The France women’s under-20 football team was eliminated by Japan on penalties (3-3 ap, 5 pens to 3), in the quarter-finals of the World Cup-2022 in Costa Rica on Monday 22 August in Alajuela (north). Crowned in the last edition played in France in 2018, the Japanese will face the Brazilians in the semi-finals while the Netherlands will be opposed to Spain.
Led 2-1 by Japan, France snatched the equalizer and extra time thanks to a goal from Esther Mbakem-Niaro (2-2, 85th). The French believed to hold their ticket for the last four after a new goal signed Megane Hoeltzel (110th), on a very nice cross shot, but the Japanese equalized in additional time of the extension. The referee awarded them a penalty, after recourse to the VAR, due to a charge from goalkeeper Marie-Morgane Sieber on an opposing player. Aoba Fujino was responsible for putting the two teams tied (3-3, 120 +5). In the penalty shootout, goalkeeper Shu Ohba stopped PSG midfielder Laurina Fazer’s attempt as the Japanese went clear. Coach Sonia Haziraj’s France team therefore failed to climb into the last four, as was the case in the last three editions (3rd in 2014, 2nd in 2016, 4th in 2018).
