Six and a half years have passed since that sad episode
for Irish football and, although most of the players who will trample the lawn
tomorrow Parc Olympique Lyonnais did not live in person, the memory is still
alive in Ireland.
There was a November 18, 2009, at the Stade de France in
the second leg of the knockout qualifying playoff for the World Cup. In the
first leg in Dublin, France imposed by the minimum.
Given the avalanche of requests for replay and the threat
that the matter proceed to court, FIFA finally finished putting out the fire
with a check for 5 million euros extended to the Irish Federation. However the
embers have stoked with this game.
Ireland now has in his hands a rematch that, if carried
out, would be terribly painful for France being the organizer of a tournament
that aspires to win.
To retrieve the goalscoring effectiveness based much of
their hopes on the man in form of his team in this tournament, Dimitri Payet.
Newcastle striker has been decisive for his own thanks to two goals, which
could be three if one of his shots would not have repelled the crossbar, and an
assist.
Deschamps, who had three preparation days that the Irish,
is expected to return to the configuration of their debut in the tournament
against Romania with Paul Pogba and Griezmann in command and players who rested
or entered the second half against Switzerland: N'Golo Kanté, Blaise Matuidi,
Olivier Giroud and, of course, Dimitri Payet.
According to a survey by market research institute BVA 65
percent of French is confident his team will get into the quarterfinals and 41
percent believe Payet be the best player of the tournament.
