Defender of the French women’s team Elisa De Almeida withdrew from France-Jamaica on Sunday (12:00 p.m.) due to a blow to her calf, coach Hervé Renard announced on the eve of the Blues’ entry into the World Cup. “She took a stroke 48 hours ago, she couldn’t put her foot down. Today (Saturday) things are better but she won’t be able to play tomorrow,” the coach told a press conference from Sydney.
De Almeida, initially tipped to start, had missed Les Bleues training a few minutes earlier in Sydney, AFP journalists found. The management of the selection had quickly indicated that the player of Paris SG had been the victim of “a blow to a calf received in training”. Estelle Cascarino seems best placed to replace her in defense alongside captain Wendie Renard.
De Almeida suffered during the preparation from persistent discomfort in the adductors, his condition arousing the vigilance of the medical staff. At a press conference on Thursday, she nevertheless said she was “100% sure of being 100%” and affirmed “no longer having any pain at all”. It’s a new blow for a selection affected by numerous injuries in all positions (Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Delphine Cascarino, Amandine Henry, Griedge Mbock).
Lateral Selma Bacha, affected in an ankle for eight days, is still recovering and her withdrawal for this meeting has been confirmed. “We will not take any risks with Selma,” said Renard. “We were very scared.” But the condition of the Lyonnaise improved day by day: on Saturday, she multiplied high-intensity races, on the sidelines of collective training. “She will be on the field against Brazil” for the clash of group F on Saturday July 29 in Brisbane, assured the former coach of Saudi Arabia.
