A first for the Blues! For the very first time in its history, the French women’s team won in Sweden (0-1) this Tuesday, during a qualifying match for Euro 2025. Three days after a small victory won by the same score against Ireland at the start of this qualifying campaign, the Tricolores relied, as often, on their captain Wendie Renard. For her first start in blue since suffering a thigh injury at the end of last year, the French captain scored a real attacking goal by closely recovering a good deflection from Marie-Antoine Katoto following a corner (81st), allowing her teammates to achieve a tough success.
38 – Top scorers in the history of the French team:
Eugénie Le Sommer – 93
Marinette Pichon – 81
Marie-Laure Delie – 65
Gaëtane Thiney – 58
Wendie Renard – 38 🆕Gotha. pic.twitter.com/6mN3SIpWQV
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) April 9, 2024
After rotating his eleven four days ago in Metz, Hervé Renard made three changes to his team when it was time to challenge the semi-finalist of the last World Cup. Exit Sakina Karchaoui, Marie-Antoine Katoto and Eve Perisset, replaced by Selma Bacha, Eugénie Le Sommer and therefore Wendie Renard.
Imprecise Blues
Dominant during a controlled first act, the finalists of the last edition of the Nations League lacked precision in the last gesture, like the first opportunity of the match signed by Eugénie Le Sommer. After heading the ball, the attacker placed a cross shot from the right which found no better than the small outside net (2nd). Dangerous on her right side, Kadidiatou Diani hurt the locals, but her two crosses, the first for Delphine Cascarino (21st), the second for Grace Geyoro (35th) could not be exploited by her partners, slightly too short .
Beaten 3-0 during its last visit to Sweden, the French team was however almost surprised at the end of the first period. Disturbed by the exit of Delphine Cascarino, injured and replaced by Vicky Becho, the Tricolores were very hot on the first shot on target from the Scandinavians and Kosovare Asllani. Alone at the far post, the captain came up against Bacha’s decisive save on her line (41st).
A closed second half
Much more closed, the second period was marked by the expulsion of Hervé Renard, forced to join the stands after having contested too strongly an arbitration decision. But the French coach was surely just as frustrated by the waste encountered by his flock in front of the opposing goal, like the blocked shot then the missed cross-shot by Becho (64th, 74th). The coach ended up exulting thanks to Wendie Renard’s 38th goal for the national team, following a big opportunity from Grace Geyoro.
Solid defensively in the face of pressure from the Swedes at the end of the match, the Blues, reduced to ten at the very end of the match following the expulsion of Becho (90 + 6), took the lead in their group with two victories in two matches. A good start before traveling to England on May 31 for the group clash.
