Hanging after opening the score, the Blues could not do better than a draw against the Netherlands, Saturday April 18, in Auxerre (1-1), and no longer have their destiny in their hands in the race for direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Beaten 2-1 in Breda on Tuesday despite a clear domination, Laurent Bonadei’s players are still one point behind the Oranje, before the last two qualifying matches against Poland and Ireland in June. They are therefore reduced to hoping for a misstep from the Dutch to take back first place in the group, the only one offering a direct ticket to the World Cup.
This draw at Abbé-Deschamps will therefore leave a bitter taste for Griedge Mbock’s teammates, who risk having to go through the play-off stage in order to compete in the sixth World Cup in their history.
Like Tuesday, Bonadei’s players dominated without succeeding in shaking the tough Dutch in defense and sometimes threatening on the counter-attack despite the absence of several executives, including their star Vivianne Miedema (95 goals in 118 caps).
Tense by the stakes, and after having finally found the fault with Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s saving goal before the break (45th + 1), the French women cracked in the second period, just when they finally seemed liberated and dominant.
A recurring problem for the Blues: this is the 13th consecutive match where they have conceded at least one goal. All this despite some decisive interventions from their goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin in the first period, with authoritarian exits from several corners (4th, 5th), and a firm hand on a strike from FC Barcelona striker Esmee Brugts (11th).
More and more feverish
Deliberate but not incisive enough, like a very restless but sometimes messy Sakina Karchaoui for her 100th selection in the tricolor jersey, the Blues did not manage to set the pace necessary to enliven the meeting.
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Apart from a few alerts, the Blue defense rarely trembled in a locked first period, where the chances were meager on both sides.
Feverish as they approached the Dutch area, the Blues were finally liberated just before the break by Lyon striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto, whose powerful header after a precise cross from Sandy Baltimore (45th+1) made the 8,334 spectators gathered in the AJA den roar.
Galvanized by this liberating goal, Bonadei’s players showed themselves to be more dangerous upon returning from the locker room and then seemed to take control of the match.
A serenity that did not last. On one of their only occasions, the Dutch struck with surgical precision, young Chelsea midfielder Wieke Kaptein beating Pauline Peyraud-Magnin after enormous work from Brugts (76th), already decisive with a goal in the first leg.
Increasingly feverish, the Blues tried everything, and Grace Geyoro was not far from giving back the advantage to France when her powerful shot hit the crossbar (79th) of a probably beaten Daphne van Domselaar. A last hope ultimately in vain.
Originally published at Almouwatin.com
