The course of AimĂ© Jacquet’s men at the 98 World Cup was marked by the seal of success. This is evidenced by the success snatched from penalties against Italy in the quarter-finals, the improbable double scored by Lilian Thuram in the semi-final or Ronaldo’s discomfort the night before the final. But this success was also there from the round of 16.
Opposed to Paraguay, the French team only escaped in the final minutes of extra time, remaining for posterity the first team to have won thanks to the golden goal. The deliverance came from the foot of Laurent Blanc, ideally served by David Trezeguet in the area and author of an unstoppable half-volley for José Luis Chilavert.
The Paraguayan goalkeeper had delayed the deadline for a long time, making the Blues and their supporters fear the worst: a shooting session. The reputation of “Chila” in the exercise was well established and was enough to give a cold sweat to the Tricolores, deprived of Zinedine Zidane due to suspension.
The one who said he only feared a refereeing error during this round of 16 had lived up to his reputation, multiplying the saves except on a shot from Thierry Henry. But the native of Luque was saved by his post. The minutes passed and his time approached.
“I was scared during this damn overtime. We were in such a hurry to finish things off that we took crazy risks in defense: three against three, it was really borderline.”must have recognized Laurent Blanc at the end of the meeting. “We really feared it would end on penalties. It’s always a lottery but the presence of Chilavert obviously complicated our task”added Emmanuel Petit.
