France on the brink: five crucial encounters of the past

A television grab showed France's Thierry Henry handled the ball during the World Cup qualifier against the Republic of Ireland in 2009. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Tuesday night's World Cup play-off second leg against Ukraine is not the first time France have found themselves with their backs against the wall in recent times. Their Arsenal centre-forward Olivier Giroud said on Sunday that he and his team-mates are ready to "die" in their efforts to reach Brazil – but that is no guarantee of success. Here are five games when France have needed to win (and yes we know that they won their finals in both 1998 and 2000).