Fifa world cup 2006 : Togo VS France

Victory by two clear goals. That is the scenario France need to secure their place in the second round of the FIFA World Cup. Four years ago, this same situation faced them before they took on Denmark in the final group game, and while the net did indeed bulge twice, it was at the wrong end of the field for Les Bleus.

Against Togo, Raymond Domenech's men must rid themselves of their demons for once and for all if they are to regain their recent status among the global elite. When they take on their former colonial ruler, Togo’s ambitions will be limited to obtaining the first FIFA World Cup points in their history so they can depart the tournament with their pride intact.

Colours
Togo: yellow shirt, green shorts, white socks
France:blue shirt, white shorts, red socks

The story so far:
As they head into their final Group G game, Togo already know their FIFA World Cup adventure is over. In their encounters with Switzerland and Korea Republic, Otto Pfister’s charges played some decent football despite losing 2-0 and 2-1 respectively. But they also made plenty of unwanted headlines off the field due to a seemingly interminable dispute over bonuses and the on/off departure of their German coach.

For their last outing, the Sparrowhawks will be aiming to dispel any negative impressions by showing planet football that they merit their place among the world’s top 32 nations, and a victory against the 1998 world champions would go a long way towards achieving that.

Their French opponents, meanwhile, have blown hot and cold in their first two matches. Against the Swiss, Les Bleus showed their defensive efficiency but were incapable of finding the path to goal. A few days later against Korea Republic, they ended their eight-year FIFA World Cup goal drought, only to be pegged back to 1-1 with nine minutes to go.

Consequently, Thierry Henry and Co find themselves going into the final group game with their backs to the wall. On the positive side, however, the 1998 champions at least have their destiny in their own hands, knowing that a win by a two-goal margin will take them through to the second round, whatever the result in the Switzerland-Korea Republic game.

Although the situation was identical at Korea/Japan 2002, France will find cause for optimism in the fact that, four years ago, they faced a strong Danish side who were themselves fighting for their FIFA World Cup lives. And there is another difference that Domenech could no doubt do without: in Asia, the French welcomed back their talisman Zinedine Zidane for their third encounter, while this time, they will be deprived of the services of their suspended captain.

Past meetings
These two teams have never met before in either a FIFA World Cup or friendly game.

The duel Emmanuel Adebayor v Thierry Henry
Opposing strikers with parallel career paths. After having shone separately with Monaco, they pair now wear the colours of English side Arsenal. While both represent their respective sides’ most potent attacking threats, neither Adebayor nor Henry has played to his full potential yet in Germany. The Sparrowhawks’ goal counter is still set to zero, and while Henry got off the mark against the Koreans, he had looked distinctly out of sorts against Switzerland. The time has come for these natural goalscorers to rediscover what they do best.

What they're saying
Yao Junior Senaya, Togo defender: We won’t be merely making up the numbers in our final game, as we’re going to do everything we can to win and go out of the competition on a high. We intend to let France know they’ve been in a game, so we’ll be giving it everything one last time.
Patrick Vieira, France midfielder:I hope we’re going to get out of second gear now. This match could bring us so much more than mere qualification by serving as a turning point for the whole team.