France hold their nerve to sink Germans

Goalkeeper Benoït Benvegnu was the hero as France beat Germany on penalties to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship today.

Late drama
Benvegnu saved two German penalties after the match had ended in a 1-1 draw at the Næstved stadium. Kévin Lejeune's injury-time strike cancelled out Daniyel Cimen's 52nd-minute opener, before Benvegnu helped France through to the last four where they will face Spain.

Few chances
A scrappy first half saw few clear-cut chances, as both sides looked to retain possession and give nothing away. Rain prior to kick-off had made conditions difficult, with players from both teams losing their footing on a regular basis. France midfield player Guillaume Plessis fired just over the bar from 25 metres inside the first minute, before Sebastian Westerhoff saw his goal-bound shot blocked inside the French area.

Tactical battle
Despite the shortage of chances, the opening half was a tactical battle between two well-organised teams. France opted to play with Saïd Khiter as a lone striker and packed the midfield, while Germany, with Stephan Bork and Alexander both impressing, posed a greater attacking threat.

Attacking substitution
In the second half, France brought on Gaël Clichy to play on the left flank, allowing Lejeune and Christophe Madanne to push into forward positions. Plessis went close with another long-range effort, before Khiter was denied by a fine save from René Adler after Lejeune's surge down the left.

Cimen free-kick
Just as France seemed to be gaining the upper hand, Germany took the lead. Captain Cimen curled in a free-kick, which the waiting strikers and defenders missed, and the ball bounced beyond Benvegnu and into the far corner. Huber then went close to doubling Germany's advantage four minutes later but saw his powerful strike turned round the post by the French keeper.

Lejeune leaves it late
With time running out, France pushed everyone forward in search of an equalising goal. Jonathan Bru and Carl Medjani both missed with headers and it appeared that Germany would hang on for a slender victory. But, as the stadium clock ticked into stoppage time, Germany only half-cleared a corner. Plessis hoisted the ball back into the danger zone and Lejeune, adjudged to be onside, took a touch before burying the ball in the far corner.

Madanne winner
Neither side could find a second goal and the chosen players then stepped forward for the shoot-out. Benvegnu saved Germany's first two kicks - from Ersan Tekkan and Sebastian Westerhoff - and France ran out 4-2 winners, with Madanne holding his nerve to convert the deciding penalty.

'Successful change'
Coach Luc Rabat was delighted with the French performance. "It was a very tough game and we knew that Germany would give us a hard match," he said. "We made tactical changes in the second half and that proved to be very successful. We are still missing one of our most important strikers, Jimmy Briand, who will be out for the remainder of the competition. We now play Spain and that will be another difficult match."

'Poor penalties'
Germany coach Jörg Daniel was sanguine in defeat and praised his side's efforts in what was a thrilling finale. "I am very satisfied with the performance of my players," he said. "Everything we wanted to do, we did. We knew it would be a tight match as we played France last summer in Italy and this was almost an identical game. Our first two penalties were poor and I had told the players to strike the ball hard, but they were weak shots."