France v South Africa as it happened

 

That’s all from me. Thanks for joining me this afternoon. Conor Hogan will be here from 7.30pm to purr about Diego Maradona’s Argentina, who take on ancient Greece. And I’ll be back in the hotseat for tomorrow’s big one – England v Slovenia – from 3pm.

Till then.

All over in Bloemfontein. End of the road for the hosts, who go out gloriously having taken their first victory of the tournament and dominated completely against the abject French. They’re the first World Cup hosts to bow out at the group stage, and given that so many games have been played out in front of so many empty seats, there’s a fear that the fizz will go out of this tournament from here on in.

For France, it’s the end of a few roads. Raymond Domenech is gone, some of the most senior trouble-makers, Thierry Henry among them, will also move on and Laurent Blanc will be charged with the task of restoring their reputation and fortune. Given the depths they have plumbed in this tournament, that’s going to be one hell of a challenge.

We’re into added time. South Africa finishing as they have played for most of the game: on the front foot. Modise has a shot just wide. Tshabalala is left all alone at the back post but Lloris produces the save. It’s not stretching it to suggest that there could have been five or six goals for South Africa today.

Pienaar looks completely wrecked. He has looked completely wrecked since the first few minutes of the first game 11 days ago. There was a theory that South Africa were a one-man team and that he was it, but there have been several more notable performers, including Siphiwe Tshabalala and Katlego Mphela.

Having watched France-Mexico last week, having tut-tut-tutted my way through his performance, and having heard that he was one of those to rebel against Domenech, I’m surprised to find that Sidney Govou has been introduced for France.

Maybe Domenech, mindful of the fact that this is his last game in charge, just wants him to be part of another of the most humiliating moments in French football history.

ITV commentator Jon Champion: “To beat France should be a feather in South Africa’s hats. To beat this France may not be quite such an achievement.”

He’s at it again. Thierry actually catches this one. And throws it to the South African keeper. (The whistle had gone for offside about five seconds previously, but we won’t let that get in the way of a good yarn.)

There was a “deathly silence” when that goal went in, according to Craig Burley. It hasn’t taken the South Africans long to get back on the blowers, though. Vuvuzelas as noisy as they’ve ever been. Or maybe that’s just some sort of damage to my ear-drum.

As it stands now:

Goal France!

Sagna plays Ribery in down the right flank, keeper Josephs advances to narrow the angle but Ribery has the presence of mind to centre to the unmarked Florent Malouda for the simplest of finishes. End of the road for South Africa, I would have thought. There are just no happy endings when this France side are involved.

Siyabonga Nomvethe is on for South Africa, with Bernard Parker making way. Nomvethe has been round the block and back. He scored the winner in their only previous World Cup finals victory, against Slovenia in 2002.

South Africa threaten again. More neat passing frees Pienaar in midfield. He has Ngcongca bombing down the right but opts to take the shot on himself. Lloris gets behind it comfortably.

Where have I seen that before? Thierry Henry controls a Florent Malouda cross with his LEFT HAND. He gets away with it too, but his half-cross, half-shot fails to threaten.

There’s only one team in this. South Africa pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass-pass. Mphela, who has been outstanding for South Africa, gets in behind Clichy and Lloris is forced to save at his feet. The ball rebounds off Mphela but cannons outside the post for a goal kick. If they really believe they can do this, South Africa can score a couple more goals here and make it through against all the odds.

Ribery greedily ignores the pleas of Henry and takes a shot on himself, which he manages to fire high over the bar from about 12 yards. That’s a skill in itself.

So close to another one. Mphela is given time and space to get his shot away from outside the box and Lloris dives full length to his right to touch it behind. Given Lloris’s strengths and weaknesses, he may have been better trying to cross it.

Cissé with a smart shot on the turn which fizzes just over the bar. It’s Cissé’s first real sight at goal, and it’ll be his last. Thierry Henry is on in his place. Now, to complete the humiliation, we need Henry to fist an own goal and smooth South Africa’s passage to the last 16. That’s probably a long shot.

