Soccer: Time running out for France's Zidane

Once-great Zinedine Zidane of France cuts a sad figure as he walks past the France dugout late in this morning's game at soccer's World Cup. Picture / Reuters

The memories of the greatest night in France's soccer history are receding faster than Zinedine Zidane's hairline.

Nearly eight years on from a glorious World Cup final when they beat Brazil 3-0 at the Stade de France in Paris with Zidane scoring twice, the French are struggling to build a future as glorious as the days they are leaving behind.

That is not just their long-term future either -- it is short-term too because, after allowing South Korea to score nine minutes from time in this group G match to force a 1-1 draw, their immediate World Cup future is far from assured.

Zidane may already, after the events at the Zentralstadion, be consigned to the history books.

Booked just before the end for a thoughtless shove on a Korean defender moments after Thierry Henry fluffed a chance that might have won the match, Zidane will be suspended for France's last group match against Togo next Friday.

If the French fail to win that match they will almost certainly be out of the tournament and Zidane's wonderful, brilliant career will be over.

He has already announced his retirement and has played his last club match, having said goodbye to the Real Madrid fans who saw him at his best. The embers on his illustrious international career are also just flickering in the breeze now.

There is no longer enough energy, force or power for him to go into the long night of retirement leaving a golden glow behind because Zidane, who has come back from international retirement once to boost France's ailing World Cup qualification challenge, has just gone on a little too long.

Coaches often say there is no room for sentiment in football and certainly not at the highest level but coach Raymond Domenech might have allowed a little to cloud his decision to include old faithfuls and not put his trust in younger players.

Zidane no longer moves like he used to, no longer creates space for himself in that unique, magical way that only he has ever done.

His flicks and passes still find their man, of course, but often they are the safe option.

The brilliant, telling pass, the vision that opened up the play in ways that few others saw or even knew was there are no longer in his armoury.

In 1998 Zidane missed two games at the World Cup after a foul almost as pointless as the one he committed here when he was sent off for stamping on a Saudi Arabian player with the game already won.

France missed him in the next two games against Paraguay and Italy, but they came through to reach the semifinals and went on to win the showpiece itself on home soil.

They did that because, apart from Zidane, they had so many other great players. Now his absence could be a blessing in disguise, with Domenech forced to re-shuffle his starting lineup to pep up his team.

Zidane was not the only below-par Frenchman here.

Henry may have scored France's first goal in the World Cup since the final eight years ago, but he wasted other good chances. For once William Gallas looked flustered and indisciplined at the back.

Florent Malouda played well enough in midfield, but Patrick Vieira looked jaded and the shot he blasted into the Leipzig night air when it looked easier to score summed up his contribution.

For their part South Korea seemed to have even fewer ideas and only came to life in the last 10 minutes after Park Ji-sung equalised following a quick break down the right.

Those last few minutes were the best in the entire match when both teams went in search of the winner.

Poignantly, though, Zidane did not make it to the end.

Domenech replaced him with three minutes to go when the maestro walked off a pitch perhaps for the last time as a player in his 104th international.

If it was the end, it was a sad one. But perhaps there is still more to come. He at least deserves a better finale.

- REUTERS