By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
France, Germany renew rivalry at World Cup
0704WCup3
France head coach Didier Deschamps listens a question during a press conference the day before the quarter final World Cup soccer match between France and Germany at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday. - photo by Thanassis Stavrakis | Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO — When Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer embarked on a series of hair-raising dashes out of his area in the second-round win over Algeria, it would have struck a chord with French football fans of a certain vintage. Thoughts no doubt returned to one of the most shocking collisions in World Cup history, which occurred in the 1982 semifinal between West Germany and France and involved another goalkeeper's excursion off his line. Harald Schumacher's airborne challenge on Patrick Battiston, which knocked the France defender unconscious and broke his jaw but went unpunished, still raises anger and emotion in France — particularly as West Germany went on to win that match in a penalty shootout thanks to the saves of Schumacher.
Friends to Follow social media