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France 24
21-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
France football boss backs coach despite 'cruel' Women's Euros elimination
Les Bleues lost on penalties to a Germany side who played with 10 women for almost all of a gruelling encounter which finished 1-1 after extra-time. But for Diallo there's no question of sacking Bonadei. "After the Olympics, we put our faith in Laurent until the World Cup (in 2027) with the aim of helping this team make the transition from one generation to the next," said Diallo. "With 11 consecutive wins and a successful group stage (at the Euros), there are positive things to remember. But with a lot of humility, we have to get back to work, and that will be with Laurent Bonadei," he added. However, the federation president made no attempt to play down the heartbreak of failing to progress past the quarter-finals despite being a goal and a player up in normal time. Diallo described the loss to Germany as "a cruel disappointment", adding "everything had been put in place for this team to go much further in the tournament". "It's a real setback, the eighth time in the last nine major tournaments that France have been eliminated at the quarters," he added. "We're going to have to think with the coach and those in charge of women's football at the FFF about how we can work better." Bonadei did not include former captain Wendie Renard and vastly experienced forward Eugenie Le Sommer in his squad. In the group phase, France beat reigning champions England 2-1 in their opening match before thrashing Wales 4-1 and outclassing the Netherlands 5-2.
New York Times
20-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
France tried to do it differently… but they cannot get lucky in major tournaments
Daft Punk's Get Lucky blasted out round the stadium as France players, desolate and distraught, trudged off the pitch. The song suited the moment. France are all too familiar with sudden-death penalty shootouts, having exited the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals against hosts Australia. Two years later inside the bubbling cauldron of whistles and jeers at St Jakob-Park's, history repeated itself. France were knocked out at the quarter-final stages again after Ann-Katrin Berger saved 21-year-old Alice Sombath's decisive penalty. In fact, apart from Euro 2022, history has repeated itself in the last nine major tournaments, including Olympic Games, as France have exited at the quarter-final stage. It seems they are cursed. But the dynamic appeared different this year. Following Albert Einstein's philosophy, France head coach Laurent Bonadei wanted to do things differently to get different results. He certainly shook things up, omitting France legend Wendie Renard, the country's top goalscorer Eugenie Le Sommer and leader Kenza Dali from the team. Advertisement 'People often say this team has a mental problem, but I don't think that's the case at all,' team psychologist Thomas Sammut told Radio France in April. 'These girls can be very strong mentally. What was definitely lacking was team cohesion and relationships.' In their first meetings, the group decided it was important for the players 'to put their egos aside and serve the team,' explained Bonadei in his pre-match press conference. Fully integrated into the squad since October, Sammut, who has worked with Olympic swimmers, including four-time gold medallist Leon Marchand, conducted individual sessions, team meetings and club visits. He sits in the dugout during matches. The team travelled to Anglet, deep in the south-west pocket of France, for their pre-Euros camp and did team-building activities to work on the squad's cohesion. As France topped their Euros group of death, all the noises coming from the team camp suggested this squad were united, confident and having fun. 'We showed strength of character in the matches where we were behind,' said Mbock before the game. 'We know we can turn things around at any moment. You could even call it extra spirit.' Locks of Mbock's hair, pulled by Kathrin Hendrich, in the 13th minute — unlucky for some — were added to France's cursed potion. The consequent red card and converted penalty fell in their favour before Sjoeke Nusken's bullet header levelled the scoring. The curse still loomed as France had two goals disallowed for offside; Delphine Cascarino's, a magical back heel, and Grace Geyoro's. But Pauline Peyraud-Magnin stood tall to deny Nusken from the spot. France grew frustrated and impatient to score, unable to maximise having an extra player. With Germany in a low block, France rushed decisions, made loose passes and lacked precision in the final third. The clock ticked but time slowed down when Janina Minge's headed clearance from Karchaoui's cross looped goalwards. Berger backpedalled, leapt like a coiled spring and extended her left arm go-go gadget style, miraculously clawing the ball away. A divine intervention, the hand of god. Despite France's efforts, Germany's wall said: 'You shall not pass'. Even the crossbar was on their side, rebounding Melvine Malard's thunderbolt in extra time. 