Le Tallec seals French passage

France sealed their passage to the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-offs as an impressive hat-trick from Anthony Le Tallec gave them a 3-0 win against Switzerland in Schaffhausen.

Indecisive defending
The Swiss proved to be no match for René Girard's side, conceding a first goal after just nine minutes when Le Tallec exploited some indecisive defending. A blunder by defender Steve von Bergen then gifted the striker his second goal six minutes before the interval.

Impressive hat-trick
Liverpool FC striker Le Tallec, who is currently on loan with their Premiership rivals Sunderland AFC, completed his haul for the night with a 77th-minute strike but could easily have had a fourth had another shot not cannoned off the crossbar.

Girard impressed
"We were very impressive in the second half - we controlled the ball very well," Girard said after the game. "The third goal was the killer. The boys have put in an exemplary performance. I didn't expect it to be so easy. When I see us playing like this, I can't see how anyone could handle us."

Final chance
France are now sure to win the group as they look ahead to their final fixture against Cyprus on Tuesday, but Switzerland can still join them if they win their final qualifier in the Republic of Ireland on the same night. A win would put them level on points with Israel, who have already completed their campaign, but a superior head-to-head record would count in Switzerland's favour.