France Routs Switzerland:
SALVADOR, Brazil—France has been at the World Cup for two games
now and, so far, there has been no locker room explosion. The players haven't
gone on strike. And no one has been sent home for insulting the coach's mother.
For Les Bleus, after the désastre of 2010, this counts as progress.
So does their 5-2 victory against Switzerland here on Friday
evening, which all but booked France's spot in the knockout rounds. A point in
its final group-stage game against Ecuador next Wednesday would be enough to
win Group E and set up a matchup with the runner-up of Argentina's group.
Switzerland, meanwhile, must better Ecuador's result when it faces Honduras.
Les Bleus have notched eight goals in Brazil now after fretting
about their ability to rack up goals throughout their qualifying campaign.
Their total for the previous three World Cups combined is 10, which includes a
run to the final in 2006.
The victory came on the fourth anniversary of the infamous
"Greve du Bus," when the players refused to train in Knysna, South
Africa. Les Bleus insist they've moved past it. In fact, after star winger
Franck Ribery pulled out of the World Cup with a back problem, the squad was
left with just four survivors of the 2010 World Cup.
When it came up in the pre-match news conference, head coach
Didier Deschamps puffed out his cheeks and rolled his eyes.
For the players it may be old news. But for the fans, it has
been a long four years. Euro 2012 was a damp squib that came with its own
moments of ugliness (see: Samir Nasri publicly cursing out a journalist). And
the preparations for this tournament came with the lowest expectations in
years.
Brazil is a chance for Les Bleus to restore the image. So far,
it seems to have worked. In a country where many people still believe that
rugby is the true national sport and soccer is a game for immigrants and the
overpaid, Les Bleus are riding a new wave of support. (A group of fans even
waved a flag from the separatist Basque region alongside the Tricolore inside
the Arena Fonte Nova on Friday.)
And that comes from a perception of togetherness within the
squad.
"The balance of a team is always fragile," goalkeeper
and captain Hugo Lloris said before the game. "You have to maintain it
daily, and you maintain it with victories."
France took hold of the game with two goals in the space of 66
seconds in the first half. Olivier Giroud gave his side the lead with a header
from a Mathieu Valbuena corner kick before Karmic set up Blaise Matuidi to beat the
Swiss goalkeeper with a shot at the near post.
Valbuena, the only player to appear in every game since head
coach Didier Deschamps took over in 2012, got a goal for himself to make it 3-0
before halftime. The move that led to his strike saw the team take fewer than
10 touches between defending a Swiss corner kick and the goal.
It was typical of France's new style. Set up in a 4-3-3 with
powerful runners and quick passers through the middle, Les Bleus are able to
break from deep to catch teams off balance.
"We saw counters from France with four against two, five
against two," Switzerland defender Johan Djourou said.
The second half goals came from Moussa Sissoko and Benzema.
Benzema
has the luxury of playing alongside Ronaldo
Gareth Bale and Angel di Maria for his club side Real Madrid, and is often been
criticized for his low productivity with the national team. But his run of
eight goals in his last seven games for France means that he has now matched
the total for his previous 34 national team appearances, according to Opta
Sports.
And he could have had two on Friday, but his 32nd minute penalty
kick was saved by Diego Benaglio, with Yohan Cabaye smashing the rebound
against the woodwork, and although he did find the net again, the referee had
just whistled for full-time.
"I've been convinced for a while that we could do something
here," Benzema said.
Two goals for Switzerland in the final 10 minutes—on a free kick
and a volley by Granit Xhaka—dampened the mood slightly among the
Marseillaise-belting French support. Still, one look at the scoreboard helped
fix that and, perhaps, push Knysna a little further into the past.
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