:00:26. > :01:03.Good afternoon. We are halfway through the second round of the
:01:04. > :01:10.World Cup and four teams have secured their place. What a weekend
:01:11. > :01:23.it turned out to be. It is a win or go home. Alexis
:01:24. > :01:47.Sanchez has equalised for Chile. We have penalties. He has nerves of
:01:48. > :02:00.steel. Often the post! Magic. Rodriguez! A devastating effect he
:02:01. > :02:10.is having on these World Cup finals. Giovani dos Santos break the
:02:11. > :02:17.deadlock. Sneijder has rescued it for the Netherlands. Brilliantly
:02:18. > :02:32.done by Arjen Robben. Penalties for the Netherlands. The Netherlands are
:02:33. > :02:49.into the last eight. Bryan Ruiz. They have done it. Unbelievable,
:02:50. > :02:58.they have done it again. Costa Rica, quarterfinal.
:02:59. > :03:00.It has been an enjoyable so far. This is how the sort -- tournament
:03:01. > :03:21.is shaping up. Now it is France against Nigeria.
:03:22. > :03:32.You can see in the team, the togetherness. They play very open
:03:33. > :03:37.and attacking football. Five goals for the French. France are laying
:03:38. > :03:51.down the marker at these World Cup finals. Nigeria are in dispute over
:03:52. > :04:00.bonuses. Always expect the unexpected.
:04:01. > :04:04.It is the first time these teams have met at a World Cup. France and
:04:05. > :04:10.comfortable winners of Group F and on the last five occasions they have
:04:11. > :04:13.reached the knockout said -- stages they have made the semifinals or
:04:14. > :04:22.better. It is the first time Nigeria have got this far since 1998. They
:04:23. > :04:23.finished second in their group behind Argentina and are trying to
:04:24. > :04:31.become just the fourth African side to make the quarterfinals. Joining
:04:32. > :04:41.me is Rio Ferdinand, Martin Keown and Danny Murphy. Normally you see
:04:42. > :04:46.teams, they get through and they get a bit defensive and reserved. We
:04:47. > :04:48.have seen free-flowing football. We can pick up a few things over the
:04:49. > :04:59.weekend. One of the things we don't like to watch is diving. Robben has
:05:00. > :05:05.been making the news. Great player, but he does throw himself around in
:05:06. > :05:11.a theatrical manner. He has done it for so long, I feel embarrassed for
:05:12. > :05:19.him. My family and friends would be disgusted at me. I thought it was a
:05:20. > :05:25.foul. It is the way he goes down. The boy went off with a broken leg.
:05:26. > :05:34.Maybe because of that one he gets the one near the end. If you keep
:05:35. > :05:40.diving you will get penalties. The defenders, you don't go to ground.
:05:41. > :05:48.You give him the opportunity to dive. As a defender you don't go to
:05:49. > :05:54.ground, especially in the box. I watched this about 400 times
:05:55. > :05:58.yesterday. There is no contact until Robben kicks him. And for a game of
:05:59. > :06:07.that enormity to be decided on something like that, I find it
:06:08. > :06:11.disappointing. I think Robben has got to the byline and has done
:06:12. > :06:18.fantastic. As a defended, don't give him the opportunity to dive. Robben
:06:19. > :06:25.has confessed to diving, not the penalty he says. He admitted this, "
:06:26. > :06:30.I really had to say and apologise in the first half I dived and I should
:06:31. > :06:36.not do that. It was a stupid thing to do but you are expecting to be
:06:37. > :06:46.struck and then they pull their legs away at the last minute, those
:06:47. > :06:51.rotten defenders". Everyone knows he does take a dive. But the pace he
:06:52. > :06:58.runs at and trickery he has got it is difficult for defenders. But he
:06:59. > :07:11.makes that difficult. We want to see diving stamped out. FIFA have
:07:12. > :07:15.responded, we ask players to play in the spirit of Fairplay it is up to
:07:16. > :07:20.the rectory to manage the match in all areas and issue cards to
:07:21. > :07:32.discourage is this behaviour. Fairplay is the overarching message
:07:33. > :07:42.to all players. It is difficult because he is admitting he will take
:07:43. > :07:45.a dive if it is necessary. He is an nightmare to play against. He is not
:07:46. > :07:46.the only one. I hate seeing it. On a more positive note, Brazil getting
:07:47. > :07:52.through. Iconic image of the weekend. Shots of May be Neymar in
:07:53. > :07:59.particular at the he scored that penalty. He has been absolutely
:08:00. > :08:05.brilliant. The penalties in general were not good quality. He stays nice
:08:06. > :08:13.and calm and the pressure is on him. Every game he has grown with that
:08:14. > :08:20.pressure. And Chile missed by a fraction. They start to feel that
:08:21. > :08:24.this is going to be there World Cup. Possibly goal of the tournament from
:08:25. > :08:35.Rodriguez? This is my favourite goal. He has to adjust is feet. His
:08:36. > :08:41.touch, adjustments and then have that! I had the pleasure of seeing
:08:42. > :08:46.it live and there was a shock that he had done it. His performances up
:08:47. > :08:54.until that point, he has shown his quality. Rio tipped him as one of
:08:55. > :09:00.the star performers. They can dance as well inverse celebration.
