Aerzen, June 29 (SW) - French coach Raymond Domenech has claimed his players heard racist chants from Spanish fans before the World Cup game earlier this week.
Domenech stated, "When I arrived with the bus there were fans making monkey chants."
In 2004 FIFA fined the Spanish Football Federation, as a result of fans racist behavior toward England players during an international friendly. This latest revelation now looks to bring more attention to the accusations of racism in Spanish football.
Last year Spanish coach Luis Aragones received a fine for making racist comments about Arsenal player Thierry Henry.
The French striker didn’t react to Aragones' comments and gave his reasons for this saying, "A lot of people were speculating about Aragones and I don't want to talk about it because there is no point.
"But the best answer was the win," he added.
FIFA bring in new rules on racism in July that will involve the deduction of points for any countries or clubs whose fans commit racist offences.
HANNOVER, Jun 28 (SW) - Spanish Coach Luis Aragones has been left annoyed by a free kick decision that led to one of the French goals during last nights game.
Senior French players such as Zinedine Zidane and Patrick Vieira combined with one of the younger members of the squad, Frank Ribery to earn a 3-1 victory over Spain.
However Aragones was not pleased with one of referee Roberto Rosetti’s decisions' as he stated afer the game, "Their second goal came from a free kick that wasn't a foul and we were punished by a refereeing error.
"Football is unjust sometimes, but not always. France were very tough opponents.
"When players give everything you can't ask any more. They're still young and have another chance in the future," he added.
Despite the defeat Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, remained fairly upbeat about the team performance saying, "We played the way we know how to play and we played well today but they finished the job better than us.
HANNOVER, Jun 27 (SW) - France came back from behind to beat Spain 1-3 with goals from Frank Ribery, Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane and advance to the quarter finals.
Spain began with Francesc Fabregas in place of Marcos Senna, while Zinedine Zidane and Eric Abidal returned for David Trezeguet and Mikael Silvestre.
The first dangerous moment came after nine minutes, when a free kick by Mariano Pernia curved dangerously toward Barthez' goal but went just wide and over.
In the next phase, the action mainly took place in midfield as neither team managed to get close to the opposing penalty area, though Spain seemed more confident in their passing.
France had a good opportunity to open the score when Henry received a pass from Zidane, and then sent a low cross which was only just missed by Frank Ribery and Patrick Vieira.
1-0 David Villa (penalty) 28th minute
But in the 28th minute, it was Spain to take the lead. Pablo was brought down by Lilian Thuram and referee Rosetti called for a penalty. David Villa did well to strike into the lower left corner for 1-0.
From here on, things calmed down as Spain defended their lead and France failed to break through the opposing defense.
1-1 Frank Ribery 41st minute
But in the 41st minute, this did happen as a through-ball by Vieira ends up with Frank Ribery, who gets around Casillas to then score the equaliser.
Seven minutes into the second half, Zidane found Florent Malouda, who tried a lob but couldn't beat Casillas, and the keeper punched the ball away.
In the 54th minute, Luis Aragones made two changes, as he brought on Luis Garcia and Joaquin for Raul and David Villa.
Five minutes later, Ribery beat a defender on the right wing but his cross was not precise enough and was missed by several teammate.
The first yellow card came when there were no less than 67 minutes played, as Patrick Vieira fouled Francesc Fabregas.
In the 79th minute, Joaquin entered the area from the right and beat several defenders, but then sent a strike wide of the near post.
Not much later, on the other side, Sidney Govou received a pass from Ribery but his curved shot went just over Casillas' crossbar.
1-2 Patrick Vieira 83rd minute
But France did take the lead with seven minutes left, when a Zidane free kick allowed Patrick Vieira to shoot on goal. The shot was deflected by Sergio Ramos and flew right past Casillas.
1-3 Zinedine Zidane 90th minute +2
And while Spain did try to get the equaliser, it was France's big boss Zinedine Zidane himself to decide the clash. The playmaker entered the area, got around a defender and then put the ball past Casillas for 1-3.
The final whistle soon sounded and France advance to the quarter finals, where they meet with Brazil for a replay of the 1998 final.
HANNOVER, Jun 27 (SW) - Welcome to SoccerWay.com's live coverage of the World Cup Round of 16 match between Spain and France.
FULL-TIME
It's all over and France are through to the quarter finals, and beat Spain for the third time at a major tournament. The Spanish, who did so well in the group phase, have been left with empty hands.
90th minute +2 - GOAL FRANCE! (1-3)
Goal: 10 - Zidane
The captain decides the clash! Zidane enters the penalty area, gets past a defender and then shoots past Casillas for 1-3.
90th minute +1 - France booking
Booked: 10 - Zidane
Zinedine Zidane is next to be booked for a foul on Fabregas.
88th minute - France substitution
On: 11 - Wiltord
Off: 12 - Henry
Henry did not impress today and is taken off for Sylvain Wiltord.
87th minute - France booking
Booked: 22 - Ribery
Ribery complains when the referee calls for a Henry foul, and gets booked.
