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09/07/10 05:30:00
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09/07 17:27 CDT France beats Bosnia 2-0 in Euro 2012 qualifier
France beats Bosnia 2-0 in Euro 2012 qualifier
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) -- France bounced back from a stumbling start
to 2012 European Championship qualifying, winning 2-0 at Bosnia-Herzegovina on
Tuesday night on second-half goals by Karim Benzema and Florent Malouda.
Benzema was set up in the penalty area by Gael Clichy and beat a defender
before slotting home with a powerful left-footed shot in the 72nd minute.
Malouda doubled the lead six minutes later following a nice collective move.
Coming off France's first-round elimination at the World Cup, Les Bleus and new
coach Laurent Blanc bounced back from an opening 1-0 home loss to Belarus last
week. Bosnia began with a 3-0 win over Luxembourg.
"I feel a lot of joy inside. This match summarized all the good things I saw
during our preparations but that we failed to put in place against Belarus,"
Blanc said. "I'm satisfied with the game we played and our state of mind. We
were solid both in defense and up front. We deserve the three points. It could
be the start of something good."
Blanc opted for a 4-4-3 formation and made three changes from the team that
lost last week at the Stade de France.
Marseille winger Mathieu Valbuena started on the right side behind Benzema, who
was fit enough to play after recovering from an ankle injury. Abou Diaby
replaced Jeremy Menez.
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