH FRANCE MATCHES LIVE IN FIFA WORLD CUP 2010
Prior to that controversial night, France had limped in behind Serbia in Group Seven, opening their campaign with a shocking 3-1 defeat to Austria. After beating Serbia and then drawing away in Romania, France secured two 1-0 wins over Lithuania and a narrow victory over the Faroe Islands before drawing at home to Romania and then away at Serbia.
Home wins over Faroe Islands and Austria secured second spot but it was an unconvincing campaign to say the least.
Qualifying record: P12, W7, D4, L1, F20, A10, Pts24.
Most appearances: Thierry Henry, Bacary Sagna (11).
Top goalscorers: Thierry Henry, André-Pierre Gignac (4).
Team Profile France :
France crossed a new threshold in qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, having never before graced the finals on four consecutive occasions. Les Bleus have become a regular presence in recent years, having earned a reputation as one of world football’s leading teams since the late 1990s. Their fine displays at the first edition in 1930 marked them out as a good side and they have occasionally produced legendary talents, but only in the last decade or so have they evolved into a team that starts every major tournament with serious hopes of winning it.
France Matches Live Streaming Online Sopcast in Fifa World Cup 2010, HD Quality
The generation of players that included Zinedine Zidane, Laurent Blanc, Didier Deschamps and Fabien Barthez finally found a way past the obstacles that had blocked the route of earlier vintages. The fine team featuring Michel Platini, Alain Giresse, Luis Fernandez and Jean Tigana had stumbled at the semi-final stage in 1982 and 1986, but their successors went all the way to lifting the Trophy in 1998.
Despite a drop in standards in 2002 and 2006, France still came agonisingly close to grasping a second global title in the latter tournament, only losing out on penalties to Italy in the Final. The Zidane chapter came to a close that night in Berlin, but Les Bleus can still call upon some of the biggest names in world football, with a seemingly endless production line of young talents having unearthed the likes of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Yoann Gourcuff in recent seasons.
The road to South Africa
They may not have done it in style, but France just about satisfied the demands of their supporters by booking themselves a place in South Africa. It took an extra-time goal in their play-off with Ireland to give them a 2-1 aggregate win and finally send them through, and that came after they had finished second in qualifying Group 7 of the European Zone.
Pipped to first spot by Serbia, frustrated by Romania and given problems by Lithuania, Raymond Domenech’s charges kicked off their bid with a damaging 3-1 loss in Austria, but they later rallied to secure a 1-1 draw in Serbia despite being reduced to ten men and finding themselves trailing early on. After that, they saw out the section with a 5-0 success against the Faroe Islands and a 3-1 victory over Austria. Pessimists will focus on the team’s troubles in securing a ticket to the main event, while optimists will recall that they also flirted with disaster ahead of Germany 2006, before going on to reach the Final.
LIVE STREAM ONLINE FRANCE MATCHES
The star players
Since Zinedine Zidane, Fabien Barthez, Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram all called time on their international careers in 2006, a new selection of senior figures has stepped forward. With Patrick Vieira having long struggled with injury, sole France 1998 survivor Thierry Henry has taken the captain’s armband, with William Gallas the leader at the back and both Jeremy Toulalan and Lassana Diarra indispensable in midfield. Meanwhile, the emergence of Yoann Gourcuff, the talent of Franck Ribery and the rejuvenation of Nicolas Anelka have given the coach a variety of options in attack, where Karim Benzema, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Florent Malouda and Loic Remy will also be hoping to feature.
The coach
The French public have come to regard Raymond Domenech as a paradox unto himself since he took the reins in 2004. Praised for his communication skills when he first arrived, his perceived weaknesses in that domain were leapt upon after France failed to shine at UEFA EURO 2008. Domenech has yet to lift silverware with Les Bleus, but he is now the country’s longest serving national coach and can point to a FIFA World Cup Final appearance as the highlight so far of a career that has had a steady upwards trajectory.
Mulhouse and Lyon were his starting points in the club game before he entered the national fold to coach the Under-20s, after which a worthy record with the U-21s won him a crack at the senior side. As a player, he was a combative defender who won the French league title with Strasbourg in 1979 and Bordeaux in 1984, in addition to the French Cup with Lyon in 1973 and Paris Saint-Germain in 1982, plus a total of eight caps in the 1970s.
Previous FIFA World Cups
Les Bleus have appeared in 12 final tournaments, winning on home soil in 1998. Regular actors on the greatest stage of all, France also managed third-place finishes in 1958 and 1986, as well as fourth spot in 1982.
Honours
- 1 FIFA World Cup (1998)
- 2 FIFA Confederations Cup (2001, 2003)
- 2 UEFA European Championships (1984, 2000)
What they said
“The objective was to qualify. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I never had any doubts. We’ve had difficulties for two years now, but everyone kept believing and they were justified in doing so. We grabbed hold of the right to take part in something exceptional – a World Cup in South Africa.” Raymond Domenech, France coach
