World champions France stung by Chile in Zamorano farewell (03.09.2001)
SANTIAGO,
France suffered a hiccup in their preparations to defend their world title next year after losing 2-1 to Chile here on Saturday in a memorable send-off for Ivan Zamorano.
Excused from the grind of qualifying for the finals as holder, Roger Lemerre`s team had expected to dominate a Chile side who are out of contention for the finals themselves.
But the Chileans opened the score after four minutes with a superb Pablo Galdames goal after Zamorano had created the chance.
Despite the efforts of a team including the world`s most expensive player, Real Madrid`s Zinedine Zidane, France went two down after the
break.
Reinaldo Navia fired home after picking up a clearance from France`s Manchester United defender Michel Silvestre.
David Trezeguet pulled a goal back in the 74th minute but the match belonged to Zamorano, who is retiring from international football after making 69 appearances and scoring 34 goals for the national team.
"This has been an amazing experience for me," said Zamorano. "You have to experience these moments to understand what they mean to me.
"I said before the match that the result wasn`t important but I`ll always remember that second-half which was so emotional for me."
