French coach tells players to switch off mobiles

HAMELIN: France's World Cup squad must ignore the wave of euphoria sweeping the country after they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, coach Raymond Domenech said on Sunday.

"It's madness in France but our feet must stay firmly on the ground," Domenech said a day after Les Bleus beat holders Brazil 1-0 in Frankfurt.

"I've switched my mobile off and the players must do the same. They must also stay away from television because everything on it is about us."

France, who began the finals in sluggish fashion, produced a vintage performance to send Brazil packing and seal a last four meeting with Portugal on Wednesday in Munich.

"Our goal is to be in the final and we are not there yet," Domenech said. "Of course we're happy and excited after what happened against Brazil but we must immediately turn our attention to the match against Portugal, which will certainly not be easy. I have to make sure the players prepare for that match in the same spirit they had before the Brazil match."

France, who stunned Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final for their only World Cup triumph, will feature in the last four of the showcase tournament for the fifth time. They lost three of their previous four semi-finals, to Brazil in 1958 and to Germany in 1982 and 1986.

"The semi-final is the hardest step to climb, not just for us but for everybody," Domenech said. "The pressure is extremely high because of what's at stake. You're one match from the final but you have achieved nothing. You can see the summit but you're not up there yet."