More at stake than just a title

The scale of the street celebrations that have accompanied recent wins by "Les Bleus" at this World Cup are ample evidence that the spirit of '98 is a much more potent force in France than it is in Ireland.

But this time there are no grand illusions. Rather, there is an acceptance that victory here on Sunday may only serve to paper over the cracks exposed during a turbulent few years for the republic back at home. But once again football has shown its powerful potential to unite, however fleetingly, the vast majority of the French people. If the Italians are beaten, all but a small and stubborn minority will revel not only in a far more unlikely success than the one secured eight years ago, but also in the renewed discomfort of the country's racist far right.

Even since the tournament began, Jean Marie Le Pen has again been dismissive of a team built firmly on the talents of the country's immigrant communities. His comments have galvanised support for the team in other quarters, and there is every prospect of a repeat of 1998's dramatic celebrations.

Squad members have largely ignored Le Pen's comments, but the suspicion persists that his observation that he could not see a reflection of the nation in this team will have helped several key players to re-ignite the fires that burned within at just the time the prospect of another first-round elimination loomed large.

Since then there has been an enormous improvement in the team's collective displays, while Patrick Vieira (Togo and Spain), Zinedine Zidane (Brazil) and Lilian Thuram (Portugal) have been widely credited with inspiring the victories.

The rhythm of the team has clearly been adjusted to take account of their advancing years. The energy and adventure that marked many of France's better performances in 1998 and 2000 is largely gone. Instead, Raymond Domenech's side are ruthlessly economical when it comes to the effort they are prepared to expend. Only once, against Spain, have they done the slightest bit more than was required to secure their passage to the next stage, and on Wednesday night in Munich they relied to an unhealthy extent late in the game on Portugal's already well established inability to score against good teams.

Though the Italians have problems of their own in the striking department, no fewer than 10 of Marcello Lippi's players have found the net. Even if the French can get themselves in front as they did against Brazil and Portugal, it would look foolhardy for the 1998 champions to invite their opponents onto them as they did late in each of their last two wins.

The French veterans must raise themselves once more if they are to complete what would be one of the great comebacks in the history of the game. Those who returned from retirement had different reasons: Zidane is said to have wanted one last challenge after a spell at Real Madrid where things got so bad he had to bring a personal trainer just to stay fit; Makelele saw a chance to belatedly assume the mantle of Didier Deschamps, while Thuram, a fiercely political intellectual, appears, against the backdrop of events back in France, to have been influenced by a determination to restore some pride lost by the team in 2002 and 2004.

Now, like the side's younger members, they are united in a single-minded desire to repeat the triumph of '98. Against a powerful though hardly great Italian side that has also shown impressive ability to hammer out wins, it is a tall order. But, having been 20 to 1 to win a second world title before the Togo game, they are now only marginal outsiders.

Back in France, great care has been taken to play down the consequences of a victory, with one government spokesman declaring on radio that, "We have to be very careful not to expect too much from sport. It can't sort out all (our problems)."

If they do succeed, however, Zizou and co know the Azurri will not be the only opponents to suffer what will feel like a painful defeat on Sunday night.