France, June 17 -- "We've got the task of connecting players that have a French philosophy of the game with those who have English and Spanish ones," said Queiroz on the eve of the Group L tie at the BMO Field.

"And then it has to combine with local ideas to create an identity for our game," he added. "It has not been easy, but it's been very rewarding to do because our players have been very cooperative.

"They've been very open. They've been seeking to participate in the construction of a very strong team."

Queiroz took over in April following the sacking of Otto Addo who guided Ghana through the qualifying campaign for teams from the African confederation who are affiliated to the tournament organisers Fifa.

"The connection has been...