LiveBlog: France-Switzerland

The second draw of the tournment and it also finished 0-0. Not nearly as exciting, however, as France and Switzerland poked and prodded at each other without really showing any teeth. Both teams will be happy with the result as they look forward to the rest of the group to try and make up points.

Final: France 0-0 Switzerland

Full-Time: Thank goodness that borefest is over. Switzerland weren’t as uninspiring as, say Poland or Paraguay, and they had their share of chances which could have made this a real contest. The French showed they know where the goal is, but Henry could not find his normal killer instinct. Let’s hope he can get it back as it would be a shame for a player of his obvious talent to have a poor World Cup. The French can probably argue they were good enough to win it, but I wouldn’t say they dominated. Looking at the rest of the group, they probably aren’t unhappy with the result though.

92:26 - Frei misses a header from point blank range and get a yellow card for this trouble. Replay shows it’s well deserved after using his hand ala Maradona to try and score. He still missed which shows he’s not as talented as Maradona.

91:35 - Free kick for the Swiss wide right, surely the last attack of the game.

89:40 - Saha chest down beautifully for Dhorasoo but Tiramisu fires inches wide. Would have been a wonderful finish to an otherwise uninspiring game.

88:50 - I really don’t want this game to end as a draw. Who will step up and be a hero. Henry has ballted hard, but his shooting boots were left in the dressing room. Perhaps Trezuguet pawned those too. He’s a sneaky little bugger.

87:12 - A close up of Saha shows he’s trimmed his hair. Is this a disply of team support for those less fortunate in the team (cough…Zidane…cough…Barthez…cough…Henry).

85:25 - Degen suffering from some cramps. My girlfriend usually likes to eat chocolate when she has cramps. Luckily Switzerland is known for its chocolate and I fully expect Degen to recover swiftly. He’ll probably also ask me to mow the lawn during the next game.

82:00 - Nice one-two between Wiltord and Zidane. Wiltord jams his knee into the pitch under challenge and needs attention. he looks to be ok, but I can’t look at more replays of that. It just looks painful. In fact, Wiltord has been replaced by the very French sounding Dhorasoo. No bling for Dhorasoo as he throws his wedding ring at the French bench before running onto the field. Don’t worry Mrs Dhorasoo, he still loves you and Trezuguet isn’t ruinning into the locker rooms to pawn it off. Honest.

80:55 - Substitution for the Swiss. The equally wonderfully named Wicky makes way for Xavier Margairaz. I hope they’re not shutting up shop. This game is still here for the taking.

80:00 - Vieira earns the jeers of the crowd - French and Swiss alike - after a poor cross into the area. Just not seeing the quality we’d expect from a French team.

77:50 - Just struck me that we’v barely seen any shots from outside the area today. Certainly none from outrageous distances like we’v seen in other games. If there were any doubts about the effectiveness of the Teimgeist ball when shooting from long ranges, I think those have been answered in the opening days of the World Cup. Neither team today has tried their luck.

74:30 - Substitution for the Swiss. Mueller comes off and is replaced by Djourou who plays for Arsenal. Let’s hope he has an attacking bone in his body.

73:03 - Swiss really digging in now. I don’t know if we’ll see much of them in attack for the rest of the game unless they get a lucky break.

71:20 - Yellow card for the Swiss player Cabanas after a sliding tackle on Sagnol. Yellow card for Zidane after he tried to get on with the game and the ref decided he should have waited for the whistle. Bit harsh in my opinion.

69:52 - Sad point of the match. Ribery is out of the game. There is no more Ribery. On the plaus side, Louis Saha is much, much easier to type. I’ll try to work in an occasional Ribery for those following along.

67:33 - Players taking advantage of the break in play to suck down some water. Still very hot in Stuttgart. Free kick to the Swiss on the right side. Zidane clears and Magnin gets a touch of the magic spray. Replay shows his ankle twsisted like a pretzel. I’m impressed with the qualities of the magic spray.