'Penalty shootouts are a 50-50 chance,' said Lyonnes' Selma Bacha. 'I don't have the words. It's the end of an adventure. We simply played as we knew how. We were unlucky. 'They (Germany) didn't offer anything, they defended well, were aggressive, but we dominated them from start to finish. They've qualified. I'm sorry to say they don't even deserve it, but they're in the semi-finals. I'm a bad loser.' Many will disagree with Bacha's assessment. Germany managed the space intelligently, toiled with a player down for 113 minutes, caused problems on the counterattack and disrupted France's rhythm. Despite the defeat, Bonadei does not believe there is a 'psychological problem'. Similarly vice-captain Sakina Karchaoui said: 'There's no curse, we've put that out of our minds…We'll be fine. We'll bounce back.' 'We were there, we showed France in a good light, and I hope that one day I'll bring a title to France,' added Bacha. 'It hurts. The Nations League is waiting for us, I believe in it, I'm a competitor, I'll take France to the top.' Advertisement Bonadei shared the defender's optimism. 'Rome wasn't built in a day,' he said. 'We're going to keep working to ensure that one day this team succeeds in winning a trophy.' Bonadei has always said France were challengers, not favourites, this summer and with a younger selection he had an eye on the 2027 World Cup, perhaps a way to relieve the pressure on him and his players. Immediately after the full-time whistle France Football Federation president Philippe Diallo and French women's team delegate Jean-Michel Aulas shared their frustration and disappointment with Bonadei on the touchline. Diallo told the squad in the dressing room he had seen some good things, a group was forming and there was a lot of hope. Grace Geyoro described the defeat as 'cruel' and 'difficult'. 'We can't believe it,' she told France broadcaster TF1. 'We gave it our all. We wonder when luck will smile on us. That's football, you can't control or fix everything.' France were unlucky but for the majority of the game, they played with 11 vs 10, had the perfect opportunity to make a Euros semi-final, and failed to take their chance.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
France 1 Germany 1 (5-6 on pens) – Gravity-defying saves, glass ceilings, another penalty shootout
It is best to ignore what's on paper during tournaments. A week ago, Germany suffered their worst defeat, falling 4-1 to Sweden (a team now out of the tournament after losing to England on penalties). Thirteen minutes into Saturday's quarter-final against France in Basel, Switzerland, Germany were down a defender due to a puzzling hair pull, depleting an already decimated backline. On paper, they were at a disadvantage. But also on paper, goalkeepers can't fly. Germany ripped up the script and defeated France on penalties to advance to the European Championship semi-finals. While Germany overcame their prophecy, France succumbed to theirs, unable to crack the quarter-final glass ceiling once again. Germany defeated France in the last European Championship at the semi-final stage, the only time Les Bleus have made it that far. Since that 2022 matchup, France have gone out in the quarter-finals at the last two major tournaments (2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics). 'Albert Einstein said that madness was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,' said Laurent Bonadei in a press conference before France's Nations League fixtures in late May. Bonadei, who took charge of the team from Hervé Renard last year, was referencing leaving out captain Wendie Renard, Eugenie Le Sommer and San Diego Wave's Kenza Dali from his Euros squad. But what happens when the result is what keeps repeating despite the changes? France's path to vanquish their demons seemed much clearer when centre-back Kathrin Hendrich pulled the hair of France captain Griedge Mbock inside the penalty area. By the end, the moment felt like a different match. In the 25th minute, five minutes after another defender, Sarai Linder, left the match injured, Germany found their equaliser. Midfielder Sjoeke Nusken powerfully headed in a corner kick past France's Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. France winger Delphine Cascarino thought she had found the go-ahead goal before half-time when she finished an impressive team effort with a backheel-flick goal, but instead was ruled offside. It was the first of two ruled-off goals for France. In the second half and into extra time, Germany continued to find their moments, but it was the effort of goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger that kept the score level. In the 105th minute, the Gotham FC goalkeeper made one of the most acrobatic saves in the history of the game. With France attacking and Katrin-Berger away from her goal, Janina Minge aimed, looping a shot beyond the keeper. And yet with a physics-defying leap backward and an outstretched paw, the 34-year-old kept the ball out of the net with a scoop of her hand. She went down momentarily, nursing her shoulder but return to finish the match, including a converted penalty in the shootout. Germany will play Spain in Wednesday's semi-final in Zurich. The Athletic's Megan Feringa, Michael Cox and Charlotte Harpur analyse the main talking points from the quarter-final… Gravity-defying goalkeeping Another quarter-final decided by a penalty shoot-out put goalkeepers in the spotlight. However, the goalkeepers took the centre stage long before the players lined up for spot kicks. Maybe the real treasure of Euro 2025 is all the penalties saved and missed along the way. Perhaps it was asking too much for two to be converted in one match after Geyoro found the back of the net for France in the first-half. France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin saved Sjoeke Nusken's penalty, injecting an already haywire match with more chaos. Payraud-Magnin could do little about Nusken's earlier bullet header to draw the game level. But we must really talk about Ann-Katrin Berger. One, did you see the save? In the 105th-minute, arm extended as she's falling backwards. Gravity, physics, all of that should say, 'No'. But the Gotham FC goalkeeper said, 'Yes'. And she did all match. Berger was quick off her line, sharp in her saves, comfortable on the ball and regularly came out of her area to deal with balls over the top of her defence. She made nine saves, five from inside the box and five being what the BBC qualified as 'diving' (a word that doesn't feel appropriate enough to describe what happened on 105 minutes). She then denied France's first penalty shooter, Amel Majri. The 32-year-old went left just as Berger had written on her Gatorade bottle, before scoring from the spot herself as Germany's fifth taker. Megan Feringa Shocking misjudgment puts Germany in hairy situation What on earth was going through Kathrin Hendrich's head as the 33-year-old defender reached out to grab a chunk of Griedge Mbock's hair is beyond anyone's comprehension. The Chicago Stars player has 86 caps for her country and has played over 300 matches at club level. Anyone can suffer a moment of madness in a pressurised hot box of a match, but less than 15 minutes into a Euros quarter-final against an opponent like France? Germany's backline was already red-card ravaged going into this match, with right-back Carlotta Wamser suspended following a red card for handling the ball on the line against Sweden in their final group stage match. Hendrich's decision forced Germany's defence into more tactical surgery: third-string right back Sarai Linder was replaced by Sophia Kleinherne while midfielder Janina Minge moved into a back four as Germany switched to a 4-4-1. Germany's defence remained ferociously resilient and organised throughout, all while managing to rip forward on the counter with numbers, much to France's enormous trouble at times. It made you wonder just how good Germany might have been with an additional body on the pitch… Megan Feringa Germany finally look solid again Going into this game, the last thing you would have said about Germany was that they were solid. They offered attacking power in the group stage, but they left their backline exposed, and the defence was dragged across the pitch easily. Sweden took full advantage in their 4-1 win in Zurich. Tonight, Germany got off to the worst possible start. They conceded a penalty and went down to ten players in the same incident. Their right-back Linder, only playing as Gwinn and Wamser were injured and suspended respectively, limped off shortly afterwards. The game seemed dead. And yet somehow, the situation suited Germany. That was true both mentally and tactically. Germany are, even when not a great side, famously hard to beat. They huddled together and agreed on a game plan. And, tactically, suddenly Germany looked quite suited to a counter-attacking task. Elisa Senss is a no-nonsense midfield general. Nusken is a tireless box-to-box midfielder. Jule Brand and Klara Buhl have been the best wing pairing in the competition and offered speed on the break. Up top, Giovanna Hoffman ran, battled, flicked the ball on, held it up, and won free-kicks to get Germany up the pitch. And this actually made Germany look — for the first time in the competition — solid. The defenders haven't become world-class overnight. But they were screened well, they communicated well, they shepherded Germany out wide, and they defended their