Preview – Romania vs France, June 9 2008

When I was a child, say 8 years old, I had no idea what football is, which are the countries that play it well. All I knew were a few names, and I’d support them like hell. One of them, I could remember, was Lothar Matthias, the German Football demi-god. And among countries I’d support two countries which weren’t exactly at the top of their game.. Romania and Bulgaria. No idea why I rooted for them, but I did.. Romania has this “yay” feeling around it, taking me back a few years. And I am looking forward to seeing them fight till the end in the Group of death. If they get through this group, they most certainly are one classic side. Good luck to them!

France will be looking to steady its boat. We all know what happened when it met Senegal a few years back. We all know it struggled in the initial matches of a few recent tournaments. Romania will be hoping it is one of those days, and there’s every possibility of it turning out to be one. The English world will look at the star material that is Karim Benzema, and let’s see if the Lyon striker lives up to expectations. And oh, the expectation from him for this match will be a goal. If there’s anyone in the team who can do something about steadying the boat early, I’d give it to Mathieu Flamini or Franck Ribery. Flamini, with his arsenal-speed-game can bring that life to the lineup and Ribery.. Well, he is said to be in Magic Touch at the moment. It will be fun to see if he does a Lampard (remember the great form leading up to the world cup and failing miserably there?) or does it well. If France puts in half the effort they did during their France 98 victory, Euro 2008 is in their pockets already. Great defence at the back and some great names up front.


Key Players
Romania – Chivu, Mutu
France – Benzema, Flamini, Ribery

Prediction: A 1 or 2 GD victory for france