:09:01. > :09:04.Rodriguez has looked over his shoulders and then blasts it in.
:09:05. > :09:11.Last night we had another penalty shoot out. Even in this tournament,
:09:12. > :09:16.perhaps the most boring games have become exciting and this did at the
:09:17. > :09:26.end. This is the substitute and the quality of the penalties in the
:09:27. > :09:33.shoot out were brilliant. Superb penalty to finish it off. Without
:09:34. > :09:37.being critical of the Greeks, I Costa Rica have played a bit better
:09:38. > :09:40.and I'm glad they have gone through. A few days ago the Nigerian players
:09:41. > :09:46.were threatening to strike in a row over unpaid bonuses. It needed the
:09:47. > :09:51.intervention of the Nigerian president to restore the union of
:09:52. > :10:01.the squad to be able to go one better than their predecessors. It
:10:02. > :10:12.was in America in 1994 Nigeria showed a world what they were made
:10:13. > :10:15.of. An extra time Italian penalty brought their memorable debut to an
:10:16. > :10:25.end but the super Eagles had arrived. All of a sudden, Palais's
:10:26. > :10:28.prediction that an African team would win the World Cup before the
:10:29. > :10:36.year 2000 did not look so ridiculous. But Palais was wrong. In
:10:37. > :10:43.Nigeria's case, very wrong. 4-0 and another mistake by the Nigerian
:10:44. > :10:48.goalkeeper. At times, there World Cup campaigns since 1994 have been a
:10:49. > :10:53.shambles. Disputes are a constant threat and even their passage to the
:10:54. > :10:59.last 16 here involved a presidential intervention to prevent a player
:11:00. > :11:05.rebellion. Stephen Carr she was part of the wonderful team from 1994 and
:11:06. > :11:15.then he is their 19th manager in the 20 years since. His number two, and
:11:16. > :11:20.the old guard are inspiring the new. But football fans are fickle the
:11:21. > :11:28.world over. The opening draw with Iran prompted calls for an overhaul.
:11:29. > :11:32.Make no mistake, the manager has one of the toughest jobs at this World
:11:33. > :11:36.Cup. I am new into this game and anything I can get out of it to be a
:11:37. > :11:42.better coach, I would love to have it. For the past 16 years Nigeria
:11:43. > :11:49.has never qualified for the second round. We are in the second round
:11:50. > :12:01.here in Brazil. It is a wonderful thing to continue to see. A United
:12:02. > :12:03.Nigeria have the talent to travel France, but they could also implode.
:12:04. > :12:08.Get the better of Didier Deschamps, and the manager will be an all
:12:09. > :12:11.African hero. But with defeat, even with his credentials, may come at a
:12:12. > :12:17.price. Nigeria warming up in Brasilia. 27
:12:18. > :12:21.degrees so that he'd could be a factor. This is the side that has
:12:22. > :12:41.been selected. The goalkeeper 21 clean sheets last
:12:42. > :12:52.season. The back four are unchanged. Babatunde is out with a broken wrist
:12:53. > :12:58.so Moses returns. Emenike is up front on his own.
