France dominated for most of a tactical and conservative
friendly, but the game burst into life when Capdevila put Spain
in front snapping in a rebound from close range 10 minutes from
time.
Thierry Henry had two great chances to equalise but his
first flew wide of the post and his second was blocked by the
ever alert Spain keeper Iker Casillas.
It was only the second time Spain have beaten France in
their last 11 meetings, a victory that compensated for an
otherwise unfortunate evening for the home side.
Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic missed his chance to become
Spain's youngest cap when he suffered a recurrence of stomach
problems shortly before kickoff, while striker Fernando Torres
and defender Angel both went off injured.
'It's frustrating when you see our performance. We could at
least not have lost,' said France coach Raymond Domenech.
'It's a shame because we played the way I wanted, the way I
expected us to do,' he told reporters.
'I'm pleased because we created some opportunities. I saw
interesting things...It is more positive than negative.'
France looked the better side in the first half, gaining the
upper hand in midfield and carrying more of a threat up front.
Striker Nicolas Anelka cracked a fierce shot just wide of
the post in the opening minutes and then forced a great
one-handed save from Casillas with another angled effort.
Spain rarely threatened Gregory Coupet's goal, their only
real chance coming when midfielder Xavi lashed a curling free
kick into the side netting on 13 minutes.
Their attacking power was further diminished when Torres was
forced off with what looked like a thigh strain midway through
the half.
France continued to dominate after the break but failed to
take advantage and Capdevila gave Spain the lead when he stabbed
home from two metres after midfielder Lassana Diarra had headed
a fierce Andres Iniesta shot off the line.
In a frantic final few minutes, France substitute Karim
Benzema hit the bar with a powerful header and Henry sliced wide
with his follow-up and then had an injury-time chance blocked by
Casillas.
Spain 1 - 0 France
