“The goal is to reach a first continental final”: Hervé Renard and the Blues determined for this Nations League

Un trophée à emporter avant les JO, objectif ultime de Hervé Renard. MAXPPP – FRéDéRIQUE GRANDO

The French women's team faces Germany in Lyon this Friday February 23 (9 p.m.) to secure a place in the final of the Nations League, on the road to France. a first title five months before the Olympic Games.

In the event of victory against their "best enemies", Hervé Renard's players will play the final next Wednesday of the first edition of the Women's Nations League, against the winners of the other semi-final between world champion Spain and the Netherlands.

If France, already qualified for the Olympic Games as host country, is present in the final, it is the victorious nation in the match for third place which will obtain the second ticket, exempted during this competition.

FOCUS 🔥
🔜 #FRAALL pic.twitter.com/gVGwYJ1jN8

— Equipe de France Féminine (@equipedefranceF) February 20, 2024

"The objective is to reach a first continental final and that's the only' ;quot;, launched Hervé Renard last Wednesday when announcing the list of players he has selected for the deadline.< /p>

In front of the 26,000 spectators (out of 60,000 seats) announced at Groupama Stadium, the Blues will play the remake of the semi-final lost during Euro 2022 in England (2-1).

But since then, Germany, world champion in 2003 and 2007, has experienced great disappointment this summer during the World Cup in Australia, eliminated in the group stages. A first in its history.

Weaving the disappointment of the World Cup

"Germany remains a great football nation and they will be keen to do better and make up for this last World Cup. They will be back to full strength", explained to AFP Delphine Cascarino, absent during the World Cup due to a knee injury.

For goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Germany is "not only our best enemy today, it has been since the youth teams: they have always stood out from the crowd", promising the AFP "a great show" Friday.

During the World Cup, the Blues also experienced disappointment, exiting in the quarter-finals against Australia and once again missing the final four of the competition.

Sur le départ 👋
Direction Lyon 🦁 #FiersdetreBleues pic.twitter.com/yxfBTcRjz8

— Equipe de France Féminine (@equipedefranceF) February 21, 2024

Eugenie Le Sommer's teammates have since digested it by winning five matches out of six (and one draw) in the Nations League and scoring nine goals (against one conceded) against weaker teams (Norway, Austria, Portugal).

This time, they will have to raise the bar against a team of the caliber of Horst Hrubesch's players.

Major comeback from two players

The Blues will be able to count on two major players in attack, absent during the World Cup: Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Delphine Cascarino, in addition to executives Kadidiatou Diani and Eugénie Le Sommer.

But for the Final Four, they will have to do without their captain, Wendie Renard, pillar of central defense. Without the Lyonnaise and her 87 meter, the French will have to manage the heading game of the Germans and in particular that of their star Alexandra Popp (32 years old).

Also read: Nations League: the French women's team in the Final Four to win its first major trophy

The absence of Renard should give way to a hinge composed of Griedge Mbock and Elisa de Almeida or Maëlle Lakrar or the young Parisian Thiniba Samoura.

The ultimate goal is the Olympics

To best prepare for the Olympics – the ultimate objective of Hervé Renard's mission which should end after the summer – the Tricolores wish to garnish their record still blank.

"The League of Nations, it's important for us to win it, it will be the march, the little extra that will make that ;we will have very good Games", believes Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, this "could send a very big detonation, a message to say that the France is ready to win big competitions".