© Reuters 2002

NIMES, France, Nov 4 (Reuters) - France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad went down 4-1 to Olympique Marseille on Monday in a charity match for the victims of floods that ravaged southeast France in September.

The match, which was the brainchild of Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc, who is from the southeast, brought the 1998 squad and coach Aime Jacquet back together for the first time.

Blanc, whose initiative raised 1.5 million euros ($1.49 million) on the night, said: "I feel pride, and also a lot of joy - even though the circumstances behind this match were fairly dramatic.

"You have to be able to give as well receive. This team has given people a lot of pleasure, but it's true to say that people at stadiums and across France have also given us an enormous amount of joy too.

"So this is our chance to give something back."

Zinedine Zidane, who was replaced by Arsenal's Patrick Vieira after 24 minutes, said: "What we mustn't forget tonight is that even though we're all glad to meet up again, it's for people who have suffered. We mustn't lose sight of that.

"We're just pleased to be able to play a match for a good cause. I'm glad just to be here," said the Real Madrid playmaker. "I've got a game in 48 hours."

The 1998 team, captained by Didier Deschamps, now coach of Monaco, opened the scoring in the 23rd minute through Christophe Dugarry.

Marseille's Ibrahima Bakayoko drilled a low shot past Fabien Barthez to equalise just before the break and then put another past Bernard Lama in the 65th minute - 10 minutes before Barthez returned as a right winger.

Marseille's Salomon Olembe and Djamel Belmadi rounded off the scoring.

The floods that ravaged the southeast left 24 people dead, thousands homeless and both crops and livestock decimated. ($1=1.005 Euro).