66:00 - Still no replay of the Swis chance. Must be a French TV director. There we go, now I see it. Fantastic save with his feet by Barthez. Croupet will have to grudgingly give him that one.

64:30 - Great chance for Switzerland. Gygax’s header at the far post well saved by the Bald One. France is beatable with this defence. Of course, any team is beatable the longer it stays 0-0.

63:00 - Yellow card for Abidal for kicking the ball into the crowd after it had already gone out. The free kick sees Barthez awkwardly punch it away. He mutst have had problems seeing that.

61:44 - Nice chance for the Swiss capably defended by the French. No Maginot Line here today. I think I have to mention that at least once today, it’s compulsory. Props to those in the comments who beat me too it.

60:06 - More fouls starting to come thick and fast. Let’s hope the ref can keep this under control.

59:23 - Ribery has a shot blocked on the penalty area and I get to say his name again. Swiss fans and I are happy for different reasons.

57:25 - Not much imagination from the Swiss in attack. They’re standing in a line in midfield and you could throw a blanket over them, to borrow a cliche.

55:35 - Philipp Degen booked for the Swiss after tugging on Zidane’s shirt. Let’s hope Zidane’s little face holding routine did not influence the referee there.

54:08 - No Beckanbauer sightings in this game as yet. Is that a snub for the French team? He was with Platini at the previous match. Speaking of the French master, where is he today? Should he not be watching this game?

53:00 - Shot of Gygax on the sideline as a potential substitute for the Swiss. His name sounds like a drug. Maybe it can help Zidane and Barthez with some hair restoration.

51:10 - Ribery. I just like saying his name.

49:50 - Nice attack by Switzerland that does not result in a shot after Degen is blocked out of it on the 18 yard box. French counter sees Henry drifting left, but is eventually called offside after a one-two with Ribery.

48:10 - Vieira shoots from the edge of the area and Henry nearly blocks it while trying to get out of the way. Getting hit might actually have directed it goalwards. Story of the day for French shooting.

46:45 - Hard man Vieira bumps ‘keeper Zuberbuehler. The Swiss are a physical though and no handbags were thrown.

45:10 - Second half underway. Sun will be right in Barthez’s face for much of it. A good idea for the Swiss to shoot early and from distance.

Anyone have opinions about the handball in the box? I’m sure our Referee blogger will have somethign to say about it and I’ve been impressed with his breakdowns of the various games’ controversial decisions. This could be another. My take is that the ref made the right choice.

Half-time: Pretty even half, France looking the better team, but flashes of danger from the Swiss. I picked the Swiss as draw specialists before the tournament and they’re proving me right. I say that now because every other prediction I’ve made has not come true and I want to see a result in this game, not a draw. If I say it, it can’t be true, so come on boys, give us a goal.

44:10 - Swiss player Barnetta booked for a foul I missed. I gotta learn how to type without looking at my fingers.

43:23 - Most of France’s breaks have come from back Swiss defending - committing in isolated areas and missing the tackle which allows the French to pick their pass in the penalty area. Too bad their pass selection has so far been poor.

40:49 - Swiss defender Magnin booked at the next break in play. Could not have been for the hack on Henry as there was no free kick at the time. Strange decision from the referee. Henry back on the pitch and he appears fine.

40:15 - Henry is down after stretching to keep a ball in play. He’s off the pitch so Switzerland is under no obligation to kick the ball out of play. Whistles from the crowd but what can the Swiss do?

38:45 - Henry again released by Zidane but his shot is straight at the Swiss ‘keeper, Zuberbuehler. Henry will have to find his range soon if he keeps getting all these chances. Switzerland will have to find a way to deal with him or cut off his supply line.

37:00 - Ribery breaks into the Swiss box but for some reason gives up the resposibility of shooting in favour of a pass that goes behind Henry who shoots with less power and the ball strikes the hand of the Swiss defender. Could have a case for handball but I agree with the referee. The player did not move towards the ball with his hand and his head was turned in the other direction to protect himself.

35:40 - Very late flag for offside against Henry on a Zidane pass. Replay shows it was the right decision. Starting to hear the French fans wind up now.

