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France Spoil the Spanish World Cup Fiesta and Threaten Their Qualification Hopes
Published: October 16, 2012
Only one team from Group I can automatically qualify for World Cup 2014, and before the match in Madrid, it was expected to be the one who had won an unprecedented 24 consecutive qualification matches.
But after an impressive second-half display from Les Bleus, culminating in a last-gasp equaliser from Olivier Giroud, the race for automatic qualification for the 2014 World Cup remains unresolved.
Consider the Spanish party Giroud-ined.
While Georgia, Finland and Belarus are competing in UEFA Group I too, it's realistically a two-horse race. The match at the Vicente Calderón Stadium––where the Spanish national team have never lost an international game––was effectively the first leg in of a knockout phase for top spot, with the second leg taking place at the Stade de France in March.
Spain, playing the false number 9 formation that served them so well during Euro 2008, had the wind in their sails before kickoff with maximum points in qualification and no goals conceded.
The French also had two wins, but in light of recent performances, and the relative inexperience at international level of manager Didier Deschamps, the national press had been rather pessimistic ahead of the game.
How wrong they were.
Spain started strong, with a 25th-minute opener coming from an unmarked Sergio Ramos, who had hit the post seconds earlier. Hugo Lloris then stepped up to save a Cesc Fabregas penalty after a terrible challenge from Laurent Koscielny, and Karim Benzema was very unlucky to be judged offside after putting the ball in the net five minutes before halftime.
In the second half, France couldn't have looked any more different from the toothless side wh...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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