In its quest to qualify for the final phase of the first edition of the Nations League, the French women s team enters this head-to-head as the clear favorite.
Hervé Renard walked away from the narrowest of Women’s World Cup quarterfinal exits and immediately started plotting France’s next opportunity to avenge a loss to Australia. Co-host Australia held fifth-ranked France 0-0 in regulation and extra time and then won 7-6 in a penalty shootout on Saturday in Brisbane.
Hervé Renard’s French lineup knows what the atmosphere and the tension is like playing a Women’s World Cup quarterfinal on home soil, and is projecting that onto Australia’s Matildas. The French hosted the 2019 tournament and lost in the quarterfinals to the U.S. team, which went on to successfully defend its title. France is coming off a comprehensive 4-0 win over Morocco that set up a quarterfinal against the host team on Saturday in Brisbane, where almost 50,000 people will pack the stadium to continue a tournament that has already beaten France ’19 for ticket sales.
Sizing up a fifth-ranked France lineup led by Wendie Renard is important for Panama’s players and coaching staff in planning for their Women’s World Cup group finale. “Wendie, she is maybe one of the tallest players in the world,” France coach Hervé Renard said of his veteran team captain. Four of Renard’s five career goals at the Women’s World Cup have come from set pieces, including the winner against Brazil last weekend in a pivotal Group F encounter.
Eugénie Le Sommer and Wendie Renard revived France’s Women’s World Cup ambitions with a goal each in a 2-1 win over Brazil on Saturday to give Les Bleues the lead in Group F. After missing with a diving header in the 13th minute, Le Sommer scored her 90th international goal to extend her French record four minutes later with an emphatic header that gave Brazilian goalkeeper Leticia little chance. Debinha equalized for Brazil as the hour approached and the game opened up as both teams pressed for a winner, the Brazilians desperate to end an 11-match winless streak against France.