The French team, boosted by the arrival of Hervé Renard but diminished by numerous injuries, missed its start to the World Cup after a sad draw (0-0) against Jamaica, a false start on the road to a hoped-for first international title.
At lunchtime in France, in the middle of a rainy evening in Australia, the entry into the running of the Blues was tough. Like many favorite teams, they struggled to shine in front of the 39,000 spectators at the brand new and impressive Sydney Football Stadium.
With this draw, they could not take the lead in group F, before Panama – Brazil and especially before the clash against Brazil on July 29 in Brisbane (12:00 p.m. French time). Despite the jet lag and the low media interest, the Bleues were still encouraged by several personalities: “Show them that we are France”, launched President Emmanuel Macron on Twitter, just like the French star Kylian Mbappé, who cracked a “Allez les Bleues” on Instagram.
The first big match of the Hervé Renard era, charismatic coach who arrived in the spring, in a black suit, white shirt on the bench, took a long time to get carried away. Because the start of the match was complicated as the Blues, playing in a new 4-4-2, were non-existent and the defense, including the new hinge Wendie Renard-Estelle Cascarino, was mistreated by the physique of the Reggae Girls and the accelerations of the star Khadija Shaw, excluded at the end of the match after a second foul on Wendie Renard.
Often out of time
Up front, the French women were out of time in the game for a long time, without any construction or technical accuracy. Sometimes even bordering on the ridiculous, on unscrewed raises. Yet not very successful, they continued to insist on the right side, with the young Maëlle Lakrar and Clara Matéo. And it took more than half an hour of play to see a first well-crafted action from the Blues, encouraged by a few “Allez les Bleus”, heard in the bays by a handful of French supporters.
Kady Diani, served by Matéo after a combination with Amel Majri, fired a low shot, pushing goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer to dive to her left (36th). Then it was French goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin who stood out. She relaxed perfectly on a powerful free kick from the Jamaican star Shaw (41st), just a few moments after a yellow card for a contact deemed too rough on Sakina Karchaoui.
Just before half-time, Amel Majri’s left foot almost surprised Spencer (45+4), as did a strike from Diani, brushing against the Jamaican post (45+5).
Bar at the 90th
France began their World Cup diminished by numerous injuries, including those of two starters, Selma Bacha and Elisa De Almeida. The first, on the scoresheet on Sunday and seen in the pre-match warm-up, twisted her left ankle at the end of the last warm-up game against Australia, a 1-0 loss on July 14, and will likely only return for Brazil. The second is diminished by a “calf blow” and was forfeited against Jamaica.
When they returned from the locker room, Les Bleues had better control of the ball and the game, with some fine constructions. They chained the ball distributions in front of the goal of the Jamaicans, less impressive in the second half.
The young defender Maëlle Lakrar almost cleared the way for Les Bleues in this World Cup, at the very end of the match: on a corner kick from Kenza Dali, the ball, hit between her shoulder and her head, went over the goal (88th). Then, a header from Kady Diani hit the bar then the post (90th). Without returning…
The stated objective of the semi-finals, as in 2011, still seems very far away, in view of this inaugural match, without real combinations and rhythm. And it will take more technical accuracy, construction and physical impact to break the famous glass ceiling of the quarter-final in a World Cup.