box well. France barely created anything, and but for Nusken's missed penalty midway through the second half, this German display would have gone down as one of the great performances when down to ten players. Michael Cox What does this mean for France? There seems to be a quarter-final curse looming over France. They have now fallen at that stage of seven of their last eight major tournaments (including Olympics), the exception being the 2022 Euros in England. Generally, they reach this stage of a competition and are unable to smash the glass ceiling. Nobody quite knows why. Some people say it is about mentality. If there was a game to test their mental resilience, this was it. France went from the highs of scoring a penalty and an extra player advantage to the lows of two disallowed goals and conceding an equaliser before being galvanised by Peyraud-Magnin's penalty save. As the minutes dragged on and they failed to take advantage of having an extra player, it felt like it was just not meant to be. The cruel reality of penalties sealed their fate and in the end, they were simply not good enough on the night. Charlotte Harpur This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Germany, France, International Football, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
19-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
France 1 Germany 1 ( 5-6 on pens) – Gravity-defying saves, glass ceilings, another penalty shootout
It is best to ignore what's on paper during tournaments. A week ago, Germany suffered their worst defeat, falling 4-1 to Sweden (a team now out of the tournament after losing to England in penalties). Thirteen minutes into Saturday's quarter-final against France in Basel, Switzerland, Germany were down a defender due to a puzzling hair pull, depleting an already dismissed backline. On paper, they were at a disadvantage. But also on paper, goalkeepers can't fly. Advertisement Germany ripped up the script and defeated France in penalties to advance to the European Championship semifinals. While they overcame their prophecy, France once again succumbed to theirs, unable to crack the quarter-final glass ceiling once again. Germany defeated France in the last European Championship in the semi-final stage, the only time Les Bleus have made it that far. Since that 2022 matchup, France have gone out in the quarter-finals at the last two major tournaments (2023 World Cup and 2024 Olympics), adding to their nine failures prior. 'Albert Einstein said that madness was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,' said Laurent Bonadei in a press conference before France's Nations League fixtures in late May. Bonadei, who took charge of the team from Hervé Renard last year, was referencing leaving out captain Wendie Renard, Eugenie Le Sommer and San Diego Wave's Kenza Dali from his Euros squad. But what happens when the result is what keeps repeating despite the changes? France's path to vanquish their demons seemed much clearer when centre-back Kathrin Hendrich pulled the hair of France captain Griedge Mbock inside the penalty area. By the end of the match, the moment felt like a different match. In the 25th minute, five minutes after another defender, Sarai Linder, lef the match injured, Germany found their equaliser. Midfiedler Sjoeke Nusken powerfully headed a corner kick service past France's Pauline Peyraud-Magnin. France winger Delphine Cascarino thought she had found the go-ahead goal before half-time when she finished an impressive team effort with a backheel-flick goal, but instead was ruled offside. It was the first of two ruled-off goals for France. In the second half and into extra time, Germany continued to find their moments, but it was the effort of goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger that kept the score level. Advertisement In the 105th minute, the Gotham FC goalkeeper made one of the most acrobatic saves in the history of the game. With France attacking and Katrin-Berger away from her goal, Janina Minge aimed, looping a shot beyond the keeper. And yet with a physics-defying leap backward and an outstretched paw, the 34-year-old kept the ball out of the net with a scoop of her hand. She went down momentarily, nursing her shoulder but return to finish the match, including a converted penalty in the shootout. Germany will play Spain in Wednesday's semi-final in Zurich. Megan Feringa, Michael Cox and Charlotte Harpur analyse the main talking points from the quarter-final. Another quarter-final decided in penalties puts goalkeepers in the spotlight. However, the goalkeepers took the spotlight long before the players lined up at and this time it was the goalkeepers who took the spotlight. Maybe the real treasure of Euro 2025 is all the penalties saved and missed along the way. So far, 14 of 27 penalties have failed to be converted. Perhaps it was asking too much for