83rd minute - GOAL FRANCE! (1-2)
Goal: 4 - Vieira
Patrick Vieira puts France in the lead! A free kick from Zidane hits a defender, but Vieira's following shot in the rebound is deflected into the goal by Sergio Ramos.
82nd minute - Spain booking
Booked: 5 - Puyol
The Barcelona defender is booked for a foul on Thierry Henry.
81st minute
Zidane finds Ribery on the right wing, and the midfielder gets past two defenders before passing to Govou, who shoots just over the crossbar.
79th minute
Joaquin beats several French defenders and shoots, but the effort goes just wide of the near post.
74th minute - France substitution
On: 9 - Govou
Off: 7 - Malouda
And there's Domenech's first change, as Sidney Govou replaces Florent Malouda.
72nd minute - Spain substitution
On: 16 - Marcos Senna
Off: 8 - Xabi Alonso
Aragones makes a final change, bringing on Marcos Senna for Xabi Alonso. Raymond Domenech still has all three subs left.
68th minute - France booking
Booked: 4 - Vieira
Only the first yellow card of the match, and it goes to Patrick Vieira for a foul on Fabregas.
60th minute
Luis Garcia sends a cross which is only just cleared by Willy Sagnol. Things are going from one side to the other and back, at the moment.
59th minute
Frank Ribery beats a defender on the right wing but his following low cross is missed by both his teammates and the opponents.
54th minute - Spain subsitution
On: 17 - Joaquin
Off: 21 - Villa
Spain's goalscorer David Villa comes off as well, and is replaced with Betis player Joaquin.
54th minute - Spain subsitution
On: 11 - Luis Garcia
Off: 7 - Raul
Luis Garcia replaces Raul to give Spain's front line some new energy.
52nd minute
Florent Malouda tries his luck with a lob, but Casillas can reach it and punches the ball away.
51st minute
There has been no particularly dominant side in the second half so far, which is bad news for Spain, as they were the better team before the equaliser.
HALF-TIME
It has been an entertaining first half and the score at half time is 1-1. Anything can still happen in the second half.
41st minute - GOAL FRANCE! (1-1)
Goal: 22 - Ribery
Frank Ribery receives a through ball from Vieira, gets around goalkeeper Casillas and then easily scores the equaliser for France.
38th minute
It's a calmer phase now as France do try to push forward but struggle with the Spanish defense.
28th minute - GOAL SPAIN! (1-0)
Goal: 21 - Villa
David Villa shoots into the lower left corner and scores, with Barthez only just failing to get his hand to the ball.
27th minute - SPAIN PENALTY!
Lilian Thuram fouls Pablo and Rosetti calls for a penalty.
23th minute
The best opportunity so far is for France. Zidane's pass finds Henry on the right, after which a low cross is missed by both Frank Ribery and Patrick Vieira.
19th minute
Spain are the better side in this phase as France struggle to keep the ball. Other than Pernia's free kick in the ninth minute however, there have been no real chances.
12th minute
Thierry Henry shows himself and tries a shot on goal, but it's low and soft, and easy to control by Iker Casillas.
9th minute
Mariano Pernia takes a free kick for Spain, and the ball initially seems to go well wide and high, but then curves toward the goal to only just miss the junction of post and crossbar.
6th minute
A confusing moment as referee Rosetti first calls for a French corner kick, but then realizes Henry had handled the ball and gives Spain a free kick.
Kick-off
The match has started in Hannover, for what is expected to be a clash of giants. Spain are favorites after the performances in the group games, but France will aim to restore their reputation.
Pre-Game
Spain coach Luis Aragonés left out Marcos Senna for the 18 year old Arsenal player Francesc Fabregas.
Zinedine Zidane and Eric Abidal are back from suspensions and have been included at the expense of Mikael Silvestre and David Trezeguet. Henry is the only striker.
Lineups
Spain: Casillas; Ramos, Puyol, Pablo, Pernía; Xabi Alonso, Fabregas, Xavi; Raul (Garcia 54), Villa (Joaquin 54), Torres.
Goals: Villa 28p
Booked: Puyol 82
France: Barthez; Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal; Ribéry, Vieira, Makelele, Malouda, Zidane; Henry.
Goals: Ribery 41, Vieira 83
Booked: Vieira 68, Ribery 87, Zidane 90+2
Match Information
Venue: AWD-Arena, Hannover
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)
Assistants: Cristiano Copelli and Alessandro Stagnoli (ITA)
4th Official: Markus Merk (GER)
HANNOVER, Jun 27 (SW) - Line-ups for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Spain and France.