:12:59. > :13:07.Ahmed Musa has caught everybody's attention, he was dynamic against
:13:08. > :13:14.Argentina? He has been the best player in the Premiership. His pace
:13:15. > :13:20.is ridiculous. He wants to get on sheep. He scored two against
:13:21. > :13:26.Argentina. He is running in behind and threatening. Yet an end
:13:27. > :13:32.product, get a shot art. With Windows, it is about whether they
:13:33. > :13:38.produce and he certainly has been. We see a lot of wide players playing
:13:39. > :13:48.on the opposite flanks cutting in. It was his third game that he came
:13:49. > :13:57.to life. If Nigeria play a little bit deeper and use the players they
:13:58. > :14:00.have got on the counterattack he can be a major threat. He is quick,
:14:01. > :14:06.Moses is quick and Odemwingie is quick. It is the first time two
:14:07. > :14:11.African nations have made the last 16. Have Nigeria got what it takes
:14:12. > :14:18.to become the fourth quarter finalists? It will be a big ask. If
:14:19. > :14:24.they play to their strengths, which I think is counter attacking that
:14:25. > :14:25.all, they will be in with a chance but they will have to play some
:14:26. > :14:25.I think is counter attacking that all, they will good
:14:26. > :14:30.I think is counter attacking that all, they will be foot ball. It
:14:31. > :14:34.hasn't always been straight forward for France against African
:14:35. > :14:44.opposition. There were beaten in 2002 by Senegal and then lost in
:14:45. > :14:48.2010 to South Africa. There has been a sense of unity returned since both
:14:49. > :15:04.those campaigns. He is a legend in France. France are
:15:05. > :15:09.the champions of Euro 2000. I played with him, I know what he is like. He
:15:10. > :15:28.was the type of guy that will make players lay better because he would
:15:29. > :15:31.have done the dirty work. Automatically, when you have a
:15:32. > :15:38.legend as a boss, automatically, you respect the guy. Didier Deschamps
:15:39. > :15:46.has that, to make people play better. He has that, and you can see
:15:47. > :15:52.the togetherness in the team. And they are performing.
:15:53. > :15:57.Interesting point he makes about the fact that Didier Deschamps has done
:15:58. > :16:01.it at the highest level, he has lifted the World Cup. Looking at
:16:02. > :16:04.some of the managers that you have played for, they were not
:16:05. > :16:10.necessarily like that, but were hugely successful. Fergie may beg to
:16:11. > :16:15.differ. But people like Arsene Wenger, Gerard Houllier, Roy
:16:16. > :16:19.Hodgson, so do you think it is an advantage being a great player? I
:16:20. > :16:23.think it is when you first go in the door, you get that automatic respect
:16:24. > :16:27.from the players. But then you have got to prove yourself and gain more
:16:28. > :16:32.respect from the players, that you are knowledgeable, you can control a
:16:33. > :16:36.group of guys who have got egos, and get them playing that way you want
:16:37. > :16:40.them to play, and you have a philosophy which you are going to
:16:41. > :16:45.abide by. So, you have got a lot to do once you have got in there. You
:16:46. > :16:49.have worked with Gerard Houllier, Roy Hodgson, and Mark Hughes, who
:16:50. > :16:55.was a top player, obviously, so how does it make you feel when you walk
:16:56. > :17:00.into a dressing room? I agree with Rio. They have already got you
:17:01. > :17:03.listening when you first walk in. With Mark Hughes, who had played at
:17:04. > :17:09.all of those massive clubs. With Roy Hodgson, he had to earn the respect,
:17:10. > :17:13.and it took him a couple of months before the lads were like, he knows
:17:14. > :17:19.what he is doing. You have still got to be good at your job. Arsene
:17:20. > :17:23.Wenger, when he came in, he looked like my geography teacher, with
:17:24. > :17:29.those glasses on. But the message he gave us on the pitch, the belief he
:17:30. > :17:35.gave us, it was fantastic. Did you take some convincing at the start?
:17:36. > :17:39.At the start, but it was clear on the training pitch, that is where he
:17:40. > :17:46.gave us the belief. The results were rolling into one. It is great to see
:17:47. > :17:56.Didier Deschamps coming on and doing well, we want former players to do
:17:57. > :18:01.well. France feature players from five of the top European leagues,
:18:02. > :18:02.including ten out of the 23 from the Premier League. Let's hear from
:18:03. > :18:15.three of them. COMMENTATOR: It would appear the
:18:16. > :18:21.French are flying through to the last 16. As a kid, I was playing in
:18:22. > :18:27.the street with my friends, in my garden. It is a phrase we used to
:18:28. > :18:32.use, playing in the World Cup one day. To be able to do that,
:18:33. > :18:38.especially in Brazil, it is amazing. Football is like a religion.
:18:39. > :18:43.Everybody is supporting us in France, it is something special, it
:18:44. > :18:49.is hard to describe. As a player, we just want to enjoy the moment and
:18:50. > :18:56.give them the best possible. It will be difficult, if you lose, you go
:18:57. > :19:05.home. Nigeria is a big team, they have a lot of quality.
:19:06. > :19:12.It is not going to be easy, it is going to be a tricky game, and they
:19:13. > :19:18.want to win as much as we want to win, so we have to do the maximum.
:19:19. > :19:27.We have to focus on ourselves and give our self for the team.
:19:28. > :19:35.This is the line-up Didier Deschamps has selected.
