By Mike Collett
DONETSK, June 15 (Reuters) – France weathered the storm, in
more ways than one, by overcoming a deluge, a fired up host team
and a passionate home crowd to beat Ukraine 2-0 in Euro 2012
Group D on Friday.
The victory was in contrast to coach Laurent Blanc’s
continued assertions that France should not be regarded among
the tournament favourites although on this display they are.
While the omens seemed to be against them – before the match
started a burst of lightning and an immediate thunder crack when
La Marseillaise was playing momentarily halted the playing of
the French national anthem – France ended the night stretching
their long unbeaten record to 23 matches.
Just five minutes after kick-off it looked like they, and
everyone else, might have to wait until Saturday for the outcome
as conditions worsened so quickly that Dutch referee Bjorn
Kuipers halted the game for the players’ safety.
But the storm gradually passed, the pitch was cleared of
water and the teams came out to serve up yet another thrilling
match in a tournament that has gone from strength to strength
since it began a week ago.
Ukraine, inspired by their opening 2-1 win over Sweden, were
unrecognisable from the team that lost 4-1 to France in a
friendly in the same Donbass Arena almost exactly a year ago.
With the predominantly yellow-shirted crowd cheering their
every move, the hosts tore into France but, apart from two
rasping shots from Andriy Shevchenko who scored both goals in
the win against Sweden, France held firm.
STATISTICAL QUIRKS
Blanc’s team came into the game with two contrasting
statistical quirks to their name.
Unbeaten for 22 matches, they had, however, failed to win
any of their previous eight matches in tournament finals
covering Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.
But once they soaked up the best Ukraine had to offer, man
of the match Franck Ribery and the hugely effective Karim
Benzema took a grip of the game and steered France to an
ultimately straightforward win after their opening 1-1 draw with
England.
Ribery, having one of his best matches for France since the
2006 World Cup when they last won a tournament game, weaved and
created chances for his front men, Samir Nasri always looked
dangerous and Jeremy Menez, picked ahead of the dropped Florent
Malouda, added pace and dynamism.
Menez did superbly well to make the breakthrough after 53
minutes when he cleverly moved into space after a ball from
Benzema and sent a left-foot shot past wrongfooted Ukraine
goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov.
Three minutes later the game was as good as over when Yohan
Cabaye scored his first goal for France, twisting his way past
Oleh Gusyev before firing home.
Ukraine have now failed to win all four games they have
played at the stadium, and the early cheers from their fans
turned to jeers at the end as their hopes trickled away on the
greasy pitch.
NOT HAPPY
Coach Oleg Blokhin was not happy with the way the crowd
turned on his men.
“It’s not fair to only support your team when you are
winning,” he grumbled. “We have the impression if we are winning
everything is fine, if not we should all be shot.”
France coach Blanc told a news conference: “We scored two
goals, we could have had more.
“Six years without a win (in a major competition) is a very
very long time. I hope the next one won’t be in six years,
otherwise I will not be there to talk about it, I would be fired
before.”
France’s next game is against Sweden next Tuesday. Another
win then and even Blanc might have to admit their chances are
better than he is letting on.
(Reporting by Mike Collett; editing by Ken Ferris)
