Swiss keep World Cup dream alive
Switzerland’s World Cup qualifying campaign remains on track, after the team held France to a goalless draw in Paris on Saturday.
The French tried almost everything for 90 minutes but failed to unlock a compact Swiss defence.
Switzerland now lie fourth in Group Four, three points behind joint leaders Ireland, France and Israel, but with a game in hand. The Swiss play Cyprus in Zurich on Wednesday.
Manager Köbi Kuhn said he was delighted with the result, which boosted Switzerland’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup finals in Germany in 2006.
He paid tribute to his players, saying his team deserved the draw they had come for.
“This is an excellent result for us,” he said. “I’m delighted and proud of my players, especially the younger ones who gave everything.
“Don’t forget we were playing against the team ranked second in the world. We needed a bit of luck, but that’s football.”
On the attack
France showed great determination from the start but they lacked the inspiration of absent striker Thierry Henry, who is nursing a calf injury.
The hosts had a great chance in the 22nd minute but captain Patrick Vieira shot wide from close range after a Swiss defender failed to clear the ball.
French striker Sylvain Wiltord came close to finding the net in the 52nd minute when his curling shot from inside the box went wide with goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler beaten.
The Swiss, who came to Paris looking to avenge their 3-1 defeat by France in the Euro 2004 group stage, confirmed they had learned a lot over the past few months.
Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was forced to make three saves before the break, including a superb block from a close-range shot by midfielder Ricardo Cabanas.
In the dying minutes, Vieira almost relieved a night of frustration at the Stade de France but his low shot was turned around the post by Zuberbühler.
Tough challenge
France’s manager Raymond Domenech admitted after the match that his team now faced a tough challenge to qualify from the group. They play Israel in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.
“We are still in the race. But now we know that we will have to win away to qualify,” he said. “The penultimate match against the Swiss in Basel will be decisive.”
It was the third home draw for the French – a result that saw them whistled off the pitch in Paris.
“We can be disappointed with tonight’s outcome as we created a load of chances to score while the Swiss only had a couple of chances. But we failed again to find the net,” added Domenech.
“We must not let ourselves get too upset, though. Teams are taking points off each other and I’m certain it will remain a very tight group until the very end.”
Köbi Kuhn agreed with this assessment, saying there was still a long way to go.
“There are six matches to play and we expect tough ones,” said Switzerland’s manager. “We won’t take anything lightly but neither can the other sides.”
swissinfo with agencies
Group Four table:
1. Ireland played 5–9 points
2. France 5–9
3. Israel 5–9
4. Switzerland 4–6
5. Faroe Islands 4–1
6. Cyprus 5-1
Only the group winners qualify automatically for the 2006 World Cup finals. The team finishing second will have to win a play-off to make it to Germany.
Switzerland and France played on Saturday night in the Stade de France in Paris in front of a record 79,373 fans, including 10,000 Swiss.
Prior to this match, the Swiss have beaten the Faroe Islands (6-0) and drawn against Ireland (1-1) and Israel (2-2).
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