France beat Ukraine 1-0 on Sunday thanks to a late winner from Zinedine Zidane in their final warm-up before the start of their European title defense.
But in their last game before heading for Portugal, former champions Germany slumped to a 2-0 defeat at home to Hungary.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Zidane struck in the 88th minute and France go into their first match against England on Sunday on the back of an 18-game unbeaten run. It is almost a year since the mean French defense has conceded a goal.
Not so Germany, who were jeered off the pitch in Kaiserslautern after two first-half goals from striker Sandor Torghelle handed victory to Hungary who are coached by former Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus.
Germany, beaten 5-1 by Romania in April, need to improve drastically if they are to trouble the Netherlands in their first Euro 2004 game on June 15 in Oporto.
But the Dutch are also out of sorts after a 1-0 defeat at home to Ireland on Saturday and a loss by the same score a week ago to Belgium. A midweek 3-0 win over the Faroe Islands looks scant consolation.
In other weekend warm-ups, Czech Republic striker Milan Baros hit both goals in the opening 22 minutes to give the Czechs a 2-0 win over Estonia in Teplice nine days before their Group D starter against Latvia in Aveiro.
Latvia, surprise qualifiers for the June 12 to July 4 tournament in Portugal, were held 2-2 by Azerbaijan in Riga.
England progressed from their 1-1 draw against Japan on Tuesday to Saturday's 6-1 romp against Iceland in their final warm-up before facing France.
Teenage striker Wayne Rooney, like Baros, scored twice before halftime for England, whose coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said his squad were all fit and ready for the tournament.
Eriksson, however, is reminding the team's fans in an open letter being published on Monday that hooliganism could mean expulsion from the tournament.
"Ahead of us lie the likes of Thierry Henry and Zinedine Zidane, but also the uncertainty of whether the violence and disorder involving England fans that has clouded past tournaments will raise its ugly head again," Eriksson writes.
"The England supporters carry a weighty responsibility. If there are any serious incidents of hooliganism or anti-social behavior, we risk expulsion from Euro 2004. The image of our game, and of the country, would be damaged beyond imagination."
Hosts Portugal and neighbors Spain both scored four goals apiece in their final warm-ups on Saturday. They meet in Group A in Lisbon on June 20 but first Portugal open their tournament against Greece in Porto next Saturday while the Spanish play Russia in Faro.
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