Olivier Krumbholz (France team coach, BeIN Sports): “We said at the break that we had a bad first half, but that we were still ahead in the score. I also said that losing this match was out of the question and that we had to regain quality of play. We were enormously helped by Laura Glauser who put in a crazy second act. We were able to make our task easier in the second half than in the first. An elimination match is always a trap. We reached a very high level against Norway two days ago, and it was not easy to get back to work today. We were favorites in this quarter, we knew it too, and that was several ingredients for being in difficulty (…) It’s a first step accomplished today. We have to get back to work, find mobility like against Norway and continue to play the French way.”
Chloé Valentini (Left Winger, BeIN Sports): “The first half was stressful. We weren’t really in our game, which allowed them to hold on. Things went wrong at halftime, and we got caught up. We came back on the pitch stronger and Laura made some decisive saves. We knew we absolutely had to win this match, and fatigue was building up, which was not easy to manage. Now it’s the gold we have to look for. I feel like we can do it. We still need a few clicks, like getting more directly into the match.”
Laura Glauser (Goalkeeper, voted player of the match, BeIN Sports): “We have to retain the qualification. It was a trap match, with an opponent who gave us a lot of problems. But I’m really happy to be in the semi-final. At the goalkeeper position we are all together and no matter who starts, we are there for each other. Just as it is important for us to have Amandine (Leynaud) on the bench in the staff because she has great experience. And now I really want to be world champion, because I’m not yet. Even if we have to focus on this semi-final first.”
