From Carlos to Zidane – 5 magic moments from France v Brazil

With the good folks at ITV 4 opting to broadcast Thursday’s mouth-watering friendly clash between Brazil and France we decided to trawl through the archives to show you why this is a game to savour.

Whether it’s a World Cup, Confederations Cup or fixture with little other than pride at stake, these two tend to put on something of a show for watching fans.

Here are five of our favourite moments from France v Brazil matches over the years.

1. The Carlos free-kick

Contender for the title of world football’s most famous free-kick, Roberto Carlo’s unleashed his iconic curling effort during a match between Brazil and Le Tournoi hosts France back in 1997.

The Selecao may have gone on to draw the game 1-1 but this effort ensured Carlos had first dibs on all Real Madrid dead-ball situations for the next decade.

2. Zidane’s World Cup final

Emmanuel Petit’s last-gasp goal may be the enduring memory of France’s 1998 World Cup triumph but the final will always belong to two-goal hero Zinedine Zidane.

Banned for two games after being sent off in a group stage fixture with Saudi Arabia, Zidane returned in the knockout rounds to deal the killer blow to Brazil with two fine headers in the final.

3. Pires and Vieira combine

Back when Les Bleus ruled world football and World Cup and European Championship holders in 2001, the Selecao were put to the sword in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup.

France triumphed 2-1 on the night, with Arsenal teammates Patrick  Vieira and Robert Pires combining for the opener which was an often-forgotten thing of beauty.

4. Zidane inspire Les Bleus again

With Zizou due to retire at the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup, the mercurial Real Madrid star awoke from a group stage slumber to amaze in France’s 1-0 quarter-final victory over Brazil.

Zidane’s performance ranks as one of the greatest in the history of the tournament, with his every touch seemingly a thing of beauty, which included his assist for Thierry Henry’s crucial goal.

5. Brazil’s false dawn in 2014

In the build-up to the World Cup in Brazil, Luis Felipe Scolari’s plans for the Selecao appeared to be coming together nicely, as this 3-0 romp over a fine France side aptly demonstrates.

Fine goals from Oscar and Hernanes along with a Lucas Moura penalty made it look easy but with the latter pair cut from the 23-man squad, it was left to Fred and Co. to crumble under the pressure.

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