The air has lightened considerably for the France team following a cannon start on Sunday once morest Italy (5-1) at the Women’s Euro, a “good start” likely to bring confidence and serenity despite the call general to “not ignite”, nor forget the imperfections.
Heroine of the evening following an improbable hat-trick, Grace Geyoro summed up the general feeling: “For now, we haven’t won anything. It’s a very good start but the goal is July 31”, day of the final at Wembley.
At the exit of New York Stadium in Rotherham, Sunday evening, the French had the joy contained by parading in front of the journalists, an attitude already perceptible in the celebrations of measured goal on the ground.
On the edge of the lawn, on the other hand, Corinne Deacon jumped with happiness each time the ball shook the Italian nets, a rare image which continued in her post-match speech.
“I had a lot of fun,” said the coach, who appeared more affable and relaxed than the previous days. “You have to know how to savor things when they present themselves.”
“Feet on the ground”
The boss of Les Bleues, in place since 2017, knows she is expected at the turn following the three bumpy years which followed the 2019 World Cup in France, with strong choices concerning the renewal of her group.
The alliance between the ardor of youth and the wisdom of the most experienced – his credo repeated many times – hit home once morest the Azzurre overwhelmed in the first period (5-0 at halftime). The coup allows to glimpse a qualification in the quarter-finals on Wednesday once morest Belgium in case of victory.
Before facing the Red Flames, “we must not ignite”, tempered winger Delphine Cascarino, credited Sunday with a nice goal on a long shot. “Even if it feels good to win, you have to keep your feet on the ground,” also said full-back Eve Perisset.
A supplement of “confidence”, “beautiful goals” and “beautiful phases of play” from the start, of course, “but in the second period we must be able to continue at the same pace, to master the subject a little more” , took care to point the captain, Wendie Renard.
In fact, the Blues sometimes took the broth back from the locker room, conceding a goal and several hot chances, especially at the end of the game when the blue ship seriously rocked.
Defense to review
It is still difficult to judge the level of the tricolor defense, not endangered during the preparation, and sheltered for a long time on Sunday thanks to the offensive force driven by the midfielders and the attack.
The unexpected decision to propel Aïssatou Tounkara as a holder in the axis, rather than the usual Griedge Mbock, was also able to challenge. At Atlético Madrid, the first has played little this season and does not have the experience of major Champions League matches, unlike the Lyonnaise.
The France team knows that such a successful start offers no guarantee in the tournament, as the example of the World Cup-2019, started with a 4-0 once morest South Korea, can remind us.
Renard prefers to summon the memory of Euro-2017, also completed in the quarter-finals, to counter a possible wave of excessive enthusiasm.
“In 2017, we said we had an easy group and we struggled once morest Iceland, Austria and Switzerland (1-0 then twice 1-1, editor’s note)”, recalls the captain of soon 32 years old. “We will have to repeat the same efforts in the second and third group matches, and then we can attack another competition.”
Same speech on the side of Deacon: “We were only at the first step of the six that we set ourselves”. To reach the dream final, the coach called on her players to “remain humble, (…) concentrated and measured despite everything”.
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