FRANCE 98 – France-Paraguay – L. Blanc: “I'm never going to knock the 'Golden Goal' rule ever again”

France-Paraguay – L. Blanc: “I’m never going to knock the ‘Golden Goal’ rule ever again”

28.06.98 18h59 CET

Didier DESCHAMPS, captain (7)

“We were expecting a difficult match against PARAGUAY and ultimately it was even more difficult than we had imagined; we expended a lot of strength in this battle and ended up in the red. Happily Laurent came to our rescue at the end of the match. This match ought to have acted as a real springboard after the group games, but this evening we controlled the game less well than in our first three meetings. The essential thing is that we have qualified for the quarter finals. Everybody’s expecting to see us in the final against BRAZIL, but don’t forget that there are other matches to be won to reach the final. The ‘Golden Goal’ was a relief for us today but it was very hard on PARAGUAY. The last World Cup match between FRANCE and ITALY in 1986 turned out well for us. The same result (2-0) would suit us down to the ground in five days time. We know the Italian players very well, and you could almost say that it will be a match between ITALY and players who play in ITALY.”

Fabien BARTHEZ (16)

“We’ve ridden a real emotional roller-coaster, we came up against a defence which was a veritable wall; the post, one defender’s leg, another’s foot… There weren’t many chances. Right from the start we knew that they were looking to take it to extra time and through to trial by penalty. The team was terrified of conceding a goal, but ultimately we came out of it very well. The match was like a French Cup game, a third division side against a first division side. I’m relieved it didn’t go to penalties, not because I’m afraid of them but because you can always make a mistake. Laurent BLANC’s goal and qualification for the quarter finals are a great birthday present.”

Alain BOGHOSSIAN (14)

“It was difficult to come on in this game but we wanted to win, we went to the wire and we got it. The team won, even if we had problems and moments of self-doubt and we must hold on to the fact that we won. PARAGUAY showed they were worthy adversaries. They were looking to go penalties. That’s logical – they’ve got a very good goalkeeper. The next match against ITALY ought to be more open defensively. That should make for more better, more interesting football, but not necessarily simpler football. ITALY are a top team, a new challenge.”

Bixente LIZARAZU (3)

“It was an extremely difficult match in which PARAGUAY showed that they really deserved their second round place. Paraguayans played the ideal match. They are a very well organised team, who knew how to change their organisation during the match. We felt that we controlled the match well, but after a series of missed chances, we had a poor period. In the end, we won the match by sheer grit. The ‘Golden Goal’ rule is very wearing mentally. You know that half a second of inattention could be fatal. After a relatively easy opening round where we scored lots of goals, we really had to battle for this win. It’s important because from now on every match will be a battle. This evening we qualified and the adventure goes on. We have five days to prepare our quarter final match against ITALY which will be a great World Cup match.”

Stéphane GUIVARC’H (9)

“It was a very difficult match. As the minutes went by, we knew we had to score. Perhaps we lacked punch, and we should probably have played further up the field. We didn’t have much luck in this match; each time we had a shot on goal there was always a foot or a leg that stopped the ball going in. Relief finally came with Laurent BLANC’s goal after he had come forward. Personally, I am happy to have got on for this game, my knee held up well.”

Vincent CANDELA (2)

“It was very difficult, especially when, from the bench, you can see your friends not scoring, doubting, standing around. It was difficult for us to get into the game. Emotionally speaking, that’s the most difficult thing. I was afraid it would go to penalties. On the bench it wasn’t easy to bear, even if we had a great deal of faith in Fabien (BARTHEZ). It’s a situation I’ve never been in, except with the French Under-21 side at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, when we were knocked out by Portugal after one of these famous ‘Golden Goals’. It’s exciting and stressful at the same time. But once you’re through, you don’t think about the match any more.”

Emmanuel PETIT (17)

“We hit the post, had loads of chances, but we didn’t have any luck. Against this PARAGUAY team, we felt like we were playing head-tennis against a brick wall; there was a gap of forty metres between the two defences, it was spooky! When you played the ball upfield it came back almost instantly and that was frustrating. Now it’s the turn of the Italians: if we let in a goal against them, they’ll definitely play like the Paraguayans.”

David TREZEGUET (20)

“We knew we would be under pressure. When the goal came, I could see that Robert (PIRES) had put over a good cross; I was in a good position but ‘Lolo’ (Laurent BLANC) was in an even better one. It was the kind of match which is both physical and tactical. The ‘Golden Goal’ rule may be hard to accept; I don’t happen to agree with it but there you go, you have to put up with it. If it had happened to us, we would have felt terrible… When Laurent (BLANC) scored, I knew straight away it was all over! But it would have been really dramatic if it had been the other way round. Against us we found a team who were very well positioned on the pitch. As far as we were concerned, we didn’t get the same feelings as we did in the first three games. Now for ITALY: they are more of a real ‘football’ side, but possibly much more tactical as well.”

Marcel DESAILLY (8)

“The Paraguayans played well. They managed to stretch our defence, so there was a lot of space between the players. And we also knew that the Paraguayans had managed to keep a clean sheet for the whole of their match against SPAIN. We had to score before it went to penalties. We were very stressed out, but it’s exactly the kind of emotion you’re looking for when you play in this type of competition.”

Laurent BLANC (5)

“I’m never going to knock the ‘Golden Goal’ rule ever again. It’s an incredible feeling of joy; I promised myself I would score in the World Cup. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t even think to congratulate David TREZEGUET for his header down. The Paraguayans seemed very confident about penalties and were waiting for them. Perseverance paid off, but we were afraid. We did absolutely everything to score and two or three times we nearly did – the Paraguayans found themselves two against two or three against three. Against ITALY it will be a different match, but I’m not convinced it’ll be more difficult.”

Youri DJORKAEFF (6)

“I didn’t know when we were going to score, but I never doubted that we would win. We had to go on attacking and never give up. If we had thought for one moment that we could lose, we would be finished this evening. It was the sort of match we were expecting. It was hard; there were always three or four opponents on the man who had the ball. It’s also the game where we felt most pressure. In the quarter finals ITALY will play more to win.”

Lilian THURAM (15)

“This victory really is sweet, a great joy. Of course we had doubts, but there are always doubts in life. The most important thing is that the team hasn’t been stopped.”

Robert PIRES (11)

“The ‘Golden Goal’ frightens everybody, but we deserved our victory today. FRANCE pushed hard, and created chances. In the changing rooms, we sang our song, which always does us good. I hope that we’ll be singing to the end.”

Patrick VIEIRA (4)

“The Paraguayans were all holding back and counting on going to penalties. But that didn’t frighten me: we’ve got great strikers and a good goalkeeper.”

Franck LEBOEUF (18)

“I was confident: The Paraguayans were fading fast. At the end they were on their knees. But I prefer it to have happened this way; our players were tired and they had more and more difficulty trying to get through the ten Paraguayans who were inside the penalty area.”