With opening day draws for both of these nations, France and Mexico needed to think about victory. But only one team can win.

The game started lively enough but it's still surprising to see so many shots going high and wide at this level; of wait, let's blame the ball.
The longer the half wore on, the more desperate the situation looked - especially for France - with too many passes going astray.

Mexico looked more dangerous going forward but were let down by poor finishing; while France, just didn't know where to look most of the time.

Half-time: 0:0

France really needed to do something in the second-half to save their tournament. If Mexico were to win here, a Mexico draw with Uruguay would see the two Latin Americans through; no matter what South Africa and France did.

A scrappy start to the second-half might have suggested that the mathematical probabalities were playing in the minds of the French players and freezing them, like the fingers in their matching blue gloves.

Nine minutes after coming on, Javier Hernandez left the France defence motionless to run on to a through ball and round Hugo Lloris unchallenged.

France made it even harder for themselves when Abidal brought down Pablo Barrera in the penalty area. With just over ten minutes to go, 37 year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco slotted the ball home from the spot to put the game beyond France's reach.

France, who needed the helping hand of Henry to qualify for South Africa now need help from Uruguay; and for South Africa to have less will to win than the French. Now that would be fantasy football.

Laurent Blanc could be the manager of France a couple of weeks earlier than he thought.

France 0 Mexico 2