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FRANCE 0 : 0 URUGUAY

In the first match without a goal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan™, 10-man France and Uruguay battled to a tempestuous draw in Busan, Korea. Both sides desperately needed the victory, but despite a hatful of chances and fouls, neither team could claim the three points.

France, who played for over an hour a man short after Thierry Henry was sent off, had the greater possession and territorial claim, but Uruguay were continually dangerous on the break. The teams battled with grit to try to get back into the Group A reckoning, but they are both stuck with just a point from two matches. France and Uruguay can still advance to the second round as they play group-leaders Denmark and Senegal respectively on the final matchday. Both need two-goal victories in the 11th June showdowns.

France came out of the gate looking like a team with their backs against the wall. They dominated possession early and pushed forward into the attack, but clear scoring chances were hard to come by.

France had to make an adjustment to their defence when Frank Leboeuf came up lame with an injury. Vincent Candela came on to play on the right side of the defence, while Lilian Thuram slid into Leboeuf’s central position (16’).

Though Uruguay had trouble keeping the ball in the French end of the field, they had the first good look at goal when Dario Silva broke free down the left wing and crossed for Alvaro Recoba. The Inter Milan man’s shot from 20 metres took a deflection off a defender, but it was not enough to completely wrong-foot Barthez, who saved it with his foot (18’).

The outlook for France took a turn for the worse when they suddenly found themselves playing with 10 men. Thierry Henry was whistled for a studs-up tackle on Marcelo Romero, and the referee, Mr. Felipe Ramos Rizo, showed the Arsenal striker a red card (26’).

France very nearly opened the scoring despite the disadvantage, when Emmanuel Petit fired a curling left-footed free kick from 20 metres off the right post (35’).

Recoba, the undisputed focal point of the Uruguayan attack, had two chances early in the second half. He took the ball on a run down the left and had his shot blocked by Barthez. The rebound came right back to Recoba, who shot right at Barthez again from a tough angle (52’).

Recoba’s next chance was even better and it came just seconds later. He got loose on a break and dribbled around Barthez, who had come well off his line, but Recoba could not steer his shot from a tight angle into the empty net (52’).

Then France went on the attack, with Trezeguet’s powerful shot from 15 metres saved well by Uruguay goalkeeper Fabian Carini (56’). The next minute, Sebastian Abreu beat a defender at the other end and drove a low shot straight to Barthez, something that had become a theme of the evening for the Uruguayans (57’).

Neither team wanted a draw that would leave them in a very difficult position after losing their first game and knowing that the other two teams in the group, Senegal and Denmark, carried four points. The tension and desperation was evident on the face of every player.

France tested Carini when Johan Micoud fired a curling free kick from just outside the area at the far post, but the Juventus net-minder was up to the task, diving to his left to push the ball wide (69’). Then in stoppage time, Wiltord found space in the box, but the defence closed in on him before he could get his shot away (91’).

Uruguay came right back with Federico Magallanes getting free on the break, but the Venezia man blasted his shot off of Barthez’s left leg (92’).

Source: FIFAWorldCup.com