For Les Bleues, the river score on the scoreboard should not make us forget the vast construction site still in progress, especially in defense. The good result is still there: the France team largely won 5-1 against modest Uruguayan women on Saturday in Angers during the 2nd day of the Tournoi de France.
The French won thanks to the first goals in the tricolor jersey of young promises Kessya Bussy (26th) and Naomie Feller (80th), but also to the achievements of executives like Kenza Dali (34th), Wendie Renard (43rd), Sandie Toletti (71st). A nice mix between collective actions and individual exploits which however hides a real lack of efficiency as the opportunities were numerous (28 shots, half of which were on target).
Deacon “stay on [sa] hunger “
Coach Corinne Deacon therefore wanted to warn her players. “The top level demands more. It’s good at the level of individual statistics but at the level of the game, I remain unsatisfied. I expect animation, risk-taking, audacity, ”she explained. “Those who weren’t used to playing were under pressure because it’s a bit heads or tails. It’s not easy, but in the World Cup, we will need players who are mentally ready to take on this pressure”. “You have to raise your level of requirement, you have to raise your mental level, you have to raise your athletic level,” she insisted.
Corinne Deacon had promised a staff review and she did not do things by halves: no less than eight changes in the starting lineup compared to the one lined up on Wednesday against Denmark, and Kadidiatou Diani resting in the stands. New faces like goalkeeper Constance Picaud or defender Maëlle Lakrar, returning executives like Grace Geyoro and Sandie Toletti in the middle, and above all a Renard-Cissoko duo in the central hinge, after two not very convincing games in a three-man defense.
Five months before the World Cup (July 20 – August 20 in Australia and New Zealand), nothing is settled for a team that has many absentees. The evening indeed turned into a nightmare for Hawa Cissoko, who got into trouble from the start of the match when Belen Aquino intercepted her poorly measured pass to present herself alone against Constance Picaud (3rd). Half an hour later, still under pressure from Aquino, Cissoko attempted a risky throw-in which Luciana Gomez jumped on to present herself alone in front of Picaud, eliminate the goalkeeper and score in the empty goal (32nd ).
Corinne Deacon clearly did not appreciate the performance: when she returned from the locker room, Cissoko left, and the Bleues returned to a three-man defense. They then launched a siege in order of the cage of Sofia Olivera, very rarely leaving the Uruguayans to venture into their camp. In the end, Renard and her teammates keep the lead in the Tournoi de France before receiving Norway on Tuesday, still in Angers.