two to be converted in one match after Geyoro found the back of the net for France in the first-half. France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin saved Sjoeke Nusken's penalty, injecting an already haywire match with more chaos. Payraud-Magnin could do little about Nusken's earlier bullet header to draw the game level. But we must really talk about Ann-Katrin Berger. One, did you see the save? In the 105th-minute, arm extended as she's falling backwards. Gravity, physics, all of that should say, 'No'. But the 33-year-old Gotham FC goalkeeper said, 'Yes'. And she did all match. Berger was quick off her line, sharp in her saves, comfortable on the ball and regularly came out of her area to deal with balls over the top of her defence. She made nine saves, five from inside the box and five being what the BBC qualified as 'diving' (a word that doesn't feel appropriate enough to describe what happened on 105 minutes). She then denied France's first penalty shooter, Amel Majri. The 32-year-old went left just as Berger had written on her Gatorade bottle, before scoring from the spot herself as Germany's fifth taker. Feringa What on earth was going through Kathrin Hendrich's head as the 33-year-old defender reached out to grab a chunk of Griedge Mbock's hair is beyond anyone's comprehension. The Chicago Stars player has 86 caps for her country and has played over 300 matches at club level. Anyone is capable of suffering a moment of madness in such pressurised hot boxes such as this, but less than 15 minutes into a Euros quarter-final against an opponent like France? Germany's backline was already red-card ravaged going into this match, after right-back Carlotta Wamser was issued marching orders for saving the ball on the line against Sweden in their final group stage match. Advertisement Hendrich's decision forced Germany's defence into more tactical surgery: third-string right back Sarai Linder was replaced by Sophia Kleinherne while midfielder Janina Minge moved into a back four as Germany switched to a 4-4-1. Germany's defence remained ferociously resilient and organised throughout, all while managing to rip forward on the counter with numbers, much to France's enormous trouble at times. It made you wonder just how good Germany might have been with an additional body on the pitch… Megan Feringa Going into this game, the last thing you would have said about Germany was that they were solid. They offered attacking power in the group stage, but they left their backline exposed, and the defence was dragged across the pitch easily. Sweden took full advantage in their 4-1 win in Zurich. Tonight, Germany got off to the worst possible start. They conceded a penalty and went down to ten players in the same incident. Their right-back Linder, only playing as Gwinn and Wamser were injured and suspended respectively, limped off shortly afterwards. The game seemed dead. And yet somehow, the situation suited Germany. That was true both mentally and tactically. Germany are, even when not a great side, famously hard to beat. They huddled together and agreed on a game plan. And, tactically, suddenly Germany looked quite suited to a counter-attacking task. Elisa Senss is a no-nonsense midfield general. Nusken is a tireless box-to-box midfielder. Jule Brand and Klara Buhl have been the best wing pairing in the competition and offered speed on the break. Up top, Giovanna Hoffman ran, battled, flicked the ball on, held it up, and won free-kicks to get Germany up the pitch. And this actually made Germany look — for the first time in the competition — solid. The defenders haven't become world-class overnight. But they were screened well, they communicated well, they shepherded Germany out wide, and they defended their box well. France barely created anything, and but for Nusken's missed penalty midway through the second half, this German display would have gone down as one of the great performances when down to ten players. Michael Cox There seems to be a quarter-final curse looming over France. Barring Euro 2022, France have now not progressed beyond the last nine major tournaments and Olympics quarter-finals. Reach this stage of the competition and they are unable to smash the glass ceiling. Nobody quite knows why. Some people say it is about mentality. If there was a game to test their mental resilience, this was it. France went from the highs of scoring a penalty and an extra player advantage to the lows of two disallowed goals and conceding an equaliser before being galvanised by Peyraud-Magnin's penalty save. Advertisement As the minutes dragged on and they failed to take advantage of having an extra player, it felt like it was just not meant to be. The cruel reality of penalties sealed their fate and in the end, they were simply not good enough on the night. Charlotte Harpur
