| France made soccer history here on
Sunday night, when the underdogs beat defending champions Brazil 3-0 to win the
last World Cup this century before a delirious crowd of 80000 people. The host nation fully deserved their ultimate triumph, teaching a static Brazil how to play the disciplined attacking football, which has characterized their campaign at France 98. Players on both sides burst into tears at the final whistle, French President Jacques Chirac raised his arms in triumph and co-organizer Michel Platini broke into a huge grin. Brazil had just played their worst match of the tournament. French coach Aime Jacquet, who now steps down from the national coaching job, siad: "we are very proud, we worked very hard for this. We didn't just want to be finalists," the 56-year-old man went on. "We have worked very hard for the last two years and we justified everything on the pitch. We deserved to win. We've got huge faith in our players, who have improved as the tournament has gone along. We've been through everything in these World Cup finals, with the sending-off of Zidane and Laurent Blanc, and yet we've made up for their absences and overcome all the obstacles. And to crown all that, we've had the sending-off tonight of Desailly. But this team has extraordinary heart." France were the better side throughout the tournament. They won all their matches, scored more goals than anyone else and conceded fewer goals than anyone else—only two, to boast the meanest defense of any winning side. It was the perfect finishing touch for a memorable evening in world sport, rounded off by fireworks, massed singing of "La Marseillaise"(马赛曲) and the image of Deschamps holding the World Cup high above his head. |