In Llanelli, land of rugby in the United Kingdom, the French women’s football team took a giant step towards Oceania and the 2023 World Cup, dominating 2-1, Friday April 8, its fiercest rival in qualifying, Wales. With 21 points already collected, the maximum possible in 7 matches, the French team is almost certain to retain the first qualifying place in Group I after the playoffs in early September.
She will even be able to transform the test against her new runner-up, Slovenia (beaten 3-2 in the first leg), from Tuesday at Le Mans, where even a draw would officially qualify her for the next World Cup in July and August 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
“It was a complicated match, in difficult conditions, we did not see the best face of the France team”but “We took a big step towards qualifying and that’s the main thing”savored coach Corinne Deacon.
Wendie Renard defender, captain and serial scorer
In the warm and windy Parc y Scarlets, the red and white temple of the British oval, Les Bleues extended their winning streak to eleven matches, while strengthening their confidence three months before the Euro.
Shaken in the first leg, despite a flattering score (2-0), the Blues again trembled on Friday against Jess Fishlock’s team. The release came from Captain Wendie Renard and Chief Artificer Marie-Antoinette Katoto
Renard offered himself a 33and goal on the evening of his 130and selection, the fourth in four matches, demonstrating once again that she, the large defender, was a lethal weapon on set pieces (31st, 1-0 ° . The Lyonnaise, strangely marked in the area, benefited from a bespoke service from Sandie Toletti on a corner.
A tricky end to the game
An unstoppable scorer, Katoto added a pawn to her collection by blocking a clearance from goalkeeper Laura O’Sullivan (57and2-0)) on a suffocating pressing which enhanced his overall performance.
Long-awaited after her flamethrower outing against Paris SG, with whom she said she was in “total disagreement” about his future, “MAK” has long been transparent, or clumsy, before putting his own under cover. At Llanelli, the 23-year-old striker scored a 14and goal in ten selections this season.
Effective offensively, the Blues displayed on the contrary a sometimes worrying defensive feverishness. They could have been penalized with a penalty (58and) on a foul by Eve Perisset that the referee saw outside the box, which was not easy, and they escaped the equalizer on a flagged offside (73and).
Because in the meantime, the Welsh captain Sophie Ingle (71and, 2-1) had given hope to the more than 4,500 local supporters, taking advantage of a too light marking on a corner. Les Bleues then suffered, a lot, but without flinching to open up the horizon to the east.