:19:36. > :19:46.Evra and Debuchy return at full-back. Mamadou Sakho is
:19:47. > :19:50.suffering from a knock. The front three is the same as the one which
:19:51. > :19:58.was so devastating against the Swiss. One player that I think a lot
:19:59. > :20:06.of us were looking forward to in this tournament, a young talent, is
:20:07. > :20:09.Paul Popper, who you know well, Rio, from Manchester United? Yes, every
:20:10. > :20:14.single member of the first team squad was in no doubt about how good
:20:15. > :20:17.this kid could be, and it was a disappointment that he left. It was
:20:18. > :20:22.definitely a mistake on behalf of Man United, because he told me
:20:23. > :20:26.briefly before he left, I want to be the best player in the world. I do
:20:27. > :20:30.not know if he will be that but he will definitely turn out to be the
:20:31. > :20:35.best midfielder in the world. What was it that he was not happy with? I
:20:36. > :20:41.think he did not play a particular game, and a few players were played
:20:42. > :20:44.out of position in his position, and he felt disrespected, and then
:20:45. > :20:50.agents and family members got involved. But it was quite clear to
:20:51. > :20:55.all of you how good a player he washe was doing things in training,
:20:56. > :21:04.it is beautiful, his touch is phenomenal. And he has got the eye
:21:05. > :21:11.to get his shot off. He did that day in, day out, in training. He has got
:21:12. > :21:18.the mix between the athleticism and the skill. And the RAM is a great
:21:19. > :21:23.defender as well. This guy reads the game so well. I sit and watch this
:21:24. > :21:32.guy with my son, I feel he is probably one of the best in the
:21:33. > :21:35.world. He reads things very well, he has got international sprinting
:21:36. > :21:42.ability. Here, he shows a bit of class, does not just kick it out. He
:21:43. > :21:47.has got everything. Tidy with his feet, he can change direction
:21:48. > :21:51.quickly. What I like about him as well, he does not necessarily want
:21:52. > :21:59.to get in a fight with anyone, he just wants to nick the ball and get
:22:00. > :22:07.the game going again. Sounds like someone sitting near me! To the left
:22:08. > :22:11.or the right?! Left! Mourinho has said he thinks this is probably the
:22:12. > :22:17.best young central defender in the game. The only thing is with his
:22:18. > :22:21.youth, is he going to make a mistake? I do not like seeing
:22:22. > :22:28.central defenders just rooting it into the crowd, but I do not like to
:22:29. > :22:38.see them overplaying it, either. So, how do you see this going? I think
:22:39. > :22:43.the French will have to much. In Benzema, they have got one of the
:22:44. > :22:46.best number nines in world football. He is clinical, irresistible when he
:22:47. > :22:54.is on his game. He could be one of the defining factors. Watching the
:22:55. > :23:03.first match, he has dropped a lot of weight, he shop. Another expectant
:23:04. > :23:09.crowd, they are really feeling these stadiums. I have been fortunate to
:23:10. > :23:13.do five or six games, and the atmosphere has not let me down in
:23:14. > :23:16.any of them. This is the best stadium I have been to, Gary,
:23:17. > :23:23.Brasilia. They have literally dug out the bottom tier and the
:23:24. > :23:29.angle... Is it finished?! Just about! But it makes for a fantastic
:23:30. > :23:35.atmosphere. Let's join our commentary team of Kevin Kilbane and
:23:36. > :23:40.Simon Brotherton. SIMON BROTHERTON: It seems to be a
:23:41. > :23:47.feast or famine with France in recent times. Finalists in 2006,
:23:48. > :23:51.home early four years ago, and now, a very promising start here in
:23:52. > :24:06.Brazil. Eight goals in the first two games, and expectations soaring.
:24:07. > :24:18.Nigeria have never made it through to the quarterfinals.
:24:19. > :24:23.# Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrive
:24:24. > :24:29.# Contre nous de la tyrannie, L'etendard sanglant est leve
:24:30. > :24:51.# Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Mugir ces feroces soldats
:24:52. > :24:59.# Aux armes, citoyens Formez vos bataillons
:25:00. > :25:22.# Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons
:25:23. > :25:27.The last five times the French have got out of the group stages, they
:25:28. > :25:44.have reached at least the semifinals.
:25:45. > :26:17.THE NATIONAL ANTHEM OF NIGERIA PLAYS.
:26:18. > :26:24.Can Nigeria become only the fourth African team to reach the last
:26:25. > :26:29.eight, following on from Ghana four years ago, Senegal in 2002 and
:26:30. > :26:33.Cameroon back in 1990? Nigeria's preparations for the game have
:26:34. > :26:35.included and meant over bonus payments which required the
:26:36. > 0:19:40intervention of