“Disjointed.” I think that’s the best way to sum up France’s performance. They sure looked like a fragmented team. Bumbling boss Raymond Domenech failed to start France’s hottest player, Florent Malouda, and chose Sidney Govou as part of an attacking trio.

I’ve watched Govou about a dozen times and for the life of me still can’t figure out how he’s an international. His bad miss from close range early on was Les Bleus’ best opportunity. Domenech, as he said, started Nicolas Anelka in lieu of Thierry Henry up front, and Anelka found himself in the midfield far too often. He played with his head down, often giving away possession. France’s supposed golden boy, Yoann Gourcuff, was a flop. It should be pointed out, too, that Uruguay’s Luis Suarez, who couldn’t stop scoring goals for Ajax, disappointed.

French stopper Hugo Lloris made a decent save off Diego Forlan in the first half and Forlan missed a difficult chance late in the second. Henry came on in the dying minutes, and yes, it had to happen, wanted a penalty when his scuffed shot hit a defender on the arm – it was ball to hand, not vice versa. The Japanese referee, Yuichi Nishimura, got all the decisions right, including the hand ball. He rightfully sent off Uruguayan midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro for an awful challenge on Bacary Sagna.
If today was any indication, then we won’t have to worry about the refs.