France’s national football team is leading Group E with six points and is poised to advance to the round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup. This is in stark contrast to the team’s disastrous appearance four years ago, when they were eliminated in the groups stage.
France National team was impressive against Switzerland on Friday, as they continue their campaign to repeat as World Cup champions. With an effective attack led by Giroud, Benzema, and Valbuena, Les Bleus were no match for the Swiss, who struggled to put their strategy in action.
In surprising back-to-back goals, France national team put the game away in the first few minutes. Giroud scored at the 17th minute and almost instantly they capitalized on another opportunity, when Matuidi followed in the 18th, putting France up 2-0.
From then on, Les Bleus were dominant, with very fast counterattack and precise passes. Giroud was crucial to the convincing victory, which turned out to be a blood bath.
#FRA again! Just making it look easy: http://t.co/tq45fPoLjb pic.twitter.com/MIlRem0Hui
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 20, 2014
Now that’s a little bit scary! @mamadousakho3 celebrating France scoring tonight against Switzerland. #LFCworldcup pic.twitter.com/bLnFgarY5J
— LFC Photo (@LFCphoto) June 20, 2014
HT: Switzerland 0, France 3. The top line for France making Swiss cheese out of that defense. #SUIvsFRA pic.twitter.com/yRzibSFmTL
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 20, 2014
Oli celebrating his assist with Valbuena in an all too comfortable 3-0 lead heading into the break – #FRAvSUI : pic.twitter.com/YRwhJK0gGU
— (@EditedAFC) June 20, 2014
Not many expected the Swiss team to fall by such a wide margin, but the French team pressed on even when it was clear that they will take the three points. The 2014 World Cup has been full of surprises.
There was another shocker and it didn’t affect the end result. Uncharacteristically, Karim Benzema, one of the most reliable strikers in France’s national team, missed a penalty kick. However, he got his revenge when he later scored in the 67th minute, putting his team up 4-0. Valbuena had scored the fourth at the 40th.
France’s national team had several missed chances and even though the score was so one-sided, it could have been so much worse for Switzerland. Sissoko scored the fifth goal for France, but the national team didn’t relent.
Switzerland showed some life towards the end of the match with two goals of their own. Dzemaili scored in the 81st and Xhaka six-minutes later, which could be useful if there’s a tie with three points in the group. France’s national team is almost guaranteed to advance to the round of 16, while Switzerland depends on the result from Ecuador vs. Honduras.
[Image via Twitter]
