Did France WIN the WC?

[gambine]

I obviously don't mean this literally, but I just don't have the respect for them that maybe I should. I think Brazi WON USA94 and Germany won Italia90, but I don't think France WON it. They were the team that lifted the world cup, but didn't win it. Does anyone know what I mean?

They came out of a really easy group, needed extra time to beat Paraguay (who despite their good showing, really aren't a good team). They beat Italy in penalties in an otherwise unimpressive performance by either team. They got lucky against Croatia, Thuram's goals were lucky, especially the second one, he didn't even look where he was shooting, he just shot.

In the final, Brazil didn't play to their capabilities. They just came out flat. It seems as if France just got by for the most part.

Anyone agree or disagree?

[Omar]

I agree. I think it would be unfair to say they aren't a good team, which they are, but I don't think they are the best in the world.

They didn't play so well in the tournament, but they still managed to get to the final and beat Brazil. One thing that helped them, obviously, was all the fans they had. Now of course the host nation will have the most fans, but their ticket system was screwed up. They have all the French tickets, and not as much as they should have to the rest of the world.

I just think that Brazil should have and would have won the World Cup had the Ronaldo issue not risen right before the game. You can't say Ronaldo is the whole team, but what happened to him must have hurt the team mentally.

I don't know what to say. . .It would be unfair to say the French didn't deserve it, but . . . I thought maybe Croatia, if not Brazil, deserved it.

Comments?

[gambine]

I agree, I think Brazil and Croatia deserved it more, and I also think Holland. Holland came close to beating Brazil, very close.

Don't get me wrong, France is a good team but just weren't convincing.

I'm sure there's more of you out there that have an opinion on this than just Omar and myself :)

[Massilia2600]

Enough with this nonsense. It's not like Brazil played terribly well either. In the qualifying stage, they only beat Scotland becasue of an own goal and lost to Norway 2-1
Then, they had more problems when trying to beat Denmark and again with Holland when Holland missed a penalty. When you get to the World Cup, you are playing by far the best teams in the world an anything can happen. France in Italy and Paraguay only struggled to score. They were not tested on the defensive side because Italy and Paraguay stayed in their own half almost all the time. Why can't you people accept that other teams are going to win sometimes and no team is guaranteed to win. To me, Brazil and France are about equal talentwise.

[gambine]

I can accept that other teams will win, and I want other teams to win. I think you have gotten the wrong impression from my post. All I meant to say was that France wasn't convincing to ME ;)

[Tariq]

"Man, what kind of a stupid topic is this" is what I thought when I read the topic title!

Yes, I know exactly how you feel, even though I disagree.

I agree with Massilia. I know France just wasn't convincing enough to YOU guys, but they won it. I know you guys might like Brazil more than France, and I do too, but you have to admit that like Massilia said, Brazil wasn't perfect the whole time. Ronaldo's injury did cause part of their loss, and maybe if he didn't play that game, things would have been better. Actually, they probably would have been better.

I still think Brazil is a better team, but I also think that France really did win the cup.

[This message has been edited by Tariq (edited 28 April 2000).]

[gambine]

I actually like France more than Brazil, why do you guys think I like Brazil more? This wasn't a "sour grapes" post, and it wasn't a post trying to defend Brazil or raise their flag. I'm happier to see France win it ahead of Brazil :)

[Juve Fan]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Tariq:
"Man, what kind of a stupid topic is this" is what I thought when I read the topic title!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I still think its not a suitable topic, dont get me wrong, but gambine this is very clear, I AGREE with you one million percent.. They were really unimpressive especially against Italy, think of it that way, if Baggio hadnt missed that volley in Extra time Italy would be WC champs by now (they cant lose to brazil twice) anyways I hate Brazil more than any other team, not because they suck but becuase everyone likes them and I dont like to go with the majority.. But I think the final wasnt that nice (although the 3 goals),I still thought the final game was more like a friendly match..

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Juventus 4 ever...
FORZA BIANCONERI



[This message has been edited by Juve Fan (edited 28 April 2000).]

[gambine]

I thought this was a pretty good topic. I'm not the only one who feels this way. But thank you for insulting the topic, it made me feel so good ;)

[Juve Fan]

You know we are not insulting the topic... :)
But its so clear that France sucks as a National team...

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Juventus 4 ever...
FORZA BIANCONERI

[This message has been edited by Juve Fan (edited 02 May 2000).]