The clash between France and Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup is one of the most well-known games in World Cup history. A rematch of the 1998 World Cup final and it had the potential of being quite a surprise. To be honest, to say that the final result was a surprise would be a major understatement.
Coming into this game, Brazil were the defending Champions, securing their fifth title four years prior. In France’s case, what happened to them four years ago as defending champions was bad. Les Bleus were determined to redeem themselves. So far, France was doing a good job as far as gaining redemption. Pulling off a huge upset in the Round of 16 against Spain after an unconvincing run in the group stage was good progress.
Brazil was not the same team that won the title in 2002. On the contrary, they were stronger, more talented, and very loaded. Long story short, they were overwhelming favorites against Les Bleus. In addition, Les Bleus’ chances were quite slim.
Zinedine Zidane would captain Les Bleus to pull off a hard-fought 1-0 win, thus eliminating Brazil. Zidane would play a major role in playing in a unique offensive style that would confuse and frustrate the Brazilians. Solid defending from the French would add further frustrate The Seleção. Overall, France would overwhelm Brazil and pull off one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history, defeating the defending champions 1-0, courtesy of a goal by Thierry Henry, sending the Brazilians home.
What If Brazil Had Won The Match?
Considering the fact that Brazil was much better than four years prior, Brazil would surely have reached the final for the fourth consecutive time. In addition, The Seleção surely would have won their sixth title.
France would go on to reach the final and lose to Italy. In Brazil’s case, since 2006, each of their World Cup exits would be in heart-breaking fashion, including in the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil. The Brazilians would suffer a 7-1 loss in the semifinals against Germany and would fail to achieve a Bronze medal. Long story short, The Seleção hasn’t been the same since 2006.
Check us out on our socials:
Twitter: @PTSTNews and @TalkPrimeTime
Facebook Page: Prime Time Sports Talk
Join our Facebook Group: Prime Time Sports Talk
Instagram: @ptsportstalk
Follow Alex Al-Kazzaz on Twitter @BearManOfTX
Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
