FCBARCELONA.CAT

09.06.2008 19:51

France can only draw with Romania (0-0)

www.fcbarcelona.cat

France and Romania drew 0-0 in their opening Group C match at Euro 2008. Abidal and Thuram played all 90 minutes.

In the first half both sides played conservatively. The Romanians were well organised at the back and tried to hit on the break through Mutu. France, who controlled the game, couldn’t break down their opponent’s defence.

France ups the tempo

In the second half les bleus upped the tempo of the game and Ribery and Malouda began to create chances from midfield. The Romanians responded by pushing forward in the best part of the match. The best chance fell to Karim Benzema in the 57th minute but his shot from the edge of the box was well saved by Lobont.

No clear chances

Even though France played more attacking football, the Romanians were still creating danger. The French had more chances, though no really clear ones, and made the bulk of the running but were unable to break down the Romanian defence.

Barça players

Barça defenders Thuram and Abidal played all 90 minutes of the game, while club colleague Thierry Henry was on the bench and couldn’t play due to injury. Thuram has now broken the record for European championship games with 15, one ahead of Zidane and Poborsky, in his fourth appearance in the finals.