By inflicting the reigning European champions with their first defeat in a Euro qualifier for 24 years, Hervé Renard’s players remain undefeated and are getting closer to easy qualification.
The Blues won (2-1) Friday in Newcastle against the English, reigning European champions in qualifying for Euro-2025 and thus continue their invincibility with three victories in three matches. In fact, this result is a very good operation for Hervé Renard’s French team which remains at the top of its group after these three victories (Ireland, Sweden, England), getting closer to a fairly easy qualification for the next Euro, five points ahead.
Better yet, the Blues (3rd in the Fifa ranking) managed to beat Sarina Wiegman’s players at home, European champions in 2022 and world vice-champions last summer in Australia, second in the Fifa ranking. Moreover, a statistic proves this very good result: it is the first time since 2000 that the English have not lost in the qualifiers for the European Championship.
Full of confidence
This success against a better ranked team will count in the heads and for the confidence of the Bleues, less than two months before the Olympic Games, the main objective of Hervé Renard, who announced that he was leaving the selection at its end. The other good news was the performance of goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, who made many saves (45+4) and solid outings (16th, 73rd). And also that of Wendie Renard, who equaled the captaincy record (84 matches). Hit in the head by an English shot (83rd), she left for a few moments, stunned, before returning to the field.
While the English did not seem to force themselves in front of the 42,000 spectators at St James Park, they opened the scoring as soon as they accelerated (30th) thanks to a goal from Beth Mead.
The Blues’ game was too rarely attractive at St James Park and they scored each time from set pieces. First on a corner from Kenza Dali perfectly taken in one touch by Elisa De Almeida (41st).
Katoto’s masterpiece
It was also following a corner, this time taken by Selma Bacha, that Marie-Antoinette Katoto missed the door with a superb pivot (68th) on a delivery from Kadidiatou Diani. Of the last thirteen goals of Wendie Renard’s teammates, ten were scored following a set piece. But the Blues have resisted everything since the lesson they received against Spain in the Final Four final (2-0), and showed mentality by overthrowing the European champions.
 in the qualifying match){kind=link}