Domenech staying positive

(GSM) – France coach Raymond Domenech believes his side is still improving following a shock 1-0 defeat to China in their final World Cup warm-up game.

The 1998 World Cup winners & 2006 World Cup finalists lost on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion on Friday after Deng Zhuoxiang hit the winner in the 68th minute with a dipping free-kick.

Stunned into life by the shock opener, Domenech’s side then laid siege to the China goal but could not find a way through.

The defeat came after a 2-1 win over Costa Rica and a 1-1 draw with Tunisia, but Domenech is remaining positive ahead of their Group A campaign.

He said: “I think we are improving.

“We created a lot more chances than we did in our last two games.

“I’m not saying it was perfect but it was better.

“Having lost will force us to be more careful, more inspired and to work harder.”

He added: “There are always reasons to worry when you lose a match.

“There are days like that, that make you think you should have done better. We’re always worried when we don’t score a goal.

“We were against a team that did what they needed to do to frustrate us. We were lacking freshness and spontaneity.

“Something was missing. I’m not saying it’s not worrying, but I also say that it’s only a warm-up match.

“In front of goal, spontaneity and freshness make the difference and we were lacking there. We have a week of work ahead of us.”