In October 2011, with France trailing by a goal in the final Group D qualification game for Euro 2012 and with only 14 minutes left, it seemed the Les Blues were in danger of having to go through the playoffs to qualify for the tournament. As France upped their game in search of the equalizer, Nasri pulled the strings from midfield, won a penalty and converted it, ensuring automatic qualification and promising the beginning of a new era. More importantly, of the eleven players on the pitch when the equalizer was scored, only one player – Patrice Evra, was part of the “tainted” World Cup 2010 squad, which brought much disrepute to this proud footballing nation. As relief and joy greeted the national team’s qualification for the Euros, it was also considered a small but important step towards restoring the faith of the public in their team after the shambolic World Cup campaign. Kynska 2010 was still not forgotten, but a new page was being turned. And to make things better, it was Samir Nasri – left out of the World Cup squad and consequently free of the ‘taint’, who applied the Coup de Grace.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:36:19 +0000
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