France Looks to Zidane's Return
Copyright � 1999 Nando Media
Copyright � 1999 Agence France-Presse
CLAIREFONTAINE, France (August 31, 1999 11:13 a.m. EDT http://www.sportserver.com) - France's World Cup-winning playmaker Zinedine Zidane returns to national team action on Saturday with the knowledge that the world champions are looking to him to revive their flagging European Championship
qualification campaign.
France goes to Kiev on Saturday to face Group Four leaders Ukraine in the knowledge that defeat could see it slip to fourth in the group if Russia and Iceland win their home games with also-rans Armenia and Andorra respectively.
It is no coincidence that France's alarming slump has coincided with the absence through injury of Juventus star Zidane, who last donned the blue shirt for France's historic Wembley friendly victory over England in February.
The Marseille-born man from Algerian ancestry - a national hero since his two first-half headers put France on the way to its 3-0 World Cup Final victory over Brazil - has been sorely missed and since his injury France has had negotiated stormy waters in the group.
First it shared a 0-0 draw with Ukraine at the Stade de France - a match that should have been won by the visitors with only uncharacteristically woeful finishing by Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko and superb goalkeeping from Fabien Barthez saving the French in a game where France hardly mustered an
attack.
Then came a 2-0 home win over Armenia but in June, France slumped to its first defeat as world champions and its first at the Stade de France when visitors Russia won a thrilling match 3-2.
Four days later France was desperately lucky to return from Barcelona with the points when an 86th-minute penalty from Frank Leboeuf salvaged a 1-0 win against Andorra, officially rated the worst team in Europe.
Marseille's Robert Pires and Christophe Dugarry and Lyon's Vikash Dhorasoo all failed to fill Zidane's creative midfield role.
Qualification for the finals in Holland and Belgium is a four-horse race with Ukraine top of the group and Iceland and Russia well in contention and after Ukraine the French have a tricky away trip to Armenia and a home tie with Iceland to negotiate.
The return of former Cannes and Bordeaux player Zidane is mannah from heaven for a country still lost in admiration for its World Cup winners but anxious that the feeling of pride in that team should not be diminished by a failure to qualify.
World player of the year Zidane said: "My fitness is coming back bit by bit. It's six months since I wore the shirt with the cockerel on it. I am missing it, I am returning with a great hunger."
He admits France may have suffered in his absence, saying: "I can bring a little bit more. A lot has always been expected of me. But I am not indispensable. There exists a team with Zidane and also one without him."
