Very big regrets. For the first Euro semi-final in its history, the French futsal team was beaten (1-4) this Wednesday evening by Portugal in Ljubljana (Slovenia). Like their semi-final at the 2024 World Cup against Argentina (2-3), the Blues had the opportunities to invite themselves to Saturday’s final. But they faltered offensively, wasting a multitude of chances, particularly in the first half when they were leading the score.
The absences of Abdessamad Mohamed (suspended) and Sid Belhaj (calf) also weighed heavily. Opposite, the two-time Portuguese title holder was able to keep his back before gaining the upper hand over his opponent. Despite the disappointment, Raphaël Reynaud’s men confirmed that they were now among the best nations on the futsal planet.
Under the eyes of FFF president Philippe Diallo, the Blues had started their meeting perfectly by opening the score on their first opportunity. A rather weak cross shot from Barcelona’s Mamadou Touré is poorly appreciated by the Portuguese goalkeeper and ends up in the back of the net (1-0, 6th).
But, Bernardo Paco will quickly recover from his loss by preventing his team from conceding several goals. He won his duel against Guirio (9th), Rezzoug (11th) then Tchaptchet (13th) before being saved by his post on a shot from Mamadou Touré (13th). Less energetic and concentrated at the end of the first act, the Tricolores conceded two goals in one minute on two corners taken by Santos (1-1, 18th) and Tomas Paco (1-2, 19th).
Returning from the locker room, Lokoka repels a Portuguese strike then sends a precise pass to Gueddoura who misses his face-to-face in front of Paco (21st). Souheil Mouhoudine then the left amount of Lokoka delays the deadline. On a counter, Érick worsens the score with a goal apparently tainted by a Portuguese foul (1-3, 26th). The Blues then go all out by removing their goalkeeper in favor of an outfield player but they concede another goal. The match is over.
“There is a lot of disappointment even if we have to be lucid and recognize that Portugal was better than us,” declares Raphaël Reynaud. We were a little blunted, we lacked the juice to support the game plan. However, I am convinced that we would have won this meeting if we had led 2-0. We had opportunities, we didn’t take them and we conceded two goals from set pieces. Tonight, we are sad but tomorrow will be happy. »
The competition is not over for the Blues. They will face Croatia in the final for 3rd place this Saturday (4 p.m.) in Ljubljana (Slovenia), beaten by Spain (2-1) in the other semi-final. A new opportunity to win your first medal in a major international competition.
