Live Ticker: Togo 0 : 2 France

Group G final games
DW-WORLD.DE will follow already out Togo against a France who will have to take their last chance to show they are still a team to count on and not just a set of individual quality.

The French must win to go through while Switzerland and South-Korea could reach the last sixteen with a draw, although it's unlikely any of the teams will want to risk playing for such a result.

The line-ups.
Togo (3-5-2):

16-Kossi Agassa; 2-Dare Nibombe, 3-Jean Paul Yaovi Abalo Dosseh, 5-Massamesso Tchangai; 13-Richmond Forson,7-Moustapha Salifou, 18-Yao Junior Senaya, 10-Cherif Toure Mamam, 6-Yao Aziawanou; 4-Emmanuel Adebayor, 17-Mohamed Kader Coubadja.

Coach: Otto Pfister

France (4-4-2):

16-Fabien Barthez; 19-Willy Sagnol, 15-Lilian Thuram, 5-William Gallas, 13-Mikael Silvestre; 22-Franck Ribery, 4-Patrick Vieira, 6-Claude Makelele, 7-Florent Malouda; 20-David Trezeguet, 12-Thierry Henry

Coach: Raymond Domenech

Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)

France coach Raymond Domenech, missing playmaker Zinedine Zidane and defender Eric Abidal through suspension, paired David Trezeguet with Thierry Henry in attack for a game the French must win by two clear goals to make sure of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup. There is no genuine playmaker to replace Zidane in a four-man midfield on the right side of which exciting newcomer Franck Ribery will start a match for France for the second time.

Mikael Silvestre comes in for Abidal at left back while central defender Lilian Thuram wins his 117th cap, breaking the national record he shared with Marcel Desailly.

Togo coach Otto Pfister, who had promised to gave all of his players a chance to take the field, made four changes to his starting line-up bringing in Jean Paul Yaovi Abalo Dosseh, Yao Aziawanou, Moustapha Salifou and Yao Junior Senaya, in place of Thomas Dossevi, Kuami Agboh, Alaixys Romao and Toure Assimiou.

The players are in the tunnel.


The teams take the pitch.
The crowd roars a welcome that quickly changes into peace as the anthems begin.

A long strip of yellow Togo fans run along the side of the field but the blue fans of France are in majority under the roof in Cologne.

1. min.
The French kick-off.


1. min.
The French will certainly try to get an early goal. They start off in a good tempo and Sagnol gets the first cross.

3. min.
The French are high up. First chance is Trzeguet's. The Striker gets the ball just inside the box and turns to shoot. His ball goes a meter wide.

5. min.
The French will have to watch out though. It is never easy to play a team who has nothing to lose.

6. min.
Trzeguet again.
Ribery hits in the cross from the left and Trezeguet heads it hard. Agassa gets a hand on it and tips it over the bar.

8. min.
A fast counter attack by Togo gives Barthez in the French goal a first opportunity to show himself.

10. min.
The game is leveling out.
The first minutes of French dominance have given way to a more even game.

11. min.
A long cross from the right ends up only a meter away from Barthez who saves the following shot standing on his knees.

13. min.
Trezeguet's goal is offside.
The French striker gets the ball from Ribery inside the box and scores before realizing he's offside.

17. min.
The French have had a couple of good chances to score but so far it's goalless. The Togolese are dangerous though when they get a chance to counter, something they do at high speed.

19. min.
The Togolese have had it fairly easy to break the French attack, which gives the Africans possibilities to counter over and over again.

21. min.
Trezeguet again.
Ribery has started the match well and hits another opener for Trezeguet who should have finished better. The ball is no problem for Agassa.

22. min.
Silvestre tries Agassa with a half volley. The pressure is there, the chances too but no goal.

25. min.
Mamam tries a cross towards the middle but there are no Togolese there.

27. min.
Salifou comes in from the left and fires a shot that Barthez can't hold at first. The French goalie jumps forward to pull the ball back in.

27. min.
Ribery brings the ball down the Togolese field and gets a great chance to score. His shot flies high over the goal though.

28. min.
Makelele gets booked.


29. min.
Mamam's free-kick outside the French box is too high.

31. min.
A ball from Ribery sails in to the box and is headed over the end line by Nibombe just before Trezeguet gets a chance to put his head on the ball.