Spain
1 - Iker Casillas (GK)
3 - Mariano Pernia
5 - Carles Puyol
7 - Raul (C)
8 - Xavi
9 - Fernando Torres
14 - Xabi Alonso
15 - Sergio Ramos
18 - Cesc Fabregas
21 - David Villa
22 - Pablo
France
16 - Fabien Barthez (GK)
3 - Eric Abidal
4 - Patrick Vieira
5 - William Gallas
6 - Claude Makalele
7 - Florent Malouda
10 - Zinedine Zidane (C)
12 - Thierry Henry
15 - Lilian Thuram
19 - Willy Sagnol
22 - Franck Ribery
Location: AWD-Arena, Hannover
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)
DORTMUND, Jun 27 (SW) - Brazil are through to the quarter finals after a clinical 3-0 win over Ghana, who were the more attractive side but failed to beat the opposing defense.
Brazil began as planned, with the same formation as used in the first and second group matches. Robinho, who did feature in the third game, was out with a minor injury.
Ghana were without the influential Michael Essien, who was suspended after picking up a second yellow card against the United States.
1-0 Ronaldo 5th minute
The Brazilians were strong in the opening phase, and only needed five minutes to open the score. Ronaldo beat the defense and the goalkeeper, after which he could easily score for 1-0.
The goal was Ronaldo's 15th at a World Cup, with which he breaks the record set by German Gerd Müller in the seventies.
Adriano had a good opportunity to double the lead in the 11th minute, but the forward, who could have passed to Ronaldo, went down in the area and was booked for diving.
With about twenty minutes played, Ghana slowly started to be dangerous up front. Draman launched a shot on goal but Dida tipped the ball over the bar.
And a few minutes later, Matthew Amoah came close to levelling the score, receiving the ball on the edge of the Brazilian area but then shooting a meter wide of the right post.
Brazil continued to look shaky and a mistake in the 35th minute gave Asamoah Gyan the chance to conquer the ball, but Emerson prevented the player from shooting on goal.
In the 42nd minute, Ghana had another good chance to equalize as John Mensah headed on goal from a Muntari corner, but Dida stood in the right place.
2-0 Adriano 45th minute +1
Despite Ghana's dominance in this phase, it was Brazil to score their second goal at the end of the first half. Adriano, actually in off-side position, received a pass from Cafu and could easily walk the ball into the goal.
In the second half, Ghana tried to break through the Brazilian defense but were not half as dangerous as they were before the second goal.
Brazil almost netted a third in the 57th minute, but Roberto Carlos had a low shot blocked by Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson.
Twelve minutes later, Ghana created their first chance in a long time but Stephen Appiah's shot from within the penalty area is saved by Dida.
Ghana's coach Ratomir Dujkovic had not returned from the changing rooms after half time, for unknown reaons, and his assistant was in charge for the second half.
With eleven minutes left, Asamoah Gyan tried a shot on goal from about 18 meters, but Dida could control relatively easily.
The match was practically decided when Gyan went down in Brazil's penalty area in the 81st minute, but was accused of diving with a second yellow, thus red card as result.
3-0 Zé Roberto 84th minute
And with six minutes to go, Zé Roberto controlled a pass and beat goalkeeper Kingson at the same time, after which he could easily score his side's third.
Juan had a great chance to add a fourth goal in the 92nd minute, but had his shot from close range blocked by Kingson.
Not much later, the final whistle sounded and Brazil advanced to the quarter finals while Ghana will need to focus on the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
HANNOVER, Jun 26 (SW) - One of the top clashes in the round of sixteen must be the match between tournament revelations Spain and 1998 World Champions France.
The Spaniards particularly convinced in their first two group matches, after which Luis Aragonés men took it easy against Saudi Arabia.
The French meanwhile, disappointed in their first two games but advanced nevertheless thanks to a 2-0 win over South Korea in the final group match.
Francesc Fabregas and Raul are the most notable names in Spain's probable line-up, with Luis Garcia and Marcos Senna likely to start on the bench.
Zinedine Zidane is back for France after a suspension, and the same goes for Eric Abidal. Raymond Domenech said to leave his decision of whether Henry should play alone or with Trezeguet, for Tuesday.
Facts:
In 2002, Spain face Ireland in the round of sixteen and beat their opponents on penalties after drawing 1-1. A round later, Casillas would face another shoot-out with South Korea, and this time the outcome was less positive for his team.
On the road to gold in 1998, France needed a golden goal from Laurent Blanc to beat Paraguay 1-0 in the round of sixteen.
Head to head:
As neighbours, these two countries have faced each other 27 times of which Spain won eleven and France ten. The two never met at a World Cup, but in their three European Championships encounters, France won twice and drew once.
Probable line-ups:
Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Puyol, Pablo, Pernia, Xavi, Alonso, Fabregas, Raul, Torres, Villa.
France: Barthez, Gallas, Abidal, Thuram, Sagnol, Malouda, Makelele, Vieira, Zidane, Ribery, Henry.
Location: AWD-Arena, Hannover
Time: 21:00 (9:00pm) CET
Referee: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 29-06 | Domenech witnessed Spanish racism |
| 28-06 | Aragones angry with referee |
| 27-06 | France come back to beat Spain |
| 27-06 | Spain vs. France moments |
| 27-06 | Spain vs. France line-ups |
| 27-06 | Ghana dominate but lose to Brazil |
| 27-06 | WC Preview: Spain vs. France |
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