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The head coach of the French national team, Raymond Domenech, after the qualifying match for the 2008 European Championship against Lithuania, expressed his satisfaction with the achieved goal and the fighting spirit of his team in a press conference, stating that the match was tough for his players and they had to fight hard for the victory.
"The goal was to take three points, and the goal was achieved. The match was tough, we played against a solid team, and the field was also challenging. We played the best we could, but the conditions and opponents who pressured us made it difficult to play creatively and forced us to play more directly. My team showed determination and solidarity, I am pleased with the team's attitude," said R.Domenech.
The French coach stated that the match against Lithuania was one of the dangerous ones, as four teams will fight for a spot in the European Championship final tournament: "We successfully overcame two dangerous matches, like navigating through a minefield, the matches against Lithuania and Georgia. We stumbled in Scotland, so we couldn't afford to lose more points. Italy, France, Ukraine, and Scotland, who are the 'dark horse,' will fight for a spot in the European Championship. We hope that Lithuania will help us and take points from the Ukrainians on Wednesday."
When asked which player stood out, R.Domenech reluctantly mentioned Nicolas Anelka, who scored a goal: "Of course, the one who scores always stands out first, but I would like to highlight the moral aspect and spirit of the team. It wasn't difficult to choose N.Anelka as one of the attackers - I like him and he is an important player in the team."
"I wouldn't like to comment on the game of the Lithuanian national team, I'll leave that to your coach, but overall the Lithuanians offered a real fight and resisted strongly. Our goal for the future? The final of the 2010 World Cup," said the French strategist.
