Corinne Deacon announced Monday the list of players who will participate in the Euro next July.
The French women’s team is advancing towards the Euro (July 6-31) with a group faithful to the principles of Corinne Deacon who, on Monday, announced a list leaving aside Amandine Henry and Kheira Hamraoui in favor of the striker Ouleymata Sarr. As expected, the coach announced her list of 23 Bleues at midday without reserving many surprises for viewers of the TF1 television news, co-broadcaster of the tournament on French screens with Canal+.
Fans of thriller series had revived the Henry hypothesis for a few days, thanks to a high-flying Champions League final against Barça (3-1), where the Lyonnaise displayed her power and her talent . But the defensive midfielder does not appear in the casting for the European Championship, scheduled for this summer in England, a logical decision in view of the liabilities linking her to Deacon. The ex-French captain has been sidelined since winter 2020, after public criticism of the coach. “I make choices, I assume them until the end”, commented Deacon on TF1.
Palis and Cissoko summoned
Wendie Renard will wear the armband this summer in England, where the French women aim to win their first international title, with a renewed team for several months. The youth card, symbolized by Selma Bacha, Sandy Baltimore and Melvine Malard for example, sidelines Eugénie Le Sommer, the top scorer in the history of Les Bleues (86 goals), never called up this season and often a substitute in Lyon. Another thirty-year-old, Kheira Hamraoui, remains at the quay seven months after the violent attack, still unsolved, of which she was the victim.
Returned in February after a long absence, but absent from the April camp, the defensive midfielder of Paris SG pays for her situation in the club, where she has not played for a month and an altercation in training, and suffers from her execrable relationships with his partners Kadidiatou Diani and Marie-Antoinette Katoto, two stars of the French team.
Without Henry or Hamraoui, it is the young Ella Palis, 23, who embarks for the Euro, despite her weak international experience (6 caps) and sometimes reduced playing time in Bordeaux. She will be the understudy of the N.6 Charlotte Bilbault, another Girondine. As goalkeeper, behind the holder Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and Mylène Chavas, Justine Lerond completes the trio in the absence of Solène Durand, package due to injury. Messina plays in the second division but keeps the tricolor under-23 cage and has already gone through the Blue box. In defense, Hawa Cissoko, a popular figure in the locker room, is chosen as the fourth axial, to accompany the essential Renard, Griedge Mbock and Aïssatou Tounkara. The left side Perle Morroni, in trouble in Lyon, is the victim of competition from Sakina Karchaoui and Bacha.
Two little surprises
The list of Deacon, close to the previous ones, however reserves two surprises. Ouleymata Sarr, striker from Paris FC (15 caps), is called up despite a choppy international career, relaunched in February then extended in April after Melvine Malard’s package (also called Monday). The 26-year-old Paris FC striker climbs into the blue wagon at the last minute. This indirectly causes the dropout of Viviane Asseyi (55 caps), one of the most capped players of the Deacon era which began in 2017.
Since the 2019 World Cup, which she played, the 28-year-old offensive player has only missed two rallies, in the winter of 2020-2021, precisely because of an injury contracted with the selection. She is about to leave Bayern Munich, where she did not win. The coach must officially send her list before June 26 at 11:59 p.m., the latest deadline. It will then be possible to replace a player up to 24 hours before the first match, in the event of injury or Covid-19. The France team, third in the FIFA rankings, is one of the favorites at the Euro, after a season that ended with eleven victories in as many matches. However, his record is blank in major competitions. His preparation course will begin on June 14 in Clairefontaine, five days after the start of a cohesion course. At the Euro, his first match is scheduled for July 10 against Italy in Rotherham.