35. min.
Trezeguet gets a ball to run for but again the French striker is caught offside. This time it's very close.

37. min.
Aziawonou sees yellow.


38. min.
The French keep coming in strong attacking waves but the Togolese have so far always found a way to surf their way out of trouble.

39. min.
Henry fires a rocket from thirty meters. Agassa can not hold it. Trezeguet takes the rebound from five meters but the Togolese keeper is there again.

40. min.
Will the French go into a panic? A first false pass by the French is met with whistles. The French crowd is merciless.

43. min.
Mamam gets booked.
The Togolese holds on to Vieira in the mid circle.

45. min.
The Togolese must be happy going into the break with a 0-0.

45+1. min.
A lovely cross from Malouda is headed out by Nibombe who's perfectly placed in front of Trezeguet and Henry both waiting to score.

45+1. min.
First half is over.
The French have piled up chances but no goal. The Togolese will have a tough second half but are also pretty cool in defense and make use of their counters, which have given the Africans a handful of decent chances.

As it stands, a 0-1 for the French will be enough to see them trough thanks to the Swiss leading Korea 1-0. Question is if France will have the mental strength to deliver.

45. min.
Second half is on.


45. min.
Let's see if Ribery can keep up his good work. The French midfielder has shown there is life after Zidane.

47. min.
Ribery wins a free-kick deep on the right outside the box.

47. min.
Ribery hits it towards the box line where a waiting Trezeguet fires away. The ball rebounds on a Togolese to a corner.

49. min.
Adebayor is free with Barthez after a lovely chip. The Togolese is wrongly caught offside.

50. min.
Kader fights his way towards the French box and gets a shot that flies high.

52. min.
Beautiful combination by the French.
Henry goes into the box and heels the ball to Malouda who drives a cross into the middle where Ribery has a great possibility to score but he shoots it up to the stands.

54. min.
GOAL France!!! Vieria.

54. min.
Ribery brings the ball in on the left side of the box and passes it along the grass to Vieira in the middle who turns and shoots the ball into the right side of the goal.

57. min.
Henry gets the next chance as a high cross ball reaches his foot just in front of the Togolese goal. The ball goes wide.

58. min.
Mamam goes for Olufade.
The Togolese bring on a striker for a midfielder.

60. min.
Goal! France! Henry!!!


60. min.
Sagnol hits the cross to the box line where Vieira heads it on to a free standing Henry. This time nothing can stop him from hitting home his 35th goal for France.

63. min.
The French know they are through with this result but it looks like they will try to score another to be sure.

65. min.
The Togolese play much the same way as in first half, waiting for the break to counter attack. In second half though it hasn't resulted in much.

66. min.
Sagnol hits a ball along the right wing for Ribery who gets the cross in but it goes past all players in the Togolese box.

67. min.
Vieira finds time for a delicious slide rule pass that reaches Trezeguet but Agassa is first on the ball.

70. min.
The Togolese pay a rare visit to the French box. The Africans have little to play for and it's understandable that their motivation might not be the strongest.

71. min.
The French are cutting down on the tempo.

73. min.
Wiltord goes on for Malouda.
An offensive substitution by the French coach suggests he wants more.

74. min.
Adebayor leaves for Dossevi.


77. min.
Ribery leaves the pitch for Govou.
Ribery can be pleased with his performance.

78. min.
Vieira is down after an accidental slap in the face. The Frenchman might be fishing for time a bit as the crowd does the wave.

80. min.
Vieira walks off for Diarra.
Vieira has been the most prolific of the French in the second half.

82. min.
Govou wins a free-kick on the right. The French are not in hurry.

83. min.
Another French free-kick sees Diarra down for a while before he stands up again.

85. min.
A long ball into the French box forces Barthez to make a short rush to be first on the ball.

87. min.
Salifou sees yellow.
The Togolese is not happy about the decision.

89. min.
Togo get a last chance to score but they are a bit too slow inside the box to get a finish on the French goal.

90+1. min.
The Togolese break in the circle and get yet another chance but no, the finishing touch is not there.

45+2. min.
The match is over. France have won.


The last group stage games of the 2006 World Cup have been played and the result is Switzerland on top of group G which means they play Ukraine, wheras France, group runners up, will have to play Spain--which could be one of the more interesting last sixteen games.