Promises, always promises, but beautiful promises. A few months before the Euro (July 6 to 31 in England), the French women’s football team won the second edition of the Tournoi de France, after a convincing victory against the Dutch European champions (3-1 ), Tuesday February 22, in Le Havre.
Les Bleues, already victorious in this friendly event in the first edition in 2020, impressed and ended the February rally with three victories, bringing their series to ten successes in a row, a first under the mandate of coach Corinne Deacon. This dynamic will require confirmation this summer when Les Bleues, more often disappointed than satisfied at the end of international competitions, hope to win their first major title.
“There are really interesting things… I feel homogeneity in this team”savored coach Corinne Deacon. “Things are taking shape”, she judges.
If this training was criticized for lacking adversity, the February rally really made it possible to gauge the evolution of the tricolor selection. After an authoritarian entry against Finland (5-0), the French confirmed against Brazil, beating Brazil (2-1) on Saturday in Caen, and especially against the players of the Netherlands, world number 5 , 2017 European champions and finalists of the last World Cup.
Wendie Renard in Marie-Antoinette Katoto as bosses
The performance of Les Bleues in the freshness of the Stade Océane notably made it possible to isolate two bosses, whose status continues to assert itself: Wendie Renard and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. The first, captain’s armband on her arm, scored without shaking the penalty for the opener (1-0, 20and), awarded to a questionable hand from Aniek Nouwen. The second, still as comfortable as a pivot, with her back to goal, and disconcerting in her ball calls, intelligently concluded a millimeter serve from Kadidiatou Diani (2-0, 25and) before signing a brace (3-1, 74and), thanks to two heels!
The two players had already shone in the tournament, each offering a double, Renard against Finland and Katoto against Brazil. The Lyon defender took the opportunity to become the seventh best scorer in Les Bleues history, tied with Elodie Thomis (32 goals). As for Katoto, she panics the counters with 23 goals in 26 selections.
The approximately 5,231 spectators who came to support Les Bleues, a rather disappointing figure for the evening poster after a France-Brazil match of 12,000 people, will undoubtedly not regret their choice: the French have multiplied the offensive festivals, like of an untenable Diani on his right side.
The dedication to Aminata Diallo
For her part, Corinne Deacon will perhaps be more demanding of her group, she who noted some inaccuracies in the recovery from half-time. The coach was right. Because if the superstar Vivianne Miedema was muzzled until her exit at half-time after physical discomfort, the Netherlands came to surprise the Habs as soon as they returned from the locker room, with a corner played quickly and concluded by Lineth Beerensteyn ( 1-2, 50and). There is still time to fine-tune the settings by the Euro, where the Blues could also find the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.
Another challenge awaits Deacon in the coming weeks: maintaining the state of mind in a locker room where the turmoil of the Kheira Hamraoui affair, attacked in November in the presence of his teammate at PSG Aminata Diallo, a time suspected, continues to exist.
Tuesday evening again, Katoto and Diani, whose agreement with Hamraoui questions, celebrated a goal by forming an “A” with their fingers, a dedication to their teammate Aminata Diallo, absent from the rally unlike Hamraoui… “Celebrations are very personal”commented Deacon, without judging this gesture far from tarnishing the almost perfect evening of the Blue.