Well, it should be 3-0.

Tshabalala with the most exquisite five-yard pass I’ve seen in this tournament. It puts Mphela through on Lloris, he gets to the ball just before the French goalkeeper but his effort smacks off the post and behind. I’m really starting to think that South Africa are going to get the job done here, with or without the assistance of the officials. Although more likely with.

Back on in both games. Gignac (surprise, surprise) is hauled off for France, with Florent Malouda on in his place.

Half-time #4:

Quinn Employee has dropped us a mail at shout@joe.ie: “Shane I’m sure you have these stats in your vast memory bank  – I wonder how shots on target numbers compare for this WC to previous WC’s.  The standard of free kicks and shooting has been shocking. Should JOE.ie start a campaign to dump the Jabulani for the knockout phases????”

Here is one number from this report, suggesting that the shots on target have been well above average:

446 -  Teams have been far more attacking and have racked up an impressive 446 shots on goal, the most at this stage since the World Cup was increased to 32 teams in 1998.

Half-time #3:

Just had another look at the red card incident. Without wishing to be branded a turncoat, I now think it was harsh. Although if it was Gallas or some other French undesirable rather than their most skilful player, I might think differently.

Half-time #2:

Liam-o Brady reckons the red card was the right decision by the referee. I sort of agree with him, in an ambiguously undecisive fence-sitting sort of way.

“They just want to be on the next plane back to France,” says Ronnie-o Whelan.

Half-time:

The teams trudge off. Actually, France trudge off. South Africa bounce into the dressing-rooms for the half-time oranges, or whatever professional footballers eat at the break these days.

France have been abysmal again. An embarrassment. Humiliating. And to think that we couldn’t beat them over two games. This is a team that has lost to China, South Africa and Mexico in the last three weeks, without scoring a single goal. Interesting stat: France have failed to win any of their major tournament games since Zinedine Zidane retired. That sequence will stretch to six today by the looks of it.

So as it stands now, the table looks like this:

In the other game, there’s been a goal for Uruguay: Luis Suarez has put them ahead, which gives even more hope to the Bafana Bafana. Could the dream be back on for the hosts? Has Fifa been playing with the crystal ball? Is this South Korea all over again?

South Africa have the ball in the net again, and again it’s Mphela, but this one is disallowed for offside. Right call too, but you’d have to think that there are a few more goals for South Africa here.

Meanwhile, at the other end, there’s a fine save by keeper Josephs but really William Gallas should have scored. It was a free kick into the area and Gallas stole in unmarked from the penalty

As it stands:

Goal South Africa!

Well, well, well. Katlego Mphela this time, bundling home from close range after a couple of shoddy attempted clearnces by the French. Suddenly the hosts, who looked completely out of the running for qualification after their 3-0 defeat to Uruguay last week, have belief. This France side is a gift that just keeps on giving.

Tshabalala, whose corners have been causing all sorts of problems for Lloris, stands over a free kick. If we’re expected to hold our breath, we can soon exhale as his effort, like so many free kicks at this World Cup, flies harmlessly over the bar.

When I said “he made flush contact with the chin of the South African defender” I meant Yoann Gourcuff, not Craig Burley. Although Burley knows what red cards are all about – he’s the last Scotland player to be sent off at a World Cup finals, and given the fact that Scotland are unlikely ever to qualify again, that’s a record he should have in safe-keeping for all eternity.

Well, really, how much worse could it get for France? Gourcuff off for an elbow on Sibaya. Referee Oscar Ruiz flashed the red. Craig Burley reckons it was harsh, but he made flush contact with the chin of the South African defender so no real surprise to see the colour of the card.

Red card for France!

Suddenly there’s life in it. Gignac (surprise, surprise) and Cissé fire high and wide respectively, and then Katlego Mphela advances to the edge of the area but screws his shot just wide of the post.

