France v Brazil - as it happened

Teams: France: Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Mexes, Abidal - A Diarra, M'vila - Menez, Gourcuff, Malouda - Benzema. Subs: Mandanda, Carrasso, Réveillère, Koscielny, Sakho, Clichy, Cabaye, Matuidi, Diaby, Gameiro, Hoarau, Rémy Brazil: Julio Cesar; Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Andre Santos; Elias, Lucas, Hernanes; Renato Augusto, Pato, Robinho Subs: Gomes, Neto, Breno, Luisao, Marcelo, Rafael, Anderson, Sandro, Jadson, André, Hulk Preamble: Ah, now here is a proper match. Grumble all you like about friendlies being meaningless but sometimes a game doesn't need high stakes to be gripping, such is the calibre of the players on display. France proved their class when easily whoping England at Wembley a while back and Brazil, well, if you're not interested in watching how Brazil are evolving under a new manager, then stick to watching golf. Mano Menezes is rebuilding Brazil following the drabness of Dunga. I haven't seen them yet but am told there more enterprising, with Elias a conjurer supreme. Lucio and Maicon have been omitted in favour of Dani Ales and Chelsea new boy David Luiz, with Lucas patrolling jsut in front of them. Pato and Robinho are the new manager's preferred strike partenership so he'll be looking for signs that they are becoming ever more familair with each other's game. As for France, Menez is given another chance to prove that he is the mental strength to perform on the big stage - too often in the past nerves have stifled his flamboyant talent and the fear persists that mental frailty will forever undermine his technical ingenuity. The same risks being said of Gourcuff, who at times has hinted at becoming one of the game's great but, over the last year, has only flickered. Samir Nasri and Mathieu Valbuena may be absent but if Menez and Gourcuff can come close to their best tonight, this will be a delight. During last night's coverage of Ireland v Wales , readers emailed in their bleakest footballing memories. Tonight, let us recall our most glorious: mine was either shocking myself by enflaming a long shot into the top corner moments after coming on as a substitute against Drogheda United or booting the ball clear as Loughlinstown U-15s tried to nick a late equaliser against us ... and then watching with glee as the rain-sodden ball landed on the windscreen of their manager's brand new BMW. Smashing! 7:58pm: "Where is this match being played?" howls Peter Oh. "The cynic in me guesses that the venue is some gulf state too feed oil billionaires' football fantasies; and the other cynic in me says that despite the robust-looking lineups, this match is simply Nike's venue for showing off the new kits that they're slapping on these sides." It's being played in the same place that they contested the 1998 World Cup final: the Stade de France. Hopefully Brazil's striker will not stagger about in a mysterious stupor throughout the game ... 1 min: We have kick-off. Brazil ping the ball about purposefully, Lucas the authoritative hub of things. 2 min: Dani Alves worries Lloris with a 30-yard swirler, but the keeper collects it at the second attempt. 3 min: It's been a bright start from Brazil, and France, in their old school new kit, are being forced to strain themselves in defence. Rami has just headed a vicious Hernanes freekick out for a corner. 4 min: The game is being played at a cracking tempo, thanks mostly to Brazil, who are brimming with offensive intent every time they get the ball. Their gusto has spread to France, who are starting to patch some purposeful moves of their own together. Those scatily-clad dancing girls that cavorted around the pitch prior to kick-off seem to have set the right mood ... however, I can't be sure .... perhaps we could study a replay at half-time? 7 min: One player who has really perked up since Laurent Blanc has taken charge of France is Benzema, who's looking very lively again tonight, without penetrating so far. 9 min: Simple and darn near deadly from France: Sagna pinged the ball to Gourcuff, who was in the hole and immediately fizzed a reverse pass through to Benzema. The striker eluded Thiago Silva before firing low and just wide from the edge of the area! 11 min: France are really getting into the groove now, and Benzema nearly put Menez through with lovely flick. Brazil immediately tear down the other end and force Rami into a last-ditch clearance. If this keeps up we're in for a cracker here. 13 min: Give Malouda a big: he's been sloppy so far. And he's jsut given the ball away mid-way inside his own half. Lucas fired the ball forward to Pato, who collected at the edge of the area before curling a dainty shot just over. 15 min: Malouda shows spins and drives towards the Brazil defence, beating two before being dispossessed. Was a dinky run. "My best football moment happened away to Ballymun in the mid-90s, with the pitch nicely placed between the old high-rise flats," recalls Brian Garvey wistfully. "The opposition organised that our cars were 'watched over' during the match. I scored a cracker that their defender tried to blame on the keeper, but their keeper said 'come on, it was a great goal'. Praise indeed. Then they provided a few beers after the match. Great lads." 18 min: Freekick to Brazil about 28 yards out. Dani Alves retreats to Brazil to begin his run-up. Then he lets fly, but Gourcuff jumps to head it behind for a corner. 