World Cup country profile: France
France reached the finals in dramatic circumstance overturning a 2:0 deficit to beat Ukraine 3:2 in the European qualification play-off. The French path to Brazil was tricky from the start, having being paired with Spain in the qualifying group. But they did emerge from Madrid with a point en rout to securing a second place and a showdown with Ukraine. France’s star players include Bayern’s Franck Ribery and Rio Madrid’s Karim Benzema. The manager, Didier Deschamps, lifted the country’s world cup in 1998. In 2006, they reached the final again. This time around in Brazil, they should be confident of getting back on the winning track, having being drawn in group B along side Honduras, Switzerland and Ecuador.
