France 3-0 Honduras: Victory after 16 years of waiting
In 1998, France beat South Africa 3-0 in the opening match of their journey to the World Cup. And 16 years later, Didier Deschamps's team repeated the exact same scoreline in the opening match of the 2014 World Cup. Good omen for Les Bleus?
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| Benzema shines to help France win easily |
GOAL
France:Benzema (45', 72'), Valladares (own goal 48')
RED CARD
HONDURAS:Palacios (43')
The unusual event took place at the Beira-Rio stadium when the national anthems of both teams were not played. But 90 minutes later, there was nothing unusual in the confrontation between France and Honduras. With a much higher level, the Blue team easily controlled the game and pushed the opponent Honduras back to their home field. In this match, coach Didier Deschamps boldly let young talent Griezmann start while Giroud sat on the bench. The French captain's preference for young players has brought about the effectiveness of the Blue team's fast, passionate playing style, completely different from the shabby image in South Africa four years ago.
However, goals did not come easily for Les Bleus. France's play was still lacking in creativity despite their all-out pressure. And when the chances came, luck continued to smile on Honduras. That was the situation in the 15th minute when Matuidi shot hard from close range but the ball licked the crossbar and went wide. Just a few minutes later, Valbuena crossed the ball beautifully for Griezmann to comfortably head, but once again the crossbar denied Didier Deschamps' army.
The overwhelming dominance of the game signaled that a goal was only a matter of time for France. And the efforts of the Blues were finally rewarded at the end of the first half. Wilson Palacios illegally blocked Pogba in the box, forcing Honduras to concede a penalty. Benzema made no mistake at the 11-meter mark to break the deadlock for the European representatives. This could be considered the turning point of the match because in addition to conceding the goal, Palacios was also sent off with a second yellow card. All against Honduras.
Playing with one more man, France played more easily in the second half. Honduras' net shook quickly in the 48th minute when goalkeeper Valladares fumbled and put the ball into his own net after Benzema's shot. The match was considered settled because Honduras had no chance to turn the game around. Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps' students continued to threaten the opponent's goal with a relaxed mentality. And in the 72nd minute, Benzema sealed a 3-0 victory for Les Bleus with a tricky shot. Thereby, the Real Madrid striker became the first player to score twice for France at the World Cup since the 1998 final, when Zidane scored twice.
A 3-0 victory over a weak opponent like Honduras doesn't say much about the French team. But at least Didier Deschamps's team had a smooth start like... the 1998 World Cup, the tournament they won. But it's also from that time until today that Les Bleus fans have enjoyed the joy of celebrating a victory in their opening match at a World Cup.
It is also worth noting that France's goals in this match alone were three times the total number of goals they scored at the 2010 World Cup. Les Bleus' scoring is clearly improving. The 3-0 victory helped the Blues temporarily lead Group E.
LINEUP
France:Lloris, Debuchy, Varane, Sakho, Evra, Cabaye (Mavuba 66'), Pogba (Sissoko 57'), Matuidi, Valbuena (Giroud 78'), Griezmann, Benzema.
Honduras:Valladares, Beckeles, Bernadez (Chavez 46'), Figueroa, Izaguirre, Garrido, Palacios, Najar (Claros 58'), Espinoza, Bengtson (Garcia 46'), Costly.
