On their momentum after three victories, the Blues were unable to do better than a draw on Tuesday against the vengeful Norwegians (0-0).
First hitch for the Blues. Author of a faultless record since the start of the League of Nations with three victories, the France team was held in check by Norway (0-0), Tuesday October 31, in Reims. Four days after its success in Oslo against these same Scandinavians, Hervé Renard’s selection this time did not find the solution to achieve its domination.
However, there was no shortage of opportunities, like the three amounts successively hit by Sandy Baltimore, Amandine Henry and Eugénie Le Sommer (70th, 84th, 85th). Previously, Sandie Toletti, lined up for her 50th cap in the absence of a suspended Selma Bacha, had already come close to tipping the match to her team’s advantage twice, but she was denied an achievement for offside (45th+1), before missing a huge opportunity, alone at six meters after the break (48th). Situations which awakened an Auguste Delaune stadium filled with 13,000 spectators where we often heard players and coaches from the stands.
Sandy Baltimore to her advantage
This meeting nevertheless allowed some to score points. While the Norwegian coach had decided to modify his right wing, mishandled in particular by Julie Dufour on Friday, the French changed their tune by regularly switching to the other side. Starting for the first time since April to replace Kadidiatou Diani, in poor form, Sandy Baltimore was particularly visible.
Well helped by the activity of her side Elisa De Almeida, the Parisian played her role of will-o’-the-wisp to destabilize a well-established Scandinavian bloc. At the direction of the game in particular on a reversal at the end of which a strike from Grace Geyoro was blocked by a defender (30th) or by her close attempts to catch the top corner of Aurora Mikaelsen (25th, 31st), Sandy Baltimore often brought danger beyond its post.
Les Bleues’ lead narrows at the top of the group
Failing to find the fault, the Blue preserved their clean sheet. If the Norwegians were slightly more enterprising, Constance Picaud was rarely called upon, despite sometimes risky restarts at the start of the game (11th, 14th). With this result, Hervé Renard’s band sees the Austrians – winners in Portugal at the start of the evening (2-1) – return to three points. But she nevertheless maintains a sufficient margin in first place in her group, the only qualifier for the Final Four.
To ensure that they finish at the top of group A2 and thus validate the first stage of this season of preparation for the Olympic Games with participation in the semi-finals of the League of Nations, the Blues must not miss the 1st next December in Rennes against their runners-up.