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Renard replacements making mark for France in Euros
France v Germany Date: Friday, 18 July Kick-off: 20:00 BST Venue: St Jacob-Park, Basel Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Sports Extra (from 19:50 BST). Text commentary and video highlights on the BBC Sport website and app When Wendie Renard was left out of the France squad for Euro 2025, it sent shockwaves through women's football. After all, the 34-year-old centre-back was the country's captain and had a wealth of experience from 168 international caps and a highly decorated club career with Lyon. "She is one of the best defenders in the world," said Syanie Dalmat, a reporter for French sports newspaper L'Equipe. "Even if she had some injuries, she was always good on the pitch when she played - so the decision was not easy to understand." Instead of Renard, France manager Laurent Bonadei chose to bring four centre-backs who, before the Euros, had made 133 appearances for their country between them. However, his plan seems to be paying off in Switzerland as France topped Group D - widely considered the most difficult of the pools - to establish themselves as serious title contenders as they search for a maiden major trophy. Two 21-year-olds - Thiniba Samoura and Alice Sombath - have flourished in Renard's absence, making their mark in the group stage as the more experienced Griedge Mbock and Maelle Lakrar missed out because of injuries. "It is their first big competition and I think they've done a very good job. Even if the French conceded a goal in each game, I think there is satisfaction in the defence," Dalmat said. But with Mbock and Lakrar both fit again, who will Bonadei choose for France's quarter-final against Germany? 'Sombath looks the boss' & Samoura 'not afraid of risks' Sombath, who plays alongside Renard for Lyon, has started every game in Switzerland, impressing with her commanding style in France's 2-1 win against defending champions England in their opener. "Sombath was incredible against England. She's very young but she's very calm, she's a leader and she's the future of the French team," French football reporter Morgane Huguen said. Dalmat added: "She has a tough maturity. She's a young player, but when she plays in central defence she looks like she's the boss." Samoura, meanwhile, has shown her ability with her feet, having played as a centre-midfielder, right-back and centre-back for Paris St-Germain last season. "I have athletic and technical qualities. I also try to break the lines. That's what I do best," Samoura explained in a news conference on Monday. Dalmat added: "She can take the ball from the back and break some lines, and she's not afraid of taking some risks with the ball at her feet." But Bonadei, who has been unpredictable with his team selections since taking charge in October, has a decision to make against Germany. The France boss confirmed in his news conference on Friday that captain Mbock would indeed start, but it remains uncertain who will line up alongside her. "Against a team like that, France will need some experience," Dalmat said. "Even if I think Samoura and Sombath have done well, Mbock and Lakrar have much, much more experience, and in a game like this, experience is crucial." Asked whether she was fearful of returning after more than a month out with a calf injury, Mbock said she was "not scared". "I trust my team-mates, I know others can help me and fill any gaps if I lack pace. I am lucky, I am in collective sport, I can count on team-mates," she added. Germany have defensive headache While there is "satisfaction" in the France backline, Germany have a host of defensive problems to solve. The eight-time champions' title hopes suffered a huge blow in their opener against Poland as their captain Giulia Gwinn limped off the pitch in tears with a medial ligament injury in her left knee. After beating Poland and Denmark, things fell apart for Christian Wuck's side in their final group game against Sweden. Gwinn's replacement Carlotta Wamser had impressed with a superb assist for Jule Brand for Germany's opener, but the right-back was shown a red card for a goalline block with her hand to deny Stina Blackstenius. Germany were 2-1 down at the time, but the resulting penalty and extra-player advantage sent Sweden on their way to a commanding 4-1 victory. They will now go into their quarter-final without an obvious replacement for both their first choice and back-up right-back, leaving boss Wuck with a major defensive headache. Franziska Kett is likely to make her first start of the tournament, lining up as left-back with Sarai Linder moving to the right. Asked about Kett, Wuck said: "She's very quick with her left foot, she has incredibly good will and she's able to defeat people in duels." Euro 2025 fixtures and group standings Euro 2025 TV & BBC radio schedule The 16 confirmed squads for Euro 2025
