TOPS
In a sometimes dull second act, the great returns in the blue jersey of Amandine Henry and Griedge Mbock marked the evening. The first, blacklisted under Corinne Diacre and injured for the World Cup in Australia, had not played for the French team for 3 years. The second, a Lyon central defender, seriously injured her knee against Greece and also missed the World Cup this summer. Really good news for Hervé Renard’s group.
The one who generally plays on the side with Olympique Lyonnais was lined up this evening as a winger, to the left of the 4-3-3 concocted by Hervé Renard. And we can’t say that this new position was a problem for her. Very comfortable combining with Le Sommer, another Lyonnaise, she made a lot of impact on her side, winning many duels. His good performance was rounded off by a magnificent goal at the very end of the match: a powerful strike from the left more than twenty meters from the goal.
In a match where her team rarely showed a good face, the Seleçao goalkeeper can leave Valenciennes with her head held high. Called upon numerous times, she launched her match in the 8th minute by repelling a shot from Jean-François. She won against Toletti (29th) and made a superb reflex save against Le Sommer (69th). She warms up again in the 72nd against Geroyo. A solid performance which allows the Portuguese not to leave with a suitcase.
FLOPS
The Portuguese left-back had a lot of work this evening, and she didn’t always do it well. In difficulty throughout the match against Diani, she also contributed very little offensively. She completed her work with a full-axis restart in the 89th minute, which turned out to be a decisive pass for Selma Bacha. A match to forget.
For its first edition, we find in this competition the same faults as in its male counterpart. An organization that is not necessarily very clear, the advantages of which we do not really understand, other than qualification for the Olympic Games. Except that France is already qualified as host country.