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France
Fourth-Ranked France Fend Off Football Ferns
by Jeremy Ruane
France proved too strong for the Football Ferns in their friendly international at the Stade Francis-Le-Basser in Laval on November 22, the home side prevailing 2-1 to maintain their impressive run of recent results, which include a first-ever win in Germany over the former world champions.
An even start was punctuated by a stunning French goal in the tenth minute of play. Kenza Dali picked out Eugenie Le Sommer with a pass which the striker controlled on her chest before swivelling to unleash a sumptuous volley on the turn from the edge of the penalty area, the ball flying past the airborne figure of Erin Nayler to the delight of the healthy attendance.
The strike knocked the Football Ferns sideways, as from then on, throughout the remainder of the half, they were left to feed on scraps as the French dominated proceedings, forcing Tony Readings' charges into errors - stray passes, poor first touch - on the occasions they did enjoy possession.
A calf injury to 112-times-capped Elodie Thomis saw her replaced by Marina Makanza, but the change made little impact on a French side which chose to rest genial midfield general Louisa Necib and defensive stalwart Laura Georges, each of whom has amassed over a century of caps for Philippe Bergeroo's team.
Another centurion, Elise Bussaglia, was highly influential throughout proceedings, and it was from her twentieth minute free-kick that the French next threatened. She picked out the towering figure of Wendi Renard on the far post, France's captain heading the ball down for Le Sommer to execute a spectacular flying scissors kick which deserved better fate than to be headed off the line by Rebekah Stott.
Five minutes later, another slick French move, featuring Renard, Amandine Henry and Gaetane Thiney, culminated in Makanza stinging the gloves of Nayler, who was easily the busier goalkeeper throughout the ninety minutes.
She should have had a penalty to face in the 33rd minute. Another Bussaglia free-kick wasn't cleared, and as Renard was poised to strike on the edge of the goal area, her standing leg was taken out from under her by Katie Hoyle, a foul missed by Italian referee Silvia Tea Spinelli.
The usually rock-like midfield anchor had an indifferent game for her country, and she wasn't alone on this occasion, with Betsy Hassett, Annalie Longo and Abby Erceg also guilty of a few too many errors over the course of the contest than they usually tend to produce.
One made by the last-mentioned came in the 37th minute, when she dived in to tackle Makenza, who had made a break on the right. The early substitute side-stepped Erceg's lunge and instantly set her sights on goal, with Nayler forced to turn the shot round her near post.
The 'keeper then made a splendid fingertip save seconds later to prevent Renard from doubling France's lead, the captain having been picked out on the far post by Bussaglia's well-flighted corner.
The Football Ferns finally offered an attacking threat of note two minutes before half-time. A cleared Ria Percival corner resulted in a free-kick which the well-performed fullback flighted to the far post.
Amber Hearn, who toiled hard for little reward for the cause, lost her marker and was perfectly placed to head home when the fingertips of French goalkeeper Celine Deville just diverted the ball to safety - much to New Zealand's chagrin, referee Spinelli failed to spot the deflection, thus denying the Kiwis a second corner in as many minutes.
Hearn sent a snapshot fizzing past the post three minutes into the second spell, to which France responded with a left-flank raid featuring Le
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Sommer, Thiney, Henry and Dali. Longo's timely challenge on the edge of the area stopped that move in its tracks, but the threat remained.
The talented figure of Thiney has scored over fifty goals for France, and she came desperately close to adding to her tally in the 54th minute, her dipping twenty-five yarder arcing over the flailing fingertips of Nayler and cannoning back into play off the crossbar.
She should certainly have added to her tally fourteen minutes later, the striker guilty of squandering an absolute sitter to keep the Football Ferns in the contest. Hassett was caught in possession by Kheira Hamraoui, one of five substitutions the locals made inside the last half-hour of play.
The newcomer instantly fed Thiney, who outfoxed both Erceg and Nayler then inexplicably passed the ball straight to them, with the untended goal yawning invitingly ten yards away.
For a brief moment, time literally stood still - no-one, least of all Thiney, could comprehend what she had just done! New Zealand eventually managed to scramble the ball to safety, but they should never have been given the chance to do so.
Stott, along with Percival and Nayler, were stand-outs for the Football Ferns in this match, and it was the central defender who stepped in to thwart Makanza after she had been played in by the outstanding Bussaglia.
It was the substitute's last act of note, for she found herself on the wrong end of a typically uncompromising tackle from Hoyle soon afterwards, injury forcing the substitute to be substituted with seventeen minutes remaining, her replacement being debutant Kadidiatou Diani.
By this time, Helen Collins had been introduced to the fray at Sarah Gregorius' expense, but like a number of the French substitutes, the leading scorer in the ASB National Women's League took time to get up to the speed of the game.
By the time she did, France had doubled their advantage. After Hassett had burst into the penalty area, only to opt not to shoot and instead over-hit a pass towards Hearn, French substitute Marie-Laure Delie chased down a lost cause to create an opening for fellow replacement Claire Lavogez to deliver a cross.
Erceg headed the ball away, but only as far as Diani, whose initial attempt was blocked by the industrious Ali Riley. The debutant did far better with the rebound, however, arrowing her fifteen yard drive beyond the despairing dive of Nayler to seemingly clinch victory for the French in the 88th minute.
For within two minutes, the Football Ferns pulled a goal back. Percival flighted a free-kick towards the edge of the penalty area, and flick-ons by both Hassett and Erceg saw the ball arrive in Collins' path.
The striker controlled the ball before thrashing an angled fifteen yard drive beyond the diving Deville and into the far corner of the net to give the Kiwis hope. But the goal proved to be of consolation value only, fourth-ranked France holding on for a 2-1 victory over their nineteenth-ranked rivals, who now travel to Stavanger to take on Norway twice in three days on this challenging European tour.
France: Deville; Delannoy, Renard, Mbock Bathy Nka, Boulleau; Thomis (Makanza, 19) (Diani, 73), Henry (Hamraoui, 61), Bussaglia, Dali (Delie, 67); Le Sommer (Lavogez, 61), Thiney (Kaci, 90)
F'ball Ferns: Nayler; Percival, Stott, Erceg, Riley; Hassett, Hearn, Hoyle, Longo; Gregorius (Collins, 68), Wilkinson (Pereira, 89)
Referee: Silvia Tea Spinelli (Italy)
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