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France

Host Nation Held By Courageous Junior Ferns

by Jeremy Ruane

France, the host nation of the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals and runners-up in the 2016 event, were held to a scoreless draw by a courageous Junior Ferns side at the Stade de la Rabine in Vannes on August 8, a result which gives the Kiwi team hope of advancing to the quarter-finals.

Gareth Turnbull's charges will probably need to win by at least a three-goal margin when they take on Ghana in Concarneau on Monday morning, NZ time, while hoping that Holland topple the French in a match taking place simultaneously in Saint-Malo.

And after this display, who's to say those things won't happen? The hosts went into this match knowing that victory would book their place in the quarter-finals, but the Junior Ferns had other ideas, and richly deserved to emerge from this contest with a point to their name and a performance to be proud of.

And "The Kiwi Way" reaffirmed. Few indeed are the New Zealand footballers who are highly proficient technically, but what is found wanting in that element of the game is more than made up for by other attributes which encapsulate what we're all about in this corner of the world when it comes to playing sport.

The Junior Ferns' display in this match showcased them to perfection. Esprit de corps. Athleticism to the max. Hearts as big as buckets. Never yielding. Giving everything and then some for the cause …

The French enjoyed the first chance of a generally tight encounter, Aneka Mittendorff hooking the ball off the line in the thirteenth minute to deny Sandy Baltimore, whose header looped over the advancing figure of Anna Leat after the overlapping Lena Goetsch had combined with Annahita Zamanian on the right.

New Zealand's "in kind" response came five minutes later. Ethiopian referee Ledya Tafesse Abebe had her hands full dealing with French defenders doing everything but shove their white-shirted opponents to the ground in the goalmouth - a yellow card or two would have got her message across far more effectively - but eventually the way was clear for Grace Jale to fire a corner into the danger zone.

It went deep, picking out Hannah Blake, who touched the ball inside to Claudia Bunge. Her shot on the turn flew well wide of the mark, but it's not for her striking qualities that she's noted.

Hers was a terrific central defensive display, matched every step of the way by her side-kick, Liz Anton - this duo epitomised what the Junior Ferns' performance was all about, but they weren't alone, not by a long chalk.

All over the park, white-clad Kiwis were working their socks off, containing France, restricting them, forcing errors - the number of stray French passes which came about through New Zealand's pressing defensive effort in all errors of the pitch didn't go unnoticed. (It's not necessary to park a bus in order to keep your opponents at bay, contrary to what a recent now former NZ Football employee would have us believe!)

One French player who seemed immune to this failing in her team's game was seventeen-year-old left-back Selma Bacha, whose very first touch of the ball in this match marked her down as one to watch - expect her to feature in French teams for the next fifteen years at least. She is quality.

On the half-hour, she worked a one-two with Baltimore before whipping in a dangerous cross. Sarah Morton's intervention cut out this threat, while a fine cross-field run by Bacha three minutes later engineered an opening for Emelyne Laurent, who scampered to the byline before whipping in a wicked low cross.

Mittendorff's timely clearance curtailed French hopes of capitalising on this chance, but Bacha would not take the hint. From 35 yards out in the 35th minute, she unleashed a screamer of a free-kick which cleared the crossbar by a yard at most.

Leat was as pleased to wave that one by as she was to smother a twenty yarder from Zamanian seven minutes later, Bunge having blocked two shots on goal seconds prior, and this following a Mittendorff long throw-in which was cleared only as far as captain Malia Steinmetz, who let fly from distance with a shot which Mylene Chavas grabbed under her crossbar.

France's goalkeeper showed great anticipation to prevent Paige Satchell from racing through onto a Blake through ball in the shadows of the half-time whistle, while the Junior Ferns' hopes of scoring with a well-worked free-kick were dashed on the stroke of the interval by referee Abebe, not because she blew her whistle, but because she didn't - a clear foul on Jacqui Hand inside the 'D' was ignored by the official.

The second half saw Leat at her most spectacular in grabbing a Zamanian cross intended for Marie-Antoinette Katoto, before smothering a low drive from Laurent after she cut inside off the right flank.

Back came the Junior Ferns, via a couple of free-kicks from distance. Anton lobbed the first of them forward, but Hand was just unable to latch onto Sammi Tawharu's deft flicked header. Then Blake played one short to Jale, whose twenty-five yard drive was well gathered by Chavas, with Tawharu hurtling in capitalise had she spilt it.

France squandered a glorious chance to open the scoring in the 58th minute. A stray Steinmetz pass was pounced on by Katoto, and the ball swiftly transferred between Helene Fercocq, Zamanian and Sana Daoudi to Baltimore, who worked a one-two with Zamanian before whipping in a cross to the near post.

Leat punched the ball off the head of Katoto, but only as far as Laurent, lurking eight yards out from goal and completely unmarked. It was hearts in mouths time for the Junior Ferns players, and there was no disguising their relief as Laurent's shot soared over the bar - it was a fabulous opportunity to break the deadlock, and she knew it!

French hopes suffered a blow in the 65th minute when Chavas, the Golden Glove winner at the previous FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Finals tournament, came out to deal with another Anton free-kick into the danger zone, only to land on her head after colliding with team-mate Lena Goetsch and Hand.

That was the end of her afternoon's activity, and quite possibly her tournament - she was in tears as she trudged off the park, leaving Justine Lerond to don the gloves and repel Kiwi efforts to break the deadlock.

She had little to do, however, as all the action in the remaining minutes took place at the other end of the park, where the Junior Ferns worked overtime to keep the 2017 European U-19 champions at bay.

Baltimore headed a yard wide in the 78th minute, after Laurent and Julie Thibaud worked a slick one-two on the right, while another Laurent cross eight minutes later was met by substitute Amelie Delabre's glancing header, which also crept past the upright.

Bunge produced a superbly timed tackle in the area to foil Laurent as the game moved into stoppage time, this coming seconds after Junior Ferns substitute Gabrielle Rennie, with her first touch, cut in off the left only to be foiled in the act of shooting by a splendidly timed challenge from the imperious Maelie Lakrar, who is clearly being groomed to be the long-term successor to Wendie Renard in the senior side.

France had one final chance to break the deadlock, with Bacha lofting a cross into the danger zone for Delabre to exploit, but Mittendorff had other ideas, and the final whistle sounded soon after to the undisguised relief of the Junior Ferns, many of whom slumped to the ground having given everything they had within them to earn this share of the spoils with the host nation.

The equation now for the Junior Ferns is clear - beat Ghana, preferably by at least three goals, in their final group game at 2.30am on Monday NZ time, and hope that Holland can defeat the French at the same time, a combination of results which could potentially earn Gareth Turnbull's charges a quarter-final encounter against the winners of Group B, which is wide open at this stage.

France: Chavas (Lerond, 69); Goetsch, Thibaud, Lakrar, Bacha; Laurent, Daoudi, Zamanian (Polito, 59), Baltimore; Katoto, Fercocq (booked, 27) (Delabre, 59)

Jnr Ferns: Leat; Mittendorff, Anton, Bunge, S. Morton; Satchell (booked, 61) (Rennie, 88), Jale, Steinmetz (booked, 76) (R. Morton, 85), Hand; Blake, Tawharu (Jenkins, 90)

Referee: Ledya Tafesse Abebe (Ethiopia)

Project France 2018