Four months after arriving in charge of Les Bleues, it’s time for Hervé Renard’s final exam. The Savojada technician’s future as a coach depends on the outcome of the quarter-final against Australia, which will be played on Saturday, August 12, in Brisbane (9:00 a.m. Axel-Bence time). Either the French women’s soccer team fulfills its official goal of reaching the final four of the world tournament, or it fails at this stage for the third consecutive World Cup.

Judging the success of a new adventure by the score of one game is a little cruel, but that’s high-level sport, a realm of fury where you can fall off the podium in the blink of an eye. . Awaiting that first ruling – an appeal is planned a year from now at the Paris Olympics – this version of Hervé Renard’s French team has created a sense of rediscovered unity since the start of the tournament. Captain Wendy Renard’s teammates are gaining confidence with every encounter.

Their coach is no stranger to this winning attitude. “Today I am with one of the best women’s teams in the world, he claims. You don’t have to fear anyone. They [les joueuses françaises] trust us [le staff] and we trust them. » “Blues” right side, who started the competition on the bench, Ieva Perisset, played three games and embodies the following state of mind: “I can’t imagine defeat at all. Everyone wants to go all the way and I think we have the necessary qualities to do it. »

With Brisbane Stadium packed with 50,000 fans devoted to the host nation’s cause, France will dive back into the World Cup’s big pool after two less-intense matches against Panama and Morocco. “That’s why we do this job, I said that before Brazil [le 28 juillet] when 90% of the audience was Brazilian. It didn’t stop the French team from playing a great match.”notes Hervé Renard.

Home advantage for Australians

His players have been warned. “The atmosphere will be against us on Saturday, we mustn’t burn our feet”, warns midfielder Kenza Dali. But everyone wants to fight it: “There is always pressure in the World Cup and it forces us to outdo ourselves. These are magical moments to experience”according to Eugenia Le Sommer. “We arrive at the moments we like, in the decisive play-offs”confirmed by Ieva Perisset.

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