Considered to be suffering compared to its Spanish and English counterparts, French women’s football has for the first time managed to qualify three clubs this season for the group stage of the Champions League, which began Tuesday evening with OL’s demonstration in Prague (0-9). We therefore only had to wait for the third attempt (after the eliminations of Bordeaux in 2021 then Paris FC in 2022) to see a French team emerge unscathed from the play-offs, where our men’s football fell by the wayside in seven of his last eight attempts in C1. And in what way, since the PFC had the luxury of releasing in quick succession the semi-finalist and the finalist of the previous edition of the Champions League.
Neither Arsenal on September 9 (3-3, 2-4 on penalties in Sweden), nor Wolfsburg (3-3, 0-2 in the round trip) were in fact able to prevent the Ile-de-France women from offer an unexpected group stage, with two other big players on the menu, Chelsea and Real Madrid. Sandrine Soubeyrand’s players enter the premier competition, this Wednesday (6:45 p.m.) in Charléty, by challenging the Swedes of BK Häcken, a priori their most affordable opponent. But how could this fairy tale take shape, from Mathilde Bourdieu’s double in two minutes against Arsenal to the penalty saved by Chiamaka Nnadozie in Wolfsburg, including Julie Dufour’s decisive paws against the ogre German ?
“There will be many more exploits,” warns Raï
“It’s exceptional and so deserved in these matches,” rejoiced the president of the PFC women’s section, Marie-Christine Terroni, on October 18 after the qualification in Wolfsburg. Who would have believed it? There is so much desire for this club. It’s an exceptional team that I’m so proud of. » Third in the D1 the last two seasons, behind the essential OL-PSG tandem, the PFC presents, unlike these two behemoths, a particular economic model, with average salaries between 2,000 and 2,500 euros, and favoring players launched in a dual professional project. This is how, although an international tricolor, Clara Matéo (25 years old, 27 caps) continues, for example, to be an engineer at Arkema.
Enough to give even more shine to this qualification in the group stage, which constitutes “one of the strongest emotions” of post-career for Raï. The former PSG idol (from 1993 to 1998), both investor and ambassador of the PFC for a year and a half, was on the trip to Wolfsburg last month. “We now have ambitions: there will be many more exploits,” warned the Brazilian. The girls showed that they had the quality to go very, very far in this Champions League. » To the point of once again playing spoilsport in a group where Chelsea are the big favorites?
“Chelsea and Real will be afraid to face this team”
“The PFC has high-quality offensive potential with Clara Matéo, Gaëtane Thiney and Julie Dufour, and its collective has improved from year to year, while working with valuable continuity,” believes Patrice Lair, former double European champion with OL (2011 and 2012), and now coach of Bordeaux. But in my opinion it lacks speed in defense. Over the length of the Champions League, it will be difficult to find Barça and especially OL, where it is crazy this season in terms of squad depth. » Moreover, despite an idyllic start to the season in the European preliminary rounds, Paris FC (currently 2nd in D1) took a huge slap on November 5 at home, against the Lyonnaises (1-6).
Despite this lesson suffered against an OL more conquering than ever at the start of the season, the PFC can perform well for its European debut, according to the defender Tess Laplacette, who is coming out of three years at the club (from 2020 to 2023). “When we see the summer recruitment, with the Slovenian Kaja Korosec in the middle and Julie Dufour (ex-Bordeaux) up front, it was done in key positions where there was a shortage of people. So I wasn’t that surprised by the qualifiers against Arsenal and Wolfsburg. The PFC Champions League season is already somewhat successful, so it is rather Chelsea and Real who will be afraid to face this team which has every chance for its first in the competition. »
“Juvisy could no longer exist at the high level”
But is this completely a first? Ten years ago, before being absorbed by Pierre Ferracci’s PFC (in 2017), the six-time French champion Juvisy had signed the best performance in its history on the European scene, reaching the last four of the Ligue des champions. President Marie-Christine Terroni, as well as Sandrine Soubeyrand (then a midfielder and not a coach), Gaëtane Thiney and Julie Soyer were already there. Severely beaten in the semi-final by Patrice Lair’s OL (0-3, 1-6), despite a goal of great hope, Kadidiatou Diani (then aged 18), the Ile-de-France symbolized the success of a amateur but competitive women’s football, with resources much lower than those of today.
“In the current era of a professional D1, Juvisy could no longer exist at the high level without Paris FC,” indicates Patrice Lair. It needed to structure itself professionally, with access to the training center in Orly and the Charléty stadium like the men’s team (in Ligue 2), and completely different means, while adapting to professional and development projects. non-football studies of its players. The PFC example can inspire French women’s football. » Especially if it is accompanied by a crazy epic in this Champions League.
The PFC likes to have players with a dual project, it is clearly the logical continuation of Juvisy’s policy, explains Tess Laplacette, who devoted herself 100% to football before heading to Losc this summer, promoted to D1. The girls who make up this team appreciate this opportunity to not only have their minds focused on football. Afterwards, I don’t think that this is the main reason for the good results of the PFC, because in my opinion there is nothing better than being 100% destined for football to progress. »
Free Charléty cannot apply in the Champions League
At Losc, Tess has double training sessions two days a week, which cannot be implemented at Paris FC, where there is only one daily session at the end of the afternoon. However, the PFC is already 12 points ahead of promoted Lille after seven days of D1. Next challenge for Gaëtane Thiney’s partners: to better fill the Charléty stadium (19,000 seats) which will still ring hollow this Wednesday against Häcken, with 3,000 spectators expected.
In this regard, UEFA does not accept the free operation officially launched by Paris FC last week in men’s Ligue 2 and women’s D1, so places are sold between 8 and 12 euros for the three C1 group matches. Very reasonable prices to discover the young Colombian star of Real Linda Caceido (December 14), the Australian Chelsea scorer Sam Kerr (January 30), and especially this little tricolor thumbnail without complex that is the PFC.