Until further notice, the prize list of the French women’s football team remains empty. Facing the Spanish world champions, the Blues never believed victory was possible, Wednesday February 28, in the final of the first Women’s Nations League. Overwhelmed by the technical mastery and commitment of La Roja, Hervé Renard’s players experienced all the difficulty in the world to exist in front of the 32,657 Sevillian spectators at the Cartuja stadium. They logically lost (0-2).
“We didn’t have a non-match, we played against a world champion team which far surpasses women’s footballnoted the French coach after the meeting. We took one step, we didn’t take the second…” Qualified for the final, his flock were unable – or unable – to win the first title in their history.
Between 1983 and 2019, the Blues had never lost against Spain: 10 victories and three draws. But this Spanish team has nothing to do with its predecessors, and women’s football has progressed at great speed on the other side of the Pyrenees in recent years.
Enough to put a blow to the morale of Captain Eugénie Le Sommer. “They had a good match, they were better than us tonight. It’s hard but that’s how it is, recognized the attacker on the microphone of W9. It’s difficult to see anything positive this evening, we came here to win, we’re disappointed…”
At the Paris Olympic Games, which French footballers dream of winning in a few months, providence would be generous to place the teammates of the Ballon d’Or Aitana Bonmati as far as possible on their course. Why not for a revenge in a new final. “In football, anything is possible. Spain will once again be the team to beat at the Olympicsadmitted Renard on Wednesday. The task will not be easy. We will have to progress further and learn lessons. »
The Bonmati Golden Ball reigns on the pitch
In Seville, a traumatic city if ever there was one for French football since the 1982 World Cup semi-final lost by the Blues to Germany, the scenario of this final was predictable. A few days after a semi-final logically won against the Germans (2-1), it was confirmed without delay. And the ball was confiscated by the locals, in the purest Spanish tradition. Technically, La Roja has no equivalent in the world. And in front of her, the teammates of captain Eugénie Le Sommer had a lot of difficulty existing, getting the ball out and simply passing each other.
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