Ribéry penalty to defeat Colombia

France win Colombia 1-0. Ribery and Henry good player.

France needed a Franck Ribéry penalty to defeat Colombia in their final friendly before UEFA EURO 2008™. Ribéry scored after 23 minutes at the Stade de France after a foul on Thierry Henry who was winning his 100th cap.

The striker was brought down by Cristián Zapata, allowing Ribéry to wrong-foot goalkeeper Agustín Julio from the spot. France's dominance for the rest of the first half contrasted with the early hesitancy, involving Willy Sagnol and William Gallas, which had resulted in a chance for Colombia's Juan Carlos Escobar who hit the post.

Coach Raymond Domenech's lineup in Paris was also his likely selection for the Group C opener against Romania on 9 June. Although there was no Patrick Vieira in the 4-4-2 formation, the captain said tonight that he was "confident" of featuring in the tournament despite a "small muscle tear". Back on the pitch, Ribéry and Karim Benzema missed opportunities to double the advantage when one-on-one with the Colombia keeper after swift breakaways. Grégory Coupet saw late action for Les Bleus, having to save Roberto Polo's strike from distance.

France: Coupet, Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal, Toulalan, Makelele, Ribéry (Nasri 76), Malouda, Benzema (Diarra 66), Henry (Anelka 76).

Colombia: Julio, Armero (González 57), Moreno, Zapata, Darío Bustos, Hernández (Torres 55), Amaya, Escobar (Guarín 80), Sánchez, Garcia (Polo 58), Perea (Valencia 87). source; uefa.com