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| quote: | Originally posted by moondog
and WTF is that all about, never heard of it
SENEGAL SENEGAL SENEGAL!!!!!
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| quote: | France lift Confederations Cup
Paris, June 30
Although Thierry Henry’s golden goal in the 95th minute gave France a 1-0 victory against Cameroon in the final of the Confederations Cup, the night belonged to Cameroon, which were mourning their fallen midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe.
The cup will always be remembered for Foe, who collapsed and died on the pitch Thursday during Cameroon’s 1-0 semi-final victory over Colombia. And as the crowd Sunday at the Stade de France in Paris chanted his name as the teams were walking around the field after the trophy presentation, it was clear to whom the evening belonged.
The biggest cheer was reserved for Cameroon’s captain, Rigobert Song, as he walked up to collect his losers medal carrying a huge photograph of Foe.
Before the match started, the 51,000 spectators witnessed one of the most moving moments in recent football history when both sides stood around a huge photo of the midfielder and held hands in memory of Foe as his widow, Marie-Louise, and his brother looked on.
As both teams observed a minute of silence and stood for their national anthems in the centre circle, several of the players from both sides had tears in their eyes.
French coach Jacques Santini said after the game that that moment for him had been the most important of the tournament.
“This was the defining moment,’’ he said. “Of course, if you have to take a moment from the game, it is the goal, but the most important moment was when the players showed they are one.’’
Then, after the match, French captain Marcel Desailly insisted that Song join him as he received the trophy.
“I wanted to show that we were one,’’ Desailly said. “We shared the pain that the Cameroon players were feeling, and that was important on the night.’’
During the match, which was played more like a friendly rather than the final of an international competition, both sides began cautiously and created few chances.
Ten minutes from the break, French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was forced to make a full stretched save after Pius Ndiefi extended a cross from the right toward goal.
On the hour, Henry should have opened the scoring for his side after midfielder Ludovic Giuly went down the right flank and crossed the ball into the middle for Djibril Cisse. The Auxerre striker managed to evade goalie Idriss Kameni’s dive at his feet and played the ball back to Henry, but his shot toward the empty goal shaved the upright and went behind for a goal kick.
To a large cheer from the crowd, Samuel Eto’o, who scored Cameroon’s goal in the 1-0 victory against Brazil in their opening match, came on in the 67th minute.
It could have been a storybook appearance for the striker as he had a clear-cut chance at goal within a minute of coming on after Timothee Atouba did well to win the ball from a French defender and his cross found an unmarked Eto’o in front of an open goal, but the Spanish-based player, who scored twice for Mallorca in their 3-0 cup final victory Saturday night, pulled the ball just wide.
Because neither side managed to find a breakthrough in the remaining time, the match went into extra time. It was all over five minutes later though when Song missed a cross from the right, and the ball fell to Henry, who tapped it past Kameni with his knee, making France the first country in the history of the competition to successfully defend the title.
Henry, who finished the cup’s top scorer with four goals, also won the best player award.
Cameroon’s German coach, Winfried Schaefer, praised his side after the match.
“I am proud of my players,’’ he said. “The game was a victory for football, and although it was a sad moment, the players did well. He also again paid tribute to Foe.
“In 35 years of professional football, I have never come across a person like this,’’ Schaefer said. “It is not only football that has lost a great player, Cameroon has lost a great person.’’ — DPA
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enough?
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