Marcel Desailly, the descent into hell

Israel, opponent of the Blues this Thursday in Budapest, inevitably brings back very bad memories for Marcel Desailly…

The Blues’ fiasco in the fall of 1993 should not be summed up with the strike under Emil Kostadinov’s bar and the defeat conceded at the last minute against Bulgaria. A month earlier, Gérard Houllier’s troops had conceded an even more shameful setback against Israel, the dunce of Group C, with two measly points in seven matches. A few months earlier, the Blues had won 4-0 in Tel Aviv thanks in particular to a double from Laurent Blanc.

The French team, which only needs one victory to validate its ticket for the World Cup in the United States, must make short work of the Israelis, where Ronny Rosenthal, who played for Liverpool, looks good alone. “America Promised Land” title

The Teamthe morning of the match, while “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen or “America” by Joe Dassin resonates at the Parc des Princes.

Marcel Desailly, the chalice to the dregs

Despite a good start to the match, the match will quickly turn into a nightmare for the Blues. At the 23e

minute, the French defense finds itself wide open and allows Ronen Harazi to open the scoring. And if Alain Roche is just as at fault, Marcel Desailly, aligned at right-back, shows his technical shortcomings by clearing into touch after a timid pressing from an Israeli player. The tone for the evening is set.

In great difficulty in his lane, where he is regularly caught behind his back, Marcel Desailly also struggles to make an impact offensively. And if the Blues quickly equalized, thanks to Franck Sauzée, then took the advantage with a wonderful curling shot, Israel equalized at the start of the last minutes after a festival of Blue failures, the last of which, on its line, signed from the right back of one evening.

And the worst is yet to come for the Blues in general and for Marcel Desailly in particular. After recovering a ball in midfield, the former Marseillais completely missed his cross, which allowed the Israelis to launch a final offensive thanks to Ronny Rosenthal. And once again, the native of Accra missed the moment to intervene, Reuven Atar taking the opportunity to score the winning goal at the end of added time. The couple is full for Marcel Desailly.