France shocked defending World Cup champion and prohibitive tournament favorite Brazil 1-0 in Frankfurt thanks to a Man of the Match performance from Captain Zinedine Zidane. France will now face Portugal in Munich in the semi-finals on July 5.
Earlier in the day, Portugal beat England in a penalty shoot-out.
34-year old Zidane proved he can still dominate a big match. Coming off a stellar display against Spain, Zidane picked up where he left off, displaying his trademark spin-over moves, quick passes and accurate free kicks. Zidane rebounded nicely from a poor performance against South Korea.
Zidane exclaimed, "I've got no intention of stopping now. It's just so amazing!"
In a fairly dull first half, France showed its superiority by controlling the midfield. French midfielders Patrick Vieira and Claude Makelele completely shut down their Brazilian counterparts Kaka, Gilberto Silva and Ronaldinho.
Vieira points out, "Our players were well spread out across the pitch, and we filled every gap. We played very well".
Brazil did not generate a single shot on target in the first half.
Throughout the match, the Brazilian midfield failed to provide Ronaldo with any meaningful service. Ronaldo only came to life in the final few minutes of the match as Brazil desperately pressed for the equalizer.
A disappointed Ronaldo said, "They played great football, intelligent football that got the better of us."
In the 57th minute, Thierry Henry struck the winner for France, volleying a Zidane free kick. Henry was left totally unmarked at the far post as the Brazilian defense erred badly. Henry now has three goals in the tournament and a shot at winning the Golden Shoe award as tournament's top scorer.
After securing the lead, France oozed confidence defending their slim advantage, stringing passes together and looking to attack on the break. France's tournament revelation, Franck Ribery, was a continual thorn in the Brazilian side with his darting runs. He was almost responsible for giving France a two-goal lead as the Brazilian defense nearly put his cross into their own net.
France's veterans, Zidane, Henry, Vieira, Makelele, goal keeper Fabian Barthez and defender Lilian Thuram brought plenty of experience to the table. Their flawless performances and tactical superiority made for a side that was difficult to break down, and once again they had a proven leader.
Barthez said about his captain, "I haven't got words to describe (Zinedine) Zidane's performance. He was like our conductor."
Since losing the 1998, World Cup final to France, Brazil has won 11 straight World Cup matches. Brazil has only beaten France once in a competitive match, back in the 1958 World Cup. The chance for revenge was theirs for the taking but now we'll see four European nations competing for the 2006 World Cup. Germany and Italy will battle July 4, followed by Portugal and France July 5.
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