South Africa force another corner and again Lloris is uncertain. After my earlier comment about shoddy dead-ball deliveries, Tshabalala’s last couple have been excellent – quick, low trajectory, making them difficult to defend. France escape this time.

Bongani Khumalo with it. A terrible, terrible goalkeeping error by the usually exemplary Hugo Lloris. It was Tshabalala’s inswinging corner and Lloris, unchallenged, got nowhere near it, allowing the big centre half to head into the empty net. From bad to worse to worst for France.

Goal South Africa!

This has been like watching grass grow. Actually, watching grass grow would probably be more pleasant. If it was a nice day.

Ribery picked Pienaar’s pocket there. Ribery has the look of a lad who’d make a decent living from stuff like that.

France have forced a few early corners, but nothing’s come of them yet. The dead-ball deliveries in this World Cup have been woeful, with the exception of Chile’s Matias Fernandez. Have we even come close to a goal from a free kick yet?

France have started a bit more cohesively than they did in either of their other two games. Any France team with Yoann Gourcuff in it can only be improved, for my money.

An early chance for Gignac, but it will surprise no-one who’s been familiar with his barn-door-friendly method of striking that he failed to trouble keeper Josephs.

And we’re away in Bloemfontein. Apparently France posed for the team photo before the game with 10 players. Symptomatic of their difficulties, that.

There were some interesting shots of the teams arriving at the stadium earlier. France looked sober, as befits a squad which has aired so much of its dirty boxers in public over the last few days. The South Africans, meanwhile, danced and jigged off the team bus and into the stadium. If this was about team spirit alone, there would only be one winner.

There’s a change to the France team we were given earlier. Andre-Pierre Gignac starts in attack, with Matthieu Valbuena dropping to the bench. Valbuena may have had a bit of a cut at Domenech for organising crap warm-up drills. Either way, he’s out.

We’ll also be keeping tabs on the Mexico-Uruguay 1-1 draw. Here are the teams for that one:

Mexico: Perez, Osorio, Rodriguez, Moreno, Salcido, Torrado, Marquez, Guardado, Giovani, Blanco, Franco.

Uruguay: Muslera, Maxi Pereira, Lugano, Victorino, Fucile, Arevalo Rios, Perez, Pereira, Forlan, Suarez, Cavani.

Some emails. Colm Flynn in Tullow: “10/11 about a draw in Mexico-Uruguay is like taking sweets off a baby. Just put €110 on – it’ll be the easiest €100 I earn this year.”

Mark O’Riordan from Youghal is talking about the France situation. “The France team Domenech has picked today is much better than South Africa and with Evra and the rest dropped, it should be unified too. France to win, and squeeze through by virtue of Uruguay beating Mexico in the day’s other game.”

Ronnie Whelan, on the other hand, has a bit of sympathy for Domenech: “He’s been made to look very silly so you do have to feel for him a little bit. There seems to be a big conspiracy to gang up on him.”

Anyone else feel sorry for Raymond? Let us know by shouting.

Liam Brady is preaching forgive-and-forget in the RTE studio: “Three times in three World Cups, twice as a player, I’ve been on the wrong end of decisions against France. So I’m very, very happy with what’s happening.”

There are five changes for South Africa – goalkeeper Khune and midfielder Dikcagoi are suspended so Moeneeb Josephs and MacBeth Sibaya come in. Striker Bernard Parker, right back Anele Ngcongca and Thanduyise Khuboni are all in, with Teko Modise, Siboniso Gaxa and Reneilwe Letsholonyane.

The teams have been announced. France captain Patrice Evra is dropped, as are Florent Malouda, Sidney Govou and Eric Abidal.

France: Lloris, Sagna, Gallas, Squillaci, Clichy, A. Diarra, Diaby, Gourcuff, Ribéry, Cissé, Gignac.

South Africa: Josephs, Masilela, Khumalo, Mokoena, Ngcongca, Sibaya, Tshabalala, Mphela, Pienaar, Parker, Khuboni.