Brazil-France – M. Zagallo: “France played brilliantly”

BRAZIL probably lost the game in the first half. FRANCE had the potential to win when they went one up and this potential increased with each goal. We did everything we could to come back in the second half and initially we had the upper hand, but we couldn’t get the better of them. FRANCE played brilliantly. They were the host and the whole country was behind the national team. It would have been nice to win a fifth World Cup, but that will have to wait for another day. I would gladly have taken the Arc de Triomphe back to BRAZIL with me, but I can’t because it belongs to you. I can’t say whether I’ll be staying on as coach. I don’t think this is the time or place to discuss that. We shall have to wait and see. It just wasn’t our day. FRANCE was better.

France were the superior team and as the first half was out of our hands I was longing for the interval in order to be able to make some changes and alter our style of play for the second half. The two goals that France scored were from set-pieces, corners, ZIDANE (10) scored one from the left and one from the right. These goals were rather like the one scored by the NETHERLANDS. We suffered a major traumatic shock before the game, a big psychological blow because RONALDO (9) was not fit to play. This made us inward-looking and inhibited in our play because the players had been upset that the first start list did not carry RONALDO’s name. Throughout the game I was wondering whether or not to take him off. If you require more details about RONALDO’s medical condition, ask the BRAZIL medical staff.