They start with a victory. Les Bleues won against Ireland (3-0) on Thursday, July 6, at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin, for their first preparation match for the World Cup. In reaction, they were first shown to be borrowed before breaking away just before the break and offering a second period of better level. For her third tenure, young defender Maëlle Lakrar scored twice, her first two goals in the blue jersey.
A 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲́𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘂𝘀𝗲 💪 from our Blues for their first preparation match before the World Cup 🔥
*100 005*🔜 Leaving for Australia ✈️🇦🇺#IRLFRA #FiersdetreBleues pic.twitter.com/uu13BEOuE2*100006 *
– French Women’s Team (@equipedefranceF) July 6, 2023
Everything came together in added time in the first half. Hitherto hooked by the Irish in place and incisive, the Blue managed to take the lead in a few minutes, with a little luck, then a lot of talent. Tested on the right side of the defense, the Montpellier Maëlle Lakrar came to open the scoring after a mess in the area (45 + 1st), after a good climb in her lane. Less than two minutes later, Eugénie Le Sommer, well served by Kenza Dali, concluded a very nice collective movement to double the lead, sign her 89th goal for the selection, and make the break just before the break.
A serious second act
Gaining confidence, Hervé Renard’s players increased in intensity after returning from the locker room. Stunned, the Irish, 22nd in the Fifa rankings and qualified for the first World Cup in their history, fished on the recovery and in the ball exits. Les Bleues took control of the game, and Maëlle Lakrar scored twice with a powerful header from a corner (61st). The French remained solid until the end not to concede a goal, a first under Hervé Renard.
Enough to erase a complicated first period, where the Blues had taken a long time to get into shape, perhaps because of the disparate states of form mentioned by the coach before the meeting. Yet faced with a dense and tight block, they had suffered the game of Girls in Green, carried by an unleashed Kyra Caruso. The London City Lionesses player even thought she opened the scoring in the 11th minute, before being flagged offside. Her teammates continued to put pressure on the tricolor surface (3 corners to 0 in the first act), before cracking.
The France team must now fly to Australia this weekend, where it will play a final friendly match against the co-host on July 14, before kicking off its tournament against Jamaica, in Sydney, July 23.
