Euro-feminine 2022: will the French women finally go beyond the quarter-finals?

Published on: 07/20/2022 – 11:59 After finishing first in their group (D), Les Bleues face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals on Saturday. Despite the eight goals scored during the group stage, Corinne Deacon’s players showed some flaws and will have to do without their star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, injured. After being stopped in the quarter-finals in their last five major tournaments, the tricolors must finally break the curse. Quarter-finals. Words that are enough to make any supporter of the French women’s team tremble. As Les Bleues prepare to face the Netherlands on Saturday July 23 in the next round of the Euro, the memory of previous eliminations in the quarter-finals is in everyone’s mind. effect tilted at this stage of the competition at six major tournaments. The French women returned home after the quarter-finals at the 2016 Olympic Games, the 2015 and 2019 Worlds, but also during the last three Euros (2009, 2013 and 2017). During the last World Cup organized in France, the Bleues did not had not necessarily been lucky in facing the future world champions, the Americans, in the quarter-finals. In 2009 at the Euro, they had climbed for the first time in the quarters, but had fallen against the same Netherlands on penalties (0-0, 5-4 tab). Four years later, the adventure had again stopped at the same stage against Denmark (1-1, 4-2 tab). Then in 2017, it was England who blocked the way to France (0-1). 3 – Les Bleues end a EURO group stage undefeated for the third time in a row, after 2013 and 2017. Since 2013, France are the only team to have lost no group matches in the competition (9-6 wins, 3 draws). Qualified. #ISLFRA #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/Bm2ADwRwGn— OptaJean (@OptaJean) July 18, 2022 Concealing the quarter-final barrier The players therefore did not fail to be questioned on the subject. “We know, you’ve been telling us about it for years: we stop at the quarters, we stop at the quarters… Obviously, we’re going to be entitled to it the next few days, but that’s how it is. We must not to focus on it”, however relativized in the mixed zone captain Wendie Renard after the draw against Iceland. Even before the start of this 2022 edition of the European championship, coach Corinne Deacon had also brushed aside the question . “We complain about only making quarter-finals, but there are still quarter-finals,” she replied last October to AFP, before adding that her ambitions were greater: “This barrier of the quarter-finals, we have to hide it. Our objective is clearly, with this team and this group [de joueuses], to go at least to the final. And we will give ourselves the means to get there”. Unfortunately, his players did not necessarily give very reassuring signals to hope to go to the final. After a thunderous first match against Italy (5-1), the French women had a much narrower success against Belgium (2-1). Belgian equalizer has taken place. We’re not used to being roughed up, let’s say,” Corinne Deacon commented on Canal +. During this meeting, Les Bleues especially lost their star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto who was seriously injured in Offensive weapon number 1 of the selection with its 26 goals in 32 caps, Katoto-dependence had manifested itself until then by a tenure in each match. “We quickly moved on to something else at the request of Marie-Antoinette who asked us to continue to make the effort and above all to go to the end, for this group that is worth it”, admitted the coach Doing without Marie-Antoinette Katoto It is therefore with the best possible intentions that they started their last group match against Iceland (1-1). Malard did not shake and scored a goal in the 43rd second. The Lyon player also celebrated her achievement by drawing the letter “M” with her fingers and shouting “Marie” in front of the cameras, a strong tribute to the star striker of Les Bleues who returned to France. His performance gave satisfaction and reassured for the future, but the French were still hooked at the end of the match with a penalty conceded in the last seconds. Flaws were also clearly visible in defense. Aïssatou Tounkara, still preferred to Griedge Mbock, failed on a raise (36th) and in the duel (77th), and her partner in the axis Wendie Renard was not always imperial. Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin certainly gratified the public with a superb flight (56th), but her hazardous placement (41st, 59th) gave cold sweats to the few French supporters present. >> To read on France 24: Portrait – Melvine Malard, a golden joker for the BleuesSaturday against the Netherlands, reigning European champions, the players of Corinne Deacon will have absolutely no room for error. The coach, however, was confident. “There is no concern at all: we rotated, we gave playing time, we rested some players. The main thing is not to have any injuries, knowing that we were already qualified. It’s not easy to find motivation in this kind of situation, despite everything, the girls responded well. The end of the match did not smile on us, but perhaps we could have managed it differently too“, she explained in a press conference.Dutch women without brillianceThe Dutch are also a little less scary than five years ago. They finished in second place in Group C. Even if they did not lose (1-1 against Sweden, a 3-2 victory against Portugal and 4-1 against Switzerland), they appear diminished. The Netherlands lost in the first meeting, their goalkeeper and captain Sari van Veenendaal, injured in the shoulder. They will also have to do without their star Lieke Martens, recently recruited by PSG, who injured his foot during the match against Switzerland and is out of the rest of the competition. However, they should recover their other star striker Viviane Miedema, who tested positive for Covid before the second match. Dutch midfielder Sherida Spitse admitted that this quarter-final was not going to be easy: “It’s time for France. It makes us so strong. It’s not just the eleven who start, but also the players who come into play, the energy they bring. That’s the most important thing. With this solidarity, we can do great things. The quarter-final will be very complicated. France are a good opponent. have been met eight times since 2009. France have four wins, against one for the Netherlands and three draws. During their last meeting during the Tournoi de France last February, the Bleues had beaten their opponents dryly (3-1).