The Blue’s thirst for victories was not quelled by internal tensions, Friday, October 23, in Orleans against North Macedonia (11-0), with an offensive festival that occurred despite the absence of the coach Corinne Deacon, confined , and the turmoil caused by the non-convocation of Amandine Henry.
Against the 129e nation in the FIFA rankings, placed in the group of France for qualifying for Euro-2022, there was no need for a technician on the bench, or even a captain on the field, to impose easily.
But this large victory, similar to that of the first leg last month (7-0), will have the merit of restoring balm to the heart of a selection torn in recent days by the disagreements arising from the choice of Deacon to do without Henry , one of its executives, according to “Sports criteria”.
It was therefore the return of smiles at the Stade de la Source d’Orléans. It was very wide on that of Elisa De Almeida, enthusiastic scorer and decisive passer at 22, and a little more measured on that of Eugénie Le Sommer, author of his 83e, 84e, 85e and 86e goals for the French team (5e, 21e, 73e, 78e), improved record.
Surprising choices in the field
The evening captain had, in fact, a double mission which required concentration: to bring goals to his own, as usual, but also to breathe serenity into this group tossed about for several days. What she did throughout the meeting very seriously, haranguing her teammates and not hesitating to bring them together in the center of the field at half-time, for a final motivating speech.
“We wanted things to happen on the pitch, we responded this evening even if everything is not perfect outside”, said the forward on W9.
The faces were a little more closed on the side of the sidelines, where the Lyonnaises Amel Majri and especially Wendie Renard settled, left on the bench by their coach for the whole meeting.
Affected by the Covid-19 and absent from the gathering – even if she remained in permanent contact with her staff during the meeting – Deacon could not explain these surprising choices, even if Majri was returning from a recent injury .
The 30e victory of the Deacon era
It is difficult, under these conditions, to see a direct link with the astonished reactions of these two players, after learning of the non-summons of their teammate at OL, Henry. Renard had, in fact, noted on Canal + a “Bad atmosphere”, while Majri had recognized “Tensions” in an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP). This had the merit of leaving the field open to other players, and they benefited greatly.
Valérie Gauvin, not used in September, thus scored the fastest goal in the history of the Bleues – according to the reference site in statistics Footofeminine – in barely ten seconds of play. The Montpellier De Almeida was also very visible on the right side (assist and goal at the 39e), like Delphine Cascarino, came into play for two caviars for the Parisienne Grace Geyoro (60e, 62e) and score his own goal (76e), just after a superb volley from Viviane Asseyi (55e) and a goal from Kadidiatou Diani (45e+1).
What to make the 30e victory of the Deacon era (in 38 games) satisfactory for deputy Eric Blahic, in charge of the team on Friday evening. Just like for the 600 or so spectators invited to enjoy a last evening before the curfew, which started an hour after the final whistle in the Loiret.
At the accounting level, the Blue come back to Austria in the qualifying group for the Euro postponed from 2021 to 2022 and make sure to be at the worst second in this group, which offers them at least a ticket for dams. Above all, they gain confidence before going to challenge the Austrians on Tuesday, also undefeated in these qualifiers.
