Cisse is out8230;

Just when David Trezeguet opened the scoring in France8217;s final World Cup warm-up game, Djibril Cisse was passing behind the goal on a stretcher.

Just when David Trezeguet opened the scoring in France8217;s final World Cup warm-up game, Djibril Cisse was passing behind the goal on a stretcher.

The image, 31 minutes into Wednesday8217;s match against China that France eventually won 3-1, showed that the French World Cup challenge is still very much alive and kicking. The mood in the France team, however, was clearly depressed after the news that Cisse had fractured his right leg and would miss the finals in Germany. 8220;Everybody was in a state of shock in the locker room,8221; said France coach Raymond Domenech. 8220;I even saw a few who were close to tears.8221;

Like in 2002, when Zinedine Zidane sustained a thigh injury in a friendly five days from the finals, France suffered a vicious blow just before leaving for a World Cup.

Cisse, of course, does not have as much influence on the team as Zidane but his misfortune was nevertheless painful for everybody. 8220;We were all thinking about him during the match,8221; said defender William Gallas. 8220;This is extremely difficult to accept. We8217;re losing a team mate and excellent player.8221;

France, whose other opponents in Group G will be South Korea and Togo, were to leave St Etienne on Thursday for their base in northern Germany, a castle turned into a luxury hotel where they hope to stay a long time.

In 2002, France, who were the defending champions, were sent packing after failing to win a match and even to score a goal in the group stage. Their campaign kicked off in disastrous style when they crashed 1-0 to Senegal in the competition8217;s opening match.

The players are confident such a fiasco will not be repeated, if only because the atmosphere in the team is so much better than four years ago, when internal squabbling marred the team8217;s run. There were some positive aspects in Wednesday8217;s game,notably that Zinedine Zidane looked much more convincing than in below-par performances in France8217;s previous two friendlies.Patrick Vignal

8230;Govou comes in

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France coach Raymond Domenech called up Sidney Govou of Olympique Lyon on Thursday to replace injured striker Djibril Cisse in his World Cup squad, the French Football Federation said.

Govou will join the rest of the squad for their flight to Germany on Thursday afternoon, the federation said on its website.