Hit the auto-update button for the latest posts, discuss all the day’s action and email barry.glendenning@guardian.co.uk 12 min: For Mexico, Franco turns and shoots over the bar from the edge of the penalty area. Moments previously, France had gone close when Malouda tried to pull the ball back for Ribery in the Mexico penalty, only for a defender to make a crucial interception. There was somebody nipping at Malouda’s ankles in a crowded penalty area – if he’d gone to ground he might well have got a penalty. 10 min: It’s been an entertaining opening 10 minutes, despite the best attempts of the referee, who seems a bit whistle-happy and has already had words with Mexican full-back Ricardo Osorio, telling him to pull his sleeves down. Are referees even allowed do that? 8 min: From outside the centre circle inside his own half, Carlos Vela dinks a beautifully weighted long ball over the top of the France defence. It bounces and sits up beautifully for Carlos Vela to try his luck with a diagonal volley or square for two team-mates – Franco and Salcido – sprinting into the middle. The Arsenal striker opts to shoot but blasts the ball high over the bar. 7 min: In quick succession, both goalkeepers are forced to race into action to catch through-balls being chased down by strikers. Hugo Lloris was probably given most to think about. 5 min: Mexico striker Guillermo Franco picks up the first yellow card of the night, either for a foul on Abou Diaby or for standing in front of the ball so FVrance couldn’t take a quick free-kick. He’s furious with the referee. Nic Anelka blasts the ball over the bar from the edge of the final third. 3 min: Mexico gallop clear on the break, the ball is played down the left channel into the path of Giovani Dos Santos, who shoots across the face of goal only to see the ball hit the foot of the post and bounce back into play. Wouldn’t have counted anyway – he was offside. 2 min: Mexico concede a free-kick not far inside the Mexico half for a Carlos Salcido bodycheck on Franckl Ribery. The ball is launched high into the night sky towards the Mexican penalty area. They clear their lines. 1 min: Mexico win the toss on a windy night in Polokwane and Elect to play from right to left. France kick off. Both sets of players line up in the colours you’d expect them to. Not long now: The teams emerge from the tunnel, led by the referee who picks the ball of its plinth. I remain cautiously optimistic that one of them will forget to do that some night and then have to scurry back to get it hoping nobody will notice. Alternatively, it would be amusing if whoever it is whose job it is to place it on the plinth decided, for a laugh, to put a rugby ball or a nice cake there instead. What are they going to do on the night of the final, when they’ll need two plinths: one for the World Cup trophy and one for the official match-ball? These are the things I lie awake at night thinking and worrying about. Brian O Donnchadha writes: “I’ve been living in the states now for just over four years and I was finally beginning to forget what craggy-face Dunphy looked like,” he says. “Thanks for undoing years of hard work.” Living in the States with a name like that? Rather you than me. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess the natives struggle with it. Match pointers with which to bore your fellow drinkers (if you’re in the pub and reading this on an iPhone or Blackberry, for whatever reason) • Mexico have never won a World Cup match against any of the seven countries that have won the competition (11 defeats and five draws) • France are unbeaten in their last eight finals games, although they have drawn half of those matches • Mexico have scored at least one goal in each of their last nine World Cup games against European sides • Nicolas Anelka has failed to have a shot on target in 384 consecutive minutes for the French side • Mexico have made it to the knockout stage in their previous five World Cup participations On yellow cards and will miss next match if they get booked France: Jeremy Toulalan, Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery. Mexico: Efrain Juarez, Gerrardo Torrado. France: Lloris, Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra, Govou, Toulalan, Diaby, Malouda, Ribery, Anelka. Subs: Mandanda, Reveillere, Planus, Gourcuff, Cisse, Gignac, Henry, Squillaci, Diarra, Valbuena, Clichy. Mexico: Perez, Osorio, Moreno, Rodriguez, Salcido, Marquez, Giovani, Juarez, Torrado, Vela, Franco. Subs: Ochoa, Barrera, Castro, Blanco, Aguilar, Hernandez, Guardado, Magallon, Torres, Bautista, Medina, Michel. Referee: Khalil Al Ghamdi (Saudi Arabia) Okey dokey , for anyone who’s heard about them, but never seen them in action, here’s RTE’s answer to the Match Of The Day Lineker, Hanson, Shearer and Dixon axis of tedium in action, picking over the bones of the Republic of Ireland’s exit from the World Cup qualifying play-off at the hands of France. From the left: Bill O’Herlihy and pundits John Giles, Graeme Souness and Eamon Dunphy. This is Dunphy in comparatively mellow mode. Here is in slightly less mellow mode after seeing Sven-Goran Eriksson being interviewed by Garth Crooks after England struggled to beat Ecuador four years ago. Good evening everybody. Sombreros, berets, comedy moustaches, onion necklaces and other lazy national stereotypes at the ready for tonight’s Guardian minute-by-minute coverage of this Group A encounter at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, 1,229m above sea level. To put that in perspective, this is the fourth highest of the 10 World Cup finals venues. To put that in even more perspective, Paris is 130m above sea level at its highest point, compared to Mexico City at 2,240m. I make that advantage Mexico before a Jabulani has been kicked … 5mph faster than it would be at sea level. Diego Forlan drove Uruguay top of this group last night with their emphatic win over hosts South Africa, which means defeat for either of these two sides would leave them in all sorts of bother, leaving them three points off the pace with one match to play and relying on other results, goal difference, other teams not conspiring against them by colluding and all the usual last-round-of-the-group-stage shenanigans. But you’re clever and already know all that, so you don’t need me to tell you. If you’re struggling to recall how either or both these sides fared in their opening matches because you’re in the early stages of senility, your synapses are fried through years of alcohol and/or drug abuse, or some other reason, here are David Hytner’s report on France’s dull opener against Uruguay and Paul Wilson’s account of Mexico’s opener against South Africa , for your reading pleasure. Kick-off is at 7.30pm. I’ll be back at 7pm or so to bring you all the team news and pre-match build-up. World Cup 2010 France Mexico World Cup 2010 Group A Barry Glendenning guardian.co.uk
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World Cup 2010: France v Mexico – live! | Barry Glendenning
