The scenes of celebration in this grand city after the game were just unbelievable. Thousands of motorists took to the streets hooting their horn and locals were singing and dancing late into the night. My hotel room was on the 13th floor, but I could still hear the Parisians partying in the streets below me. It is great for football to see the hosts getting so excited about the World Cup and the prospect of a final against Brazil is the stuff dreams are made of.

I am a great believer in fate and the more you watch France the more you get the impression, their name might just bewritten on that famous gold trophy.

They have had a few lucky moments in the tournament, but as a team they are working incredibility hard for each other.

Every player is running his heart out and many of them are probably playing the best football of their lives. This is the lift playing at home can give. With the whole country willing you to win, you find that little bit extra to lift you to new heights.

A great example of this is the French goalkeeper Fabien Barthez. There were a few question marks about him before the tournament began, but he has been swept along on a tide of adrenalin and looks a very accomplished shot-stopper at the moment. He came out boldly to gather two or three crucial crosses at a time when France were down to 10 men and under pressure from Croatia. That kind of confidence was just what the French needed as they hung on to record the greatest victory in their footballing history.It could all have been so different but for an error from the Croatian skipper Zvonimir Bobanseconds after they had taken the lead. His poor pass allowed France to steal in to regain possession and Thuram's goal sent the crowd wild.

If the Eastern Europeans had just been able to sit on their lead for a quarter of an hour, doubts might have crept into the French team as the crowd became nervous. There is no doubt this is a very good French team, but on the right I felt there was little to choose between them and Croatia. Both had several supremely gifted performers and it may have been home advantage and the fervour of the fans that proved the crucial difference in the end.

It was a silly thing for Blanc to do, but we have seen far worse incidents in the penalty area during this competition where nothing has been given by the referee.

France versus Brazil may be the dream final, but Ronaldo and his teammates have the fire power to turn it into a nightmare for the hosts.

(Professional Management Group)
Peter Shilton won 125 international caps for England and played in three WorldCups.