Five months before the Olympic Games, the French team hit a wall on Wednesday in the final of the League of Nations against a Spain that was simply too strong.
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A gap class to fill. Outclassed in the final of the League of Nations by Spain on Wednesday February 28 (2-0), the Blues took stock of the work that remained to be accomplished between now and July 25, the date of their opening match at the Olympic Games in Lyon, to have a chance to finally compete for a title in a major competition.
“It was complicated to have balls and to be on the pitch. It’s up to us to work to do better and try to progress. We have to improve, learn, and let that help us learn lessons because the Spain is qualified, and we can play against them.”, recalled Eugénie Le Sommer in the mixed zone after the meeting. In Seville, his doublet with Marie-Antoinette Katoto did not exist and will be one of the main areas of progression for the summer.
However, it was a Hervé Renard who was more resigned than disappointed who presented himself at a press conference to put this lesson he had received into perspective. “There is a team that is number 1 in the world and it will once again be the team to beat for these Olympics. We must continue to work, find the solution to beat this Spain. There will be 12 teams at the Games. All will have the same objective: to try that Spain does not win a third title.”then hammered the coach, after observing La Roja brandishing their trophy from the edge of the La Cartuja lawn, their second in a row after the World Cup.
“Not an easy task” and which will require perseverance, added the coach. Absent in aggression and tactically dominated by their opponents, the French know that they will have to at all costs erase the technical errors which – among many other points – cost them the match. Enough to put their entire journey in this League of Nations into perspective?
A journey to capitalize on
In any case, this was not the message from Les Bleues, who reached the final of a tournament for the first time in their history thanks to their successful German exam. “We could have done better: in the first half, we all hid, but that’s the truth for one day. We shouldn’t throw everything away, it will help us for the future”declared defender Griedge Mbock in particular.
Best defense at the top level of the League of Nations despite their two goals conceded on Wednesday evening (four in total), the Blues have regularly shown that they have resources in this sector. Symbol of this solidity, Wendie Renard was also absent during the Final Four. And if Maëlle Lakrar brilliantly acted as interim coach against Germany, the return of the Blue captain will not do any harm.
“We have to say to ourselves that we didn’t get to the final by chance. We have to rely on it, we have qualities. It is not this defeat that will make us lose our confidence. Our goal remains the Olympic Games. The rest is up to us to write.”, added Grace Geyoro. Eugenie Le Sommer “not discouraged” for his part considered that “this team still has things to live for”.
“In high-level sport, you must have the ability to get back to work to bounce back as quickly as possible”, concluded Hervé Renard. This is good, while they will know their opponents at the Games on March 20, the Blue will have the opportunity to move forward in April with the start of the Euro 2025 qualifiers as preparation for summer. Because if, in the aftermath of this defeat, it is difficult to envisage gold, the Olympic medal remains the objective in sight