Both Klose and Henry have a chance but, let’s be realistic, Klose probably already won the Golden Shoe of the tournament.

Henry, who has amassed six goals over the course of three FIFA World Cups, was Les Bleus’ top scorer when they hoisted the famous Trophy in 1998. With the 2006 leader Klose stuck on the five-goal mark, tonight’s semi-final in Munich looked like a perfect opportunity to make a decisive move ahead of the weekend’s final two games.

Although it was not to be for the 28-year-old, he led the French line with distinction and won a penalty for his side on the half-hour mark following a rash tackle by Ricardo Carvalho inside the box. Some may have been wondering why he did not step up and take the kick himself, but a cool, precise finish from the revitalised Zinedine Zidane promptly provided the answer.

With the goalscoring midfielders of Germany 2006, Patrick Vieira and Maniche, also having to rein in their attacking instincts and focus on their defensive duties in a tight game, all hopes of seeing some scoring fireworks were centred on Portugal’s Pauleta. Disappointingly, though, the top scorer in the European qualifiers and the last player to score a FIFA World Cup hat-trick – at Korea/Japan 2002 – had one of his off-nights and was replaced by Simao Sabrosa in the second half.

The battle for the Golden Shoe reaches its conclusion this weekend. In Stuttgart on Saturday Klose will attempt to better his return at Korea/Japan 2002, when he also scored five, and draw level with Jurgen Klinsmann’s tally of 11 FIFA World Cup goals. The following day will see Henry run out at Berlin’s Olympiastadion with two clear objectives in mind: to overtake Klose and pick up his second winner’s medal. The race is going right down to the wire. May the best man win.

Source: WCoffsite