France beats Togo to go through to the knock out rounds of the world cup. That's such a relief - it's probably a bit of an eighties throwback feeling, but it seems right that the western european teams get past the first round. I've nothing against teams like Togo and um, the US, but real world cups have teams like England, Brazil, England, Germany and England battling it out (with England winning of course). So, hooray, France are through to face Spain, who will probably chew them up and spit them out like a snail in a paella (ok, had a few pints while watching the game).

The psychology of the french national teams (whether it's footy or rugby) is completely bizarre though. It's completely the opposite of the rest of the world. If les bleus are touted to be the winners, they perform dismally, yet once everyone has given up on them, they turn out the most dazzling performances ever, putting even the greatest teams to shame.

One game I remember particularly was in the 1999 rugby world cup they hammered the NZ all blacks. It wasn't a lucky victory either, but one of those games where pure style overcame the odds. The national football team seems the same - in games where they haven't a chance, they can pull something miraculous out of the hat, yet when they're on a high (ie after the 1998 world cup), they produce the most damp performances ever.

This mirror like behaviour seems to be reflected in the french support for the team. Tonight we sat in irish pub on the Grand Boulevards to watch the game. The place was packed with french, who I believed really wanted their team to get through to the next round. Yet as the first half unrolled, the support was little more than disparaging. Only when France had scored a goal did the cheering start. At this point the French were ecstatic, practically peeing themselves at every touch of the ball. So only winners get cheered? In an English game the team is cheered every inch of the way. No matter how badly they're doing, it's c'mon england constantly. Of course if we lose they get ripped to pieces in the post-match dissection, but what do you expect.

I have a gut feeling that the two behaviours are linked - something to do with the french psyche. Given something on a plate, the french will be (or just appear?) disdainful, while hold something back from them, they'll fight like dogs to get it. Strikes, queues, arguments, team sports. It all seems to be in there somewhere.

Oh, and the other difference about the french game tonight - you could barely breathe for smoke. I still feel a bit ill from the stench coming from my shirt, and I didn't even smoke tonight!