Tragique

For France the World Cup nightmare continues. The game that started so brightly with a trademark Thierry Henry finish after nine minutes turned sour, first when play was inexplicably waved on after Vieira’s first half header clearly crossed the line and then agonisingly when South Korea bundled in an equaliser minutes from time. And to add to their misery, Zidane was among the players who were booked.

It is an extraordinary situation, not least because players of the calibre of Thuram, Zidane, Vieira and Henry would be coveted by almost any team. Fortunately, they know that they are good enough and experienced enough to turn the situation round and to rise above the inadequacies, eccentricities and prejudices of manager Raymond Domanech.