Cisse to miss World Cup

Saint-Etienne:

Djibril Cisse will miss the World Cup after injuring his right leg in a warmup against China on Wednesday. France coach Raymond Domenech said Cisse was in surgery at a Saint-Etienne hospital. He did not give the full extent of the injury, but said he would miss the World Cup. "Everyone is devastated," Domenech said. "He is in the hospital. I'm not a doctor. I don't know the exact nature of the injury". Domenech added he would not name a replacement before Friday, when he was to hold a press conference at the French camp in Hameln.

Buckling under In the 10th minute, Cisse was chasing the ball down the right flank and was knocked off balance by an opposing defender. As he fell, his right leg twisted under him and buckled above the ankle. Cisse was taken off the field on a stretcher. "It's so tough, to hear Djibril scream like that," striker Thierry Henry said. "You lose a teammate and also a friend. But he is tough, he will come back". Cisse was France's leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with four goals. In October 2004, he had surgery for a double fracture of his left leg in his first season at Liverpool. France winger Florent Malouda said he was concerned Cisse could be affected psychologically. (AP)