France were made to suffer as they were held to a 1-1 draw by newcomers Haiti, in Wednesday 22 August's Group D encounter at the Soccer Only Field in Gwangyang.
That was hardly the result the crowd expected in the 13
th minute, when Damien Le Tallec set the ball rolling
for the Europeans. Set up by Thibaut Bourgeois's cross, the
France forward's effort seemed harmless enough until goalkeeper
Dorleans Shelson somehow let the ball pass between his legs.
Unperturbed, Haiti struck back eight minutes later, when Joris
Delle brought down Valdo Normil in the area. Peterson Desrivieres
converted from the spot to bring the scores level.
Neither side was able to add to their account after the
break, but if anything the game became even more intense, with
France's Badis Lebbihi given his marching orders after
receiving two yellow cards in the space of three minutes. Francois
Blaquart's men responded with shots against the post and
crossbar, while at the other end Delle was twice forced to produce
saves from long-range efforts. Chances continued to present
themselves for both teams and, with a minute to go, France captain
Said Mehamha missed an opportunity to take all three points from
the penalty spot.
The stalemate means France and Haiti collect their first point of the tournament so far, but while the result will almost feel like a win for the Caribbean nation, the French will surely return to training with a bitter taste in their mouths.
