And three for the Blues. This Thursday evening in Koprivnica (Croatia), the French women signed a third success (21-19) in as many days in their qualifying group for Euro 2022 (November 4-20, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro) once morest Croatia , who posted a record of a victory for a defeat before this duel. If France wins Sunday in Toulouse in the return match, it would be qualified before the end of these qualifications.
In Croatia, the victory was narrow for the Olympic champions who found themselves more than two months following the world silver in Spain. What’s more, they were deprived of a few key elements (Foppa, Niakaté, Ahanda on injury; Pineau, Gabriel on the choice of the coach); their guests of the day being also diminished by certain absences. In fact, it gave a messy start to the match, between inaccuracies in shooting and stray bullets. We had to wait 4’20” to see a goal, scored by Croatian left winger Andrea Simara, Estelle Nze Minko unlocking the tricolor counter 1’30” later (1-1, 5’50”). In the process, Laura Glauser was able to see the Croatian commitment by taking a ball in the face on a shot from right winger Ana Turk, who forced her out of the field, her nose bleeding. Cléopâtre Darleux coming to her stint in goal (Glauser was able to come back into play in the second act).
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The Lassource sisters (Coralie, 4 and Déborah, 3) scored 7 goals between them on Thursday evening.
By dint of patience, the French managed to take the measure of the opposing defensive variations (including a tiered 1-5) to widen a rather comfortable gap at the end of the first period and turn at the break with a four-point lead (12- 8). Thanks in particular to the duo Océane Sercien-Ugolin / Estelle Nze Minko. This slight break made, Olivier Krumbholz continued to make rotations: following having sent Sarah Bouktit (19 years old) to try out the high international level for the first time (at the pivot in relay of Béatrice Edwige), in the first period, the coach launched Deborah Lassource on the right back, with success from her first shot (14-9, 33rd).
Thanks to a certain rediscovered offensive fluidity, the Bleues took a certain lead (16-10, 36th) but a few defensive failures (including a temporary exclusion of Béatrice Edwige, 16-12, 39th) allowed the Croats to come back in the game thanks in particular to three goals from Josipa Mamic (19-17, 48th). Enough to encourage the French coach to dismiss his executives (Nze Minko, Zaadi, Sercien-Ugolin) to restore order in the blue house. Two goals from Deborah Lassource (3 out of 4 in the end), ideally launched by Estelle Nze Minko then Grace Zaadi, ensured the tricolor success.