32:40 - Nice close up camera work of the dribbling skills of Philipp Degen of Switzerland. We haven’t seen too much of that this World Cup, but then again, Brazil has not taken the stage yet. Stay tuned for our liveblog during that match later tonight.

30:50 - Shot just over the bar from Ribery. Nice chance. Saying his name makes me laugh: Riberte, Requality, fRanternity. Ahhhh, liveblogging, it makes no sense.

30:10 - Sagnol tripped while defending for France. Contender for Flop of the Day.

29:14 - Zidane tripped and another look at those special boots. Let’s hope they have the magic touch today.

27:56 - Does anyone else want to paint a moustache on Barthez to see how ridiculous it would look? Or is that just me?

26:40 - Sustained pressure from France now on the edge of the Swiss area, little one-twos involving Zidane. But it coms to nothing and Switzerland breaks free.

22:50 - Great free kick which comes back off the post. Frei only needed the slightest touch after the offside trap was Les Miserables. He couldn’t direct the rebound goalwards and the danger passed. Huge chance for Switzerland, big wake-up call for France.

21:50 - Nice period of posession for the Swiss. Results in a foul by Vieira about 40 yards out.

20:00 - Nice ball from Zidane puts Heny into space in the Swiss penalty area, but his touch and the defence pushes him wide and he can only deliver a cross across the goal face without any venom, nor any support.

19:40 - Game reaching somewhat of a stalemate in midfield. The crowd doing their best to liven things up.

16:40 - Switzerland is spelled Schweiz in German which is a lot shorter to type considering using that for the duration. Then again, I have copy & paste. France is Frankreich, which sounds extremely German and not at all French. Plus it’s harder to type. However, I love Germany in French - le Allemange. Sounds so much sexier.

14:00 - Vieira bangs his shot into the pitch and it bounces high over the crossbar. Shot of French coach Domenech on the sideline looking far trendier than Otto Pfister.

13:05 - Instead an angled cross to the far post, headed clear by Switzerland. Corner France and the screws are starting to turn.

12:22 - Hard foul on Wiltord. This is Zidane range.

10:20 - Zidane brought down. Did he borrow some boots from a Swedish player? What colour are those. On the plus side they’re easily noticeable in the shadow.

09:34 - Switzerland building nicely before giving away possession cheaply in midfield. Their game looks based on a short, quick passing game which is nioce to see after a fair amount on long ball stuff so far this World Cup.

07:01 - Zidane looks to be cruising. Much like Nedved yesterday for Czch Republic, using his experience to be involved in the game without running himself into the ground on this hot, hot day.

05:22 - Header from Henry after nice buildup play from Zidane released Wiltord, who got a nice cross that Henry just could not keep down. Good chance for France.

03:41 - Great fan support for Switzerland in the crowd today. A sea of red at the end they are defending. Fantastic last ditch tackle by France to deny a run into the box from Switzerland. It was in the shadow so I can’t tell who it was.

02:15 - Jinking run by Zidane showing shades of his younger self. I kinda want to see him do well consdering its the last time we’ll see him on the World stage.

00:30 - Switzerland kick off and once again we battle with a creeping shadow on the pitch that makes things diffucult from a viewing perspective. Let’s hope that’s not the story of the tournament.

00:01 - We’re off! Microscope is on the French team after their woeful performance in the ‘02 World Cup. The pressure and spotlight of defending champions is of them and they’ve had a solid build up despite some selection controversy and the sad loss of Cisse with a broken leg.

Switzerland has been flying under the radar for most people, but are quietly confident of doing quite well in this group thank you very much. We’ll see today. Good luck to both teams!

Pregame

Alrighty, in the saddle and ready for this one to kick-off. Thank you to all the commenters who think I can handle 14+ beers during the game. Hopefully we’ll see a bit more excitement than that and my fingers burn rather than my vision blur.
Who’s going to win this one? Who will be the star of the match? How many beers will Chris drink while he blogs?