Two-faced Blues win painfully against Colombia in their opening match

Despite a 3-0 advantage at half-time, the French team gave itself a big scare in its first match of the Olympic tournament in Lyon on Thursday.

A fanfare start, then panic. The French team won against Colombia for its first match in the Olympic tournament (3-2), Thursday, July 25, at the Stade de Lyon. But what will be remembered above all is the two-act scenario of this first match of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the end of one of the most beautiful first periods of the Hervé Renard era, punctuated by a double from Marie-Antoinette Katoto (6th, 42nd) and a goal from Kenza Dali (16th), it was hard to imagine what could happen to the French women.

And yet, they lost all serenity when Pauline Peyraud-Magnin conceded a penalty upon returning to the field, converted by Catalina Usme (53rd). Manuela Pavi then reduced the score to 3-2 once again (64th), forcing the haggard Bleues to curl up so as not to be caught out by the lively opposing attackers. Helped by the red card for a sole on Selma Bacha by Mayra Ramirez (86th), whose header had hit the post before that (18th), the French finally won in pain.

“I didn’t say anything in the locker room, sometimes silence is stronger than shouting, than words that can hurt. Tonight, I will refrain from any commentreacted the coach, annoyed in the mixed zone after having considered that his players were ‘returns [du vestiaire] with the cigar’. We often say that women’s football is not watched enough, but we need to show something other than the second half, otherwise people won’t come to the stadium. The only explanation I have is that we need to be stronger mentally.”

In the Olympique Lyonnais dear to many of the squad’s key players, the Bleues had nevertheless let themselves be carried away by a crowd, logically enthusiastic about the show before the break and launching waves after 20 minutes of play. The French had, from the start, put in the necessary intensity to respond to the physical challenge of the Colombians and there were hardly any big chances wasted by the attacks once the advantage was taken (10th, 39th), and a penalty forgotten after a defender held Delphine Cascarino’s leg with her arm (33rd), to tarnish the record of the first 45 minutes.

So much so that it seems difficult to explain how the ants in the legs of the Bleues, impatient to start their competition at home, turned into cannonballs. To the point of preventing Wendie Renard’s partners from defending properly, they who had multiplied inspired collective movements earlier. “The first half was totally under control, we deserved to score those goals. We gave so much that we lacked aggression, rhythm in the second half… Against such a team that never gives up, it’s complicated. We took the three points, that’s what we’re going to remember but we mustn’t repeat those mistakes,” nevertheless tried to justify the captain on France 2 after the match.

To support the theory of an accident linked to relaxation, the French players will have to do better over time against Canada on Sunday in Saint-Etienne to maintain the lead in their group. Especially since the Olympic champions won against New Zealand in the afternoon (2-1), despite their drone espionage affair.