20 min: David Luiz cuts out a French attack and then strides elegantly upfield. He looks classy, this guy. Must remind Blanc of someone. 23 min: Diarra is nutmegged so, naturally, boots the players that did it. Freekick to Brazil about 35 yards out. They take it short ... and Elias is so astonished that he lets the ball run under his foot and out of play. Next time Dani Alves will just blem it into the wall, just you wait and see. 25 min: After the intial bravado the players have lapsed into laziness. The tempo has dropped and Brazil, in particular, no longer seem so eager to commit many players to attack. Bah. 28 min: Lloris flufhs a clearance, whacking it straight to Robinho, who played it through to Pato, who had ventured offside. 30 min: Freekick to France in a threatening position as David Luiz is penalised for not getting out of Benzema's way. Malouda sweeps it towards the penalty spot, where Diarra plunges to meet it with a powerful header. Stapleton-esque, you might say. Except that it flew over the bar. 32 min: Sagna punished for a clumsy tackle through the back of Hernanez. Arsene Wenger is probably watching this but not, of course, that. "I also have a memory of games in Ballymun, I was playing for Howth Celtic under 14's against the much feared Ballymunner's," wibbles Gareth Holden. "They had a banger who looked about 7 feet tall to my 13 year old brain. He ran into me 10 minutes into the match giving me neck gah that realigned my head so that it was stuck sideways. It was quite a strange ten minutes running around trying to tackle and pass using only peripheral vision until the manager noticed my obvious distress (trying to look as hard as nails in the crab running position)." Howth Celtic, eh? I believe I playued agianst you guys at maybe U-12 level: wasn't your home pitch on the side hafl-way up the hill, the steepness making for the ultimate games of two halves, especially with the wind howling about 361 days a year? 34 min: Raggedness in the Frnech midfield allows Brazil to amble through, all the way top Robinho, who elects to shoot from 20 yards rather than carry the ball closer to the target. His shot hurtles way over. 36 min: With players awaiting a decent delivery into the box Gourcuff flips a tame freekick into Julio Cesar's arms. "He over-measured it," reckons Frank Stapleton on ESPN. 38 min: David Luiz lashes a long pass to Pato, who skedaddles down the left and tries to drive into the box. Sanga stops him in his tracks. Hernanez sent off! And deservedly so: after pretending to go for a bouncing ball he raised his leg even higher a la Paul Gascoigne many years ago and thrust his foot into the chest of the unsuspecting Benzema. "He could have taken his head off!" thunders top biologist Frank Stapleton. "That was more than dangerous." 42 min: Powerful run and cross by Menez, whose nerves have looked solid so far. Cesar punched the cross away acrobatically. 44 min: Yelps of glee from the French faithful as Mexes drags the ball back and the dashes twixt two Brazilians inside his own half. Half-time: A decent enough half, and that deserved red card for Hernanez should ensure additional needle for the second period. So stay tuned. Please. "I'm watching the match on French. with Wenger commentating," toots Keith Holmes. "The card a cert for him, as an intentional studs-first foul." Did he see the Sagna foul moments previously? (which was nowhere near as bad, admittedly). Footballing memories: "QPR's Paul McGee used to live around Knocknacarra, Galway, in the '90s," drawls Paul Neilan. "But he had nothing on this taxi driver who lived across the park. One day with us all on the green battling away and deciding which clubs we would consent to talking to in our glorious footballing futures the ball rolled out onto the road. I can't quite remember the cabbie's name but he pulled up, stood over the ball, called that he would chip the 'keeper from fully 40 yards and did. The ball went in off the bar. He got back in his taxi and drove off, leaving us with shattered dreams. I think he was called Chester." "My best football moment came at about 2am travelling home from the 1977 League Cup Final after a mind-numbing 0-0 between Everton and Aston Villa that had neither penalties nor extra time," winces Gary Naylor. "I suddenly understood that football would never leave me so flat again. Club football that is." 46 min: No changes at the break. Benzema is still rubbing his chest as a result of the Hernanez tackle, or some tomfoolery in the dressing room at half-time. 47 min: Brazil's first touch of the half game 92 seconds into it, Thiago Silva deflecting a Beznema shot behind for a corner after sustained probing by France, who seems determined to take advantage of their numerical supremacy. 48 min: Malouda races down the left and crosses to Benzema, who had peeled off into space on the Brazilian penalty spot. He took his time getting it down and then cracked a fierce volley towards goals, but David Luiz and Thiago Silva hurled themselves in front of it to block in unison. 