And Santini dismissed, by omission, Ireland’s chances in Group 4, which also includes Israel, Cyprus, Switzerland and the Faeroe Islands.
“I consider Switzerland to be our toughest opponent. More than anything else I wanted to avoid the Netherlands and Russia,” Santini said.
“We will respect every opponent but if we play like we have been lately we should be OK,” he added.
Irish boss Brian Kerr was happy enough with the draw, albeit he admitted that it would have been better had Ireland avoided France.
“I hoped we’d avoid France because they are the top team in the world. But other than that, we have to be happy,” he said on the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) web site.
Indeed, the French, who defend their European title in Portugal next summer, are the betting favorites to win Group 4, leaving Switzerland, Ireland and possibly Israel to dispute second position, which would guarantee a playoff berth.
A bust at Japan/Korea 2002 where they surrendered the World Cup in the first round, Zinedine Zidane and co. were in imperious form in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, winning all their eight matches to reach the finals with a hundred percent record.
Israel and Cyprus, both of whom combined to trip up the French qualification bid for the 1994 World Cup finals, were two of the sides crushed by the Gallic juggernaut in the recent Euros.
Israel were thrashed 5-1 on aggregate, while Cypriots succumbed 7-1.
For Ireland, last seen battling the French in a 0-0 draw at Dalymount Park in February 1989, the draw revived an old World Cup rivalry.
This is the fifth time the Republic will be in the same World Cup qualifying group as the French, having previously met in the run-up to the 1954, 1974, 1978 and 1982 finals.
Ominously for Ireland, who did not make their World Cup debut until 1990, France went on to reach the 1954, 1978 and 1982 finals, even though the head-to-head stats between the nations are dead even.
According to FAI records, Ireland and France have met 11 times at senior level. Both have won four matches and drawn three.
In their last World Cup clash, a qualifier for Spain ’82 where the French finished fourth, Ireland won 3-2 at Lansdowne Road in October 1981 to atone for an earlier 2-0 loss in Paris.
Cyprus, in the same qualifying group at that time, were thrashed 6-0 in Dublin and edged 3-2 in Nicosia. In all, the Cypriots are winless against the Republic in four meetings, the most recent being a pair of 4-0 drubbings at home and away on the Republic’s march to Japan/Korea ’02.
Head-to-head against Switzerland, who caused Kerr and his successor Mick McCarthy manifold woes in the Euro ’04 race, the Republic has a slight edge: seven victories, on draw and five defeats in 13 encounters.
Said Kerr: “We can use Switzerland as motivation after they beat us in the Euro 2004 qualifiers while Israel, Cyprus and the Faeroe Islands will present some problems but we should not fear them.”
While Kerr may want to forget that pallid Irish performance in Basel last October that ended with the Swiss handing him is first defeat at senior level (2-0), he may seek solace from the two teams’ last World Cup confrontation.
Ireland came out tops then, blanking the Swiss 3-0 in Dublin and grinding out a goalless tie in the Mexico ’86 qualifiers.
Against Israel, Ireland are 1-1-1 all-time in three tussles, the last of which was a friendly at Dalymount Park in 1987. Ireland prevailed 3-0 then, an improvement on the 3-0 defeat suffered in Tel Aviv in 1984. Their other result was a 0-0 tie, also in Tel Aviv, in 1985.
Then there are the Faeroe Islands who have never encountered Irish football before. The Islanders were the whipping boys of Scotland’s Group 5 in the Euros and should reprise that act again in Ireland’s World Cup group.
On current form, the French look like a shoo-in for Germany ’06, with second place a toss-up between Ireland and the Swiss.
Israel and Cyprus, once European minnows but both capable of pulling off an upset here and now, are likely to play the role of spoilers by taking a point or two off unsuspecting opponents.
Not everyone associated with the Irish game is ruing last week’s World Cup draw that cast Ireland in the same group as the formidable French.
For the financially strapped FAI, the home fixture with 1998 World Cup winners and current European champs is akin to hitting the jackpot.
“It’s fantastic. It’s always good to get an attractive game like France which is financially good for the Association,” said FAI Chief Executive Fran Rooney.
“I would think that it is probably worth