By Chrysanthus Ikeh
France has progressed to the knockout stage of the World cup.
The match against Ecuador on Wednesday, 25, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro ended with a goalless draw between the two sides, who tussled till the final whistle.
Ecuador fought on with ten men after Manchester United midfielder Antonio Valencia was shown a red card for an offensive tackle on Lucas Digne. The team needed a win with two goals against France to secure a spot in the next round, going into the game with the same number of points as Switzerland, who ended up with a win against Honduras to move to the round of sixteen.
France, who won their first two matches against Honduras and Switzerland, secured the top spot in Group E and will face Nigeria in the knock-out stage.
