Zidane Inspires France Into Semis
BRUGES (Reuters)(DS) - World champions France, once again inspired by Zinedine Zidane, overcame Spain 2-1 in their Euro 2000 quarter-final on Sunday to set up a mouth-watering semifinal showdown with Portugal.
The Spaniards should have made it 2-2 in stoppage time but Raul ballooned a penalty kick over the bar. Gaizka Mendieta, Spain's usual penalty taker who had scored earlier from the spot, had been substituted in the 58th minute.
Zidane, the Juventus midfielder, was the outstanding talent in an excellent game of free-flowing attacking football and put France ahead with a brilliant 32nd minute free kick.
A Mendieta penalty six minutes later had Spain briefly level but Youri Djorkaeff lashed in an unstoppable shot a minute before the break to regain the lead wich they never surrendered.
Their reward is a semifinal against Portugal in Brussels on Wednesday which should be a match for all soccer fans to savour. Portugal, playing great football, beat Turkey 2-0 on Saturday.
Sunday's game had always looked the most intriguing of the four quarter-finals and so it proved as both sides went on the offensive from the start. Patrick Vieira headed over for France after just three minutes while Raul tested Fabien Barthez with a clever chip.
PERFECT FREE KICK
After both teams had gone close several more times, France went ahead with a perfect free kick by Zidane. The midfielder had mis-kicked horribly from in front of goal moments earlier but made amends when he sent a fierce dipping strike beyond Santiago Canizares and into the net.
However, the lead lasted only six minutes as Lilian Thuram brought down tricky winger Pedro Munitis in the area and Mendieta, who scored from the spot in injury time in the 4-3 group win over Yugoslavia, slotted in the resulting penalty.
France regained their advantage a minute before the break when a Vieira forced his way into the box before rolling the ball into the path of Djorkaeff who crashed the ball in for his 26th goal in 66 internationals.
Zidane, World Footballer of the Year in 1998 and on this form on course to scoop the award again, was at the heart of most of France's most inventive work as his vision, delicate touch and incisive running found gaps in the Spanish defence that were invisible to others.
The third goal would not come though and the French fans had to endure some anxious moments in the later stages - not least the late penalty awarded when Abelardo was brought down by Barthez near his goal.
