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Fortune favours the French

France's snatched win against England caught the breath due to the brilliance of one captain and the misfortune of another.

When the draw for UEFA EURO 2004™ was made, the pitting together of France and England perhaps caught the imagination more than any other group fixture. The fact that it caught the breath too was largely due to the magnificence of one captain, and the misfortune of another.

Two penalties
When David Beckham was offered an opportunity from the penalty spot to move England into what would surely have been an unassailable position at 2-0 in front, he failed to convert for the second successive competitive match. Unlike in Turkey in qualifying, however, England paid the price as Zinedine Zidane first levelled with a sumptuous free-kick before putting the finishing touch to a thrilling comeback with a penalty of his own.

Swathe of colour
Long before the action got under way, the streets surrounding the home of SL Benfica were a swathe of red, white and blue; less of the latter providing an indication of what was to come inside the stadium where flags of Saint George worked as a series of advertisements for the towns and cities of England; it was pleasing to know that Kev and Tony from Northampton were in attendance.

Direct confrontations
The hype ahead of the match had reached seismic levels on both sides of La Manche, with friend meeting friend and, in a few cases, foe meeting foe. There were no less than four direct confrontations between club-mates: Ashley Cole versus Robert Pires, Sol Campbell against Thierry Henry, Claude Makelele meeting Frank Lampard in the middle and the coming together of David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane.

Iconic figures
Team-mates at Real Madrid CF, captains of their country and iconic figures, their presence offered the purists plenty: Zidane, the finest player on the planet, Beckham the most dangerous with a dead ball at his feet. If the latter point was open to conjecture, Beckham underlined his set-piece prowess in the 38th minute when whipping in a centre which Lampard headed beyond Fabien Barthez.

Glimpse of goal
Until that point, though, it had been Zidane who was dictating proceedings – the fluidity of the French midfield, and the willingness of the full-backs to attack, allowing him to drift from his starting position on the left to orchestrate the French from the centre of the pitch. Possessing an ability like no other to both find and exploit space, the French No10 got a first glimpse of goal in the 14th minute, only to shoot wide with the outside of his boot.

Early initiative
Beckham, in contrast, attempted to get his side going from the right; never straying too far from his best friend and best man, Gary Neville. Instead, Paul Scholes and Steven Gerrard were the ones to interchange, with Scholes's switch into a more central position allowing England to at last pose a threat after their opponents exerted early control.

Henry moved
If France were to prove they were not 'Scotland in disguise', as the England faithful had dared to suggest, responsibility for a second-half comeback would rest on the shoulders of Zidane. Coach Jacques Santini agreed, moving Henry, lacking his usual effervesence, to a wider position to create more room for the Madrid man.

Added-time goals
Although the switch had not threatened to pay dividends, Zidane swung the Group B initiative firmly into France's favour after Switzerland and Croatia had drawn earlier in the day with two strikes in added time. As the tricolores waved in one corner of the ground, England were left to warm down to strains of 'Can you feel it?' by Jean Roch. They certainly could, a sense of what might have been.

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