Zidane and company back to fight another day

Zinedine Zidane and France have avoided a nightmare scenario by booking a spot in the last 16 but still have everything to prove at the World Cup, writes Patrick Vignal

Coach Raymond Domenech's ageing team, who will face Spain on Tuesday for a place in the quarter-finals, did what they had to with a 2-0 win over Togo on Friday but a question mark remains over how strong they really are.

"They have world class players and at a World Cup, you never know what can happen," said Togo coach Otto Pfister.

"Look at Brazil. They started slowly and are looking good now. The same might happen to France."

At least France could lay to rest the ghosts of 2002, when they left the World Cup without a win or a goal from the group stage.

"What happened in 2002 made it even more difficult," said defender Lilian Thuram, who won a national record 117th cap on Friday. "There was a risk we might have to go home and we didn't want that to happen. Now that risk will be there every match."

Midfielder Patrick Vieira, celebrating his 30th birthday, scored a goal and set up another to present France with their first World Cup win since they stunned Brazil 3-0 in the final eight years ago.

The result meant Zidane, who also turned 34 on Friday and watched the game from the changing room, will probably be back for at least one match. The man who inspired France to their 1998 World Cup triumph was suspended after a second booking in a 1-1 draw with South Korea that would have been his last match had France failed to qualify. He will retire after the tournament ends.

Two draws with Switzerland and South Korea and a victory over debutants Togo, which was not as straightforward as the score may suggest, have done little to suggest France could go a long way in Germany.

France looked sluggish in their first two outings and improved slightly against Togo in the first match they played with two strikers in Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet.

It was far from perfect, however, with Trezeguet wasting many chances and France taming brave but limited opponents only in the second half with two goals in quick succession.

Zidane set for recall

Domenech is now expected to recall Zidane against Spain, a team the gifted playmaker knows well having played for Real Madrid for years.

That means the coach, who always keeps his cards close to his chest with his tactics, could revert to his preferred system with just Thierry Henry up front but he has other options.

France, who rely heavily on several players now past their prime, still have to show they can be competitive during the full 90 minutes after running out of steam from the hour in their three matches so far.

Trezeguet and Henry have also been busy wasting the kind of chances they automatically turn into goals while playing for Juventus and Arsenal respectively.

The July 9 final, which Domenech has named as his target, seems an unlikely prospect but the curtain has yet to fall on a bunch of once great players still hungry for more glory.