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Daily Mirror
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
France Euros winner and World Cup record holder dies aged 72
France icon Bernard Lacombe has died at the age of 72 after a stellar career that saw him win Euro 1984 with Les Blues and also become a World Cup holder with tributes pouring in France legend Bernard Lacombe, who was part of the Les Blues side that won the Euros in 1984, has died aged 72. The former striker forged an impressive reputation at clubs such as Lyon and Bordeaux during his 18-year career. Lacombe helped the French claim their first ever European Championship when they won the trophy on home soil with Michel Platini their shining light. Six years earlier and the forward scored the fastest ever goal by a French player at a World Cup, netting after 30 seconds against Italy in 1978. Lacombe had a serious eye for goal and was prolific throughout his career, scoring 304 goals in 592 appearances in all competitions. That included 12 goals for the French side across his 38 appearances. After hanging up his boots in 1987, he went into management and led Lyon between 1996 and 2000. His death means that he is the first of the Euro-winning squad to pass away with tributes pouring in. Lyon, where he played and manager, said on social media: "It is with great sadness that we learned this Tuesday evening of the death of Bernard Lacombe. All our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones, as well as to the fans of Olympique Lyonnais and football. Farewell Bernard, you were our legend, the greatest of all." Bordeaux posted their own tribute to Lacombe which read: "Having played for Bordeaux between 1979 and 1987, this legendary striker left his mark on the club's history with his talent and generosity. The entire Marine et Blanc family mourns today a striker of rare elegance, one of the greatest players in the club's history. Thank you, Bernard." The president of the FFF, Philippe Diallo, said in an emotional message: "It is with deep sadness that I learned of the passing of Bernard Lacombe. Bernard Lacombe left an indelible mark on French football, as a player, coach, and manager. "He was one of the greatest strikers in the history of French football. The second-highest scorer in Division 1, he made his mark on the glorious history of Lyon, Saint-Étienne, and Bordeaux. He also shone with the French national team. His goals helped establish Les Bleus on the international stage. "Bernard Lacombe was a major contributor to the 1984 European Championship title. He performed some of France's greatest feats, including his goal in the opening seconds of the game against Italy at the 1978 World Cup. He was undoubtedly a source of inspiration for many strikers."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How to watch Croatia vs France FOR FREE: TV channel and live stream for Nations League quarter-final
France travel to take on Croatia tonight in a blockbuster Nations League quarter-final clash. It is a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final, when France won 4-2 in a thrilling encounter, and the sides have met four times in the Nations League since then. Les Blues have won two of those games, but Croatia came out on top when these two nations last faced off, as Luka Modric gave them a 1-0 win in Paris in 2022. France finished top of Group A2 to reach the quarter-finals of the Nations League this time, edging out Italy on goal difference, and they remain in the hunt to become the first side to win the competition twice. Croatia were second in Group A despite winning only two of their six matches and picking up just point on the road. It is therefore crucial that they pick up a positive result tonight in the first leg of this tie, before they travel to France on Sunday night. Croatia were within touching distance of winning the last staging of the Nations League, losing on penalties to Spain in the final in 2023. The winner of this tie will face Spain or the Netherlands in the semi-finals in June. TV channel and live stream: The game will be broadcast for free on ViaPlay International's YouTube channel. Kick-off is at 7:45pm GMT.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
France beat Scotland to win Six Nations title as England miss out on Super Saturday
France have won the 2025 Six Nations title after a 35-16 victory over Scotland in the final match on an exciting Super Saturday. Defeat for Les Blues would have handed the championship to England and they were made to work in Paris by the Scots. At half-time France would have feared the party could have been spoiled, as they held a narrow 16-13 lead only after a TMO review had chalked off a Tom Jordan try right before the break. But France pulled away in the second period, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey going over for his eighth try of the tournament, before Thomas Ramos further eased the nerves and Yoram Moefana then added to his first-half score. Scotland were hugely impressive and pounded away at the French defence right up until the final whistle, but they had little to show for their second-half efforts as Les Blues held firm, ensuring there was to be no late drama. It is France's first Six Nations crown since their 2022 Grand Slam and only a second since 2010, ending a frustrating run of back-to-back second-place finishes behind Ireland, whom they brushed aside in Dublin in round four to enter the final day in pole position despite the loss of superstar captain Antoine Dupont to a long-term knee injury. It was technically and mathematically a four-way title fight heading into the final round of fixtures, though Scotland would have needed a truly remarkable and shocking sequence of events in order to register their first championship victory of the Six Nations era. Those slim hopes were over by the time they kicked off in Paris, but Gregor Townsend's side played their part in an engrossing encounter. Jamie Ritchie was shown an early yellow card and Moefana stretched out an arm for the opening try, but it was otherwise unconvincing from France in the first 40 minutes. Peato Mauvaka was fortunate to only be shown a yellow for lunging with his head at Ben White off the ball, before Darcy Graham darted into space and went over to reduce the deficit to 13-10. Jean-Baptiste Gros was also sent to the sidelines for ten minutes, as the French penalty count rapidly grew, and Jordan appeared to have put Scotland at front in the break, only for it to be deemed that Blair Kinghorn was in touch in the build-up after a sensational burst. That left France with questions to answer in the second-half but they did so emphatically, Bielle-Biarrey ensuring he finished the championship having scored in every match and Moefana getting a second try in a player-of-the-match display. Dupont joined his team-mates to lift the trophy on the pitch with Gregory Alldritt, as they celebrations well and truly began. Ireland's hopes of bouncing back from that damaging home loss to France also appeared slim as they got the bonus-point win they needed in Italy in the opening contest to briefly top the table again thanks to a hat-trick from hooker Dan Sheehan, though England quickly extinguished their chances and threw down the gauntlet to Fabien Galthie's men in the process. Steve Borthwick's side were utterly relentless in Cardiff, running in 10 tries in total in a record-breaking 68-14 triumph to move to the summit themselves and pile the pressure on France ahead of the Super Saturday finale in Paris, with Wales hitting a new low with their 17th consecutive Test defeat as they finished bottom and received the wooden spoon for the second year in a row.
