The Parisiennes held off Wolfsburg, finalist of the last Champions League (3-3) in a crazy match, and still have every chance of qualifying for the group stage. A symbolic result of the club’s progress in recent years.
When the final whistle blew, players as satisfied as they were frustrated went to greet their opponents. In their eyes, the joy of having managed to stand up to the finalist of the last Champions League mixed with the regrets of having touched, for almost 75 minutes, an authentic feat.
A month after eliminating Arsenal, semi-finalist of the last edition, in the first round, Paris FC took on another European giant during the first leg of the second qualifying round for the Champions League, Tuesday October 10, at the Charléty stadium . This time, it is Wolfsburg, two titles and five finals in ten years, which has not managed to get the better of the Parisian enthusiasm and resilience.
Constant progress for six years
The Parisiennes went for this result with an attractive offensive game, and a great mentality. Led by the score, then rejoined when they had managed to take the advantage, they managed to hold on for 97 minutes, alternating rapid offensive play and resistance at the back, especially in the final minutes. A new major evening in the recent history of the club.
This European adventure, which began at the beginning of September during a first qualifying tournament in Sweden, and which will last at least another week, during the return match in Germany, already validates all the work carried out by the club. Since the merger with Juvisy in July 2017, Paris FC has always finished in the top 5 of D1 Arkema, and has continued to progress. “We were fourth, we finished third two years in a row, which means that today we are starting to get well into the first four places. For us, this means recognition of our work on training, the stability of the club and the future of women’s football at Paris FC.”appreciates the president of the women’s section, Marie-Christine Terroni.
To give itself the right to dream, the club has also learned from its experience. The heartbreak of being eliminated on penalties against Roma in the first round of qualifying last season served as motivation to once again grab third place in the league and offer themselves this great adventure. The club has also rethought its preparation, the logistics of its travels, and even its recruitment, to play as much as possible on all counts.
“We didn’t make the same mistakes, whether at the organizational level for the people who support the club, but also in relation to the wider squad. It was difficult last year, there we were able to count on recruits and a slightly deeper squad”, explains Marie-Christine Terroni. In the aisles of the Charléty stadium, the captains Gaëtane Thiney and Clara Matéo praised the contribution and express adaptation of the new arrivals, including one of Tuesday’s scorers Julie Dufour, who give off the impression “for always being part of the team”.
“Still everything to do” before the return match
And the enthusiasm is starting to be felt. This Tuesday evening, Parisian supporters also tried to take stock of this big meeting, even if it was not enough to bring out a record crowd (3,257 spectators, a thousand less than the 4,200 of PFC-OL in the championship in 2021). “For matches like this, we want the stadium to be full, to provide emotions to the public, to share it all together. We will make sure that there are as many people as possible”hoped Clara Matéo to franceinfo: sport a few days before the meeting.
Several dozen supporters still raised their voices and drummed. When the anthem of the Women’s Champions League resonated, for the first time, in the enclosure, the entire audience stood up to applaud. Leading at the break, the Parisiennes also returned to the locker room to cheers. A few minutes earlier, Julie Dufour, author of the third goal, had burst into joy with her arms outstretched and her face ecstatic, facing the stand. “Thank you to all of you who came this evening. We will go for qualification next week in Germany, and I hope you will be there for the group matches”put captain Gaëtane Thiney on the microphone in front of the public after the final whistle.
The rest of the adventure will now be played out in a match, in a week, in the north of Germany. The Parisians firmly believe in their chances of qualifying, to discover the group stage and experience other star-studded evenings. “There is still everything to do, we are delighted, we have all the cards in hand”assured the captain with a smile in the mixed zone. “We took a semi-finalist (Arsenal), now a finalist, I might as well tell you that if we get through there, we could face Barcelona (the last winner)like that the circle is closed”, laughed Marie-Christine Terroni a few days before the meeting. His players are no longer so far away.