Goal-keeper seals victory for France

Press, 23 June 1986, Page 27

Goal-keeper seals victory for France

NZPA-Reuter

Guadalajara, Mexico

France became the first nation to reach the World Cup soccer semi-finals yesterday when it kept its nerve to beat Brazil, 4-3, in only the second penalty shoot-out in the history of the tournament.

The match was level, 11, after normal time and remained unchanged through 30 minutes of extra time.

Beaten by West Germany in similar circumstances four years ago in an unforgettable semifinal in Seville, France emerged victorious this time through the efforts of its goalkeeper, Joel Bats.

In addition to saving a penalty from Zico in the second half of normal time, Bats produced a fabulous save to deny Socrates in the spot-kick climax. Julio Cesar also failed to score for Brazil in the shoot-out, smacking his kick against a post.

Alemao, Zico and Branco all scored for Brazil but Yannick Stopyra, Man,uel Amoros, Bruno Bellone and Luis Fernandez netted their attempts for France to render Michel Platini’s miss irrelevant.

While Brazil, never before beaten in the Jalisco Stadium, deserves the utmost sympathy for the manner of its defeat, the rest of the world will find it difficult not to share the French jubilation because long before 90 minutes were up the European champion was surviving on instinct like a punchdrunk boxer under the searing heat of the afternoon sun.

France goes forward to a semi-final on Thursday against West Germany. France’s champagne football, which sparkled so excitingly after Platini’s forty-first-minute equaliser which cancelled out Careca’s opener after

17 minutes, predictably fizzled out as the heat and altitude took their terrible toll.

But after Bats had enjoyed the real privilege of keeping out a Zico penalty in the seventy-fifth minute, France somehow hung on in the most courageous manner although its goal enjoyed a charmed existence at times.

After a strangely tentative start, Brazil went ahead after a dazzling move finished off in clinical style by the outstanding Careca. The ball sped from Socrates to Alemao to Muller and finally to Junior whose perfectly timed final pass found Careca unmarked 10 metres out. The Brazilian striker scored with ease as the French defence stood spellbound. Although Muller almost put Brazil further in front when he hit the goal-post in the thirty-third minute, France refused to yield to both the heat and the Brazilian magic and it deservedly drew level when Dominique Roche-

teau exploited the defensive deficiencies of the full-back, Branco.

Rocheteau raced past Branco to the goal-line and although his tempting low cross was missed by Stopyra, Platini materialised from nowhere to flick home at the near post.

Having spent much of the match chanting “Zico, Zico” the vociferous Brazilian following had their wish granted when he replaced Muller in the seventieth minute.

Hardly warmed to the task, the great man immediately made a double impact. An impertinent pass left Branco racing clear and the goal-keeper, Bats, up-ended the fullback to concede a penalty.

With Zico stepping up to take the kick, the Jalisco Stadium’s scoreboard official probably had his finger poised on the button marked “two.” But Bats pulled off a great save to deny the Brazilian. Bats, who had looked dangerously vulnerable for the first hour, topped

that effort 60 seconds later with a breathtaking one handed save in midair to turn away a stinging Zico header.

With the conditions taking their toll on France, Brazil assumed total control from there on, although Stopyra was blatantly impeded when clean through in the eighty-ninth minute. Socrates started the penalty shoot-out. As he had done against Poland in the second round when he was successful, he opted for a two-pace approach but Bats lunged to his right and beat the ball away with his left hand before the ball flew over his body.

The next three Brazilians, Alemao, Zico, making temporary amends, and Branco were all successful as were the first three Frenchmen, Stopyra, Amoros and Bellone, although the latter’s shot went in off the back of the goal-keeper, Carlos, after hitting a post. So Platini, celebrating his thirty-first birthday,' stepped up with the penalties at 3-3 and bewilderingly hooked and hoisted the ball over the bar. But Brazil were back in the match for only a few seconds, for Julio Cesar crashed his shot against a post and it was left to Fernandez to drive home France’s winner.

Emotionally drained but jubilantly happy, the French coach, Henri Michel, said after the match: “This is a great moment for French football. We were lucky but you always need luck to win any game.”