Both Argentina and France have won the World Cup but it was a day of stark contrasts. Argentina trounced Korea 4-1 which virtually guarantees them a place in the next round, while France went down 2-0 to Mexico and could be out of this world cup.

France did not look like a team that was united and focused on winning this world cup. The Les Bleues have been under scrutiny by the press from the time they landed in South Africa. After the match, their coach, Raymond Domenech said that “I don't have the words, it's a real disappointment for all of the people and for those who believed in us. We need a miracle now. We have to be strong and at least play for our honour. At least we must show something in the last match.”

The French squad has the talent and the ability to pose a challenge to any side in the world. Yet, they were unable to play to their potential and just could not find inspiration to raise their game to another level.

The first half of the match was evenly contested but both teams were unable to score. The French controlled the ball well but their attack did not have the firepower to penetrate the Mexican defense.

The second half started on a similar note and it changed only when Mexico’s dynamic coach Javier Aguirre made the decision to bring on Cuauhtémoc Blanco, the oldest player in the tournament.

The introduction of Blanco, changed the course of the match as a minute later Javier Hernández foiled the French offside trap and had to only beat the goalkeeper to give Mexico an early lead.

The French were aghast and questioned the offside call which looked debatable. Mexico, sealed the victory 10 minutes later as Blanco scored to give Mexico a 2-0 lead.

The French team has 6 players that feature in ESPN’s list of the top 50 players which include Franck Ribery and Thiery Henry while Mexico does not have a single player in the top 50 list, yet Mexico outplayed their French opponents. With this win, Mexico is assured of going to the next round. For France to have any hope of qualifying they need Mexico to beat Uruguay in their next match and then they will have to crush South Africa in their final game, which might be difficult based on their current form.