51 min: David Luiz really does look a cracking player. he reads the games superbly, which enables him to nick the ball away from forwards without the need for extravagant tackles. And once he gets it he immedaitely looks to carry it forward and is both elegant in possession and positive and precise in his passing. Chelsea have got themselves a top player by the look of things. GOAL! France 1-0 Brazil (Benzema 53') Nerves? Menez has jsut proven that he's overcome them: he dazzled down the right flank, leaving two Brazilians in his wake, and then fired a perfect ball across the face of goal. Benzema arrived unmarked at the back post to tap gratefully into the net. 55 min: Great save by Julio Cesar to deny Benzema a second goal! That was lovely play by France, notably from Menez again. After a marvellous shuffle he flipped the ball out wide to Sagna, who crossed for Gourcuff. The lyon man headed down to Benzema, who dived and headed towards goal from seven yards, bringing a fine full-length reflex save from the goalkeeper. 58 min: Brazil change: Jadson on for Renato Auguto, moments after Elias squandered a good opening for Brazil by ballooning over the bar when Robinho was baying for a simple ball across the face of goal. 60 min: France change: M'vila off, Diaby on. 61 min: Benzema goes close again, though he should have gone even closer! With Brazil beginning to look disjointed France found themselves with two against one at the edge of the Brazilian box. Benzema chose to go it alone rather than pass to the unmarked Malouda but after beating David Luiz he shot straight at the keeper. 63 min: Robinho booked for whining. Proper order. "My favourite football playing memory, apart from all the screamers I have scored, was playing for my Sunday League team at the University of St Andrews," growls Matt Warner. "We were a bunch of duffers, hilariously calling ourselves Accrington Stanley, and were scheduled to play against the university 2nd team who took great delight in the preceding weeks to the game in telling us how they were going to give us a footballing lesson. We beat them 12-0. Glorious." I once played in a team that beat Aberdeen University 17-0. It was a 3pm kick-off on a Wednesday. And most of them were pissed. 66 min: Menez rightly booked for a late tackle on David Luiz. 68 min: France change: Menez off, having given perhaps his best performance in the senior team. Remy on. 69 min: Brazil change: Robinho trudges off to be replaced by Spurs sub Sandro."Excellent performance from Mr. Stark so far," spews Dah Man on the subject of the ref, who has indeed been strong, as his name suggested he might be. "Can we have German refs in the EPL, please? We'll give them Dowd to sweeten the deal if required." Sweeten, you say? 72 min: Intricate brilliance by France to pick their way out of their own area and to the brink of the Brazilian one. Dani Alves eventually intervenes to clear an Abidal cross. 74 min: Since Remy's arrival Benzema has switched out to the left, where he was often devastating for Lyon. He revived those memories just now with a jagged run and fine cross, which just eluded two team-mates. 76 min: France are finishing with a swagger here. Mexes has just raided all the way from the back, one-towing his way as he went and then loitering in the Brazilian boz in anticipation of a Sagna cross that, alas, was not of the same quality of the move. 78 min: A fright for France as Brazil nearly equaliser, Andre Santos overlapping on the left and cracking a crisp low ball across the face of goal. Pato couldn't quite get there to apply the finish. 80 min: Premature squeals of delight as Gourcuff sizes up a long shot ... but he declines to have a bang ... and instead passes wide to Sagna, whose miscontrols. "Forced to take over goal in a veterans game about 10 years ago in Chislehurst, I somehow fluked a point blank header onto and over the bar from the mighty Trevor Aylott," brags Ian Burch. "Although well past his prime Trev was still very much the footballer as he felt obliged to chat up the only woman watching the game. She was attractive though so I don't really blame him." 82 min: France are not so gungho now. They want to safeguard this win so are falling back and daring Brazil to try to pick a way through them. They almost did so just now, but Mexes slid in to dispossess Pato at the crucial moment. 84 min: Brazil change: Pato off, Hulk on. France make a switch too, Benzema toddling off to tremendous applause. On comes the exciting pocket-sized Loreitn striker Kevin Gameiro. And here's another change too: Gourcuff off, Cabaye on. 87 min: Cabaye's first contribution is to haul back Dani Alves and concede a freekick on half-way. No chance of Brazil just lumping this into the mixer, instead they take it short ... and work it back to their keeper. Jogo bonito. 89 min: Brazil change: Andre on for the disappointing Elias, on whom, in fairness, Brazil place too much emphasis for creativity. 90 min: A beautiful bBrazilian ball slices the French defence apart but Hulk, just on, tonks it six yards in front of him, allowing Lloris to charge of his line and snuyff out the danger. Full-time: It didn't quite attain the heights that the pre-match hype had promised but it was an enganging enough contest all the same, albeit one distorted by Hernanes' absurd tackle and deserved red card just before half-time. France took full advantage of that and at times threatened to run amok in the second period. Menez, Benzema and Sagna stood out for the French.