Europeans aim for perfection
Thursday 10 February 2005
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Philippe Bergeroo expects France's final game to be their toughest (©UEFA)
By Andrew Haslam in Kusadasi
France and Spain have the opportunity to end their respective UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup campaigns with a fourth successive victory, but neither team is expecting a straightforward task in the final round of matches.
Three wins
Having defeated Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, Philippe Bergeroo's France sign off with a game against Egypt, but the coach believes his side's toughest test lies ahead. "Having won the first match [against Cameroon] 7-0, the last two games have been more difficult, but we knew that Sierra Leone and Nigeria were good teams and therefore anticipated hard games against them.
I believe that Egypt are the best African team in this competition, so I expect that our last match will also be our most difficult
Philippe Bergeroo
Menez worry
"I believe that Egypt are the best African team in this competition, so I expect that our last match will also be our most difficult," continued Bergeroo, who could be without the competition's top scorer, Jérémy Menez, due to a shin injury. "Menez picked up a minor problem in his right leg in our first game and then got kicked on his left leg against Nigeria, so it is doubtful whether he will be able to play against Egypt," Bergeroo said.
Spanish endeavour
Spain, meanwhile, have scored eight goals in their three matches without conceding, but Gines Meléndez is still not entirely satisfied. "In our last game against Egypt, I was happy with the first half but not the second," said the assistant coach. "But Egypt were the most difficult and well organised African side we have played so far - and in the competition in my opinion."
Player rotation
Spain coach Juan Santisteban has rotated his players throughout the tournament and, with midfielder Mario Suárez available again after missing the Egypt game through suspension, more alterations are likely against Nigeria. "We have changed many players to allow others a chance, and will continue to do that," Meléndez confirmed. "We shall be working hard to defeat Egypt and end the competition with a perfect record."
Sterling display
Egypt coach Ismail Youssef was full of praise for his team's second-half display against the Spanish, despite the 1-0 scoreline and the dismissal of Ayman Mohamdy Farahat, who is therefore banned against France. "I gave my players more freedom in the second half, which allowed them to play much better," Youssef said.
Attacking intent
His side remain the only African team to earn a point in the competition so far following their goalless draw with Portugal on Matchday 2, and the coach is hoping to finish the tournament on a high. "France are a good team, but we will have Abdallah Farouk Abd El-Rehim and Ahmed Abdelrahman Abd El-Azim back after suspension and we are going to do our best," Youssef said. "We are going to play attacking football."
'Aiming for excellence'
Nigeria coach Godwin Izilein was also pleased with his youngsters despite a Matchday 3 loss, commending their "fighting spirit" against France, and promising more of the same. "I never doubted we would fight until the end - even against Turkey, when we were 4-0 down, we never gave up hope," he said. "We are using this competition to prepare for the [CAF] African Under-17 Championship later this year, and we expect our team to get better. We are aiming for excellence and we have to correct the mistakes we make.
Will to win
"I think my team is getting better as this tournament goes on," Izilein went on. "Against Spain, we will fight to the end. It is going to be a big battle, Spain are a good team, but we simply have to win."
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