France and Brazil evoke magical Cup memories | Sports | Reuters.co.uk
From damage inflicted by a 17-year-old named Pele to a masterful performance by Zinedine Zidane on the greatest night of their lives, France fans have vivid memories of World Cup clashes with Brazil.
"When you're a football player, your first dream is to play in the World Cup and the next one is to meet Brazil there," said France midfielder Patrick Vieira, summing up the excitement in the build-up to Saturday's quarter-final against the holders in Frankfurt.
A 5-2 semi-final defeat in 1958 against arguably the best side in the history of the game, a quarter-final thriller won on penalties in 1986 and, of course, a magical 3-0 final triumph in 1998 have all left indelible impressions on the French.
The story starts in 1958 at Stockholm's Rasunda stadium, where a France side inspired by midfield maestro Raymond Kopa and striker Just Fontaine challenged an awe-inspiring bunch of Brazilian artists for a place in the final.
France's chances suffered a blow when defender and captain Robert Jonquet suffered a fractured leg in the 26th minute. No substitutions were allowed in competitive matches in those days and France, trailing 1-0, had to carry on with 10 men.
PELE HAT-TRICK
Pele put France to the sword with a hat-trick. The young prodigy, at the start of an illustrious career, had fine company that day in Garrincha, Didi and Vava, to name just a few.
The two sides met again at the Jalisco stadium in Guadalajara, in the quarter-finals of the 1986 finals in Mexico.
