France has been blessed with some great and entertaining teams with quite an impressive list of accomplishments in football, or soccer, particularly with it's international team. They had one of the biggest stars of his age, Michel Platini, lead the team to serious success in the 1980's, when France placed third and fourth in consecutive World Cups, won the Euro in 1984 and won a gold medal in the 1986 Olympics. They won the World Cup when France hosted the tournament in 1998, then won the Euro in 2000, and then went to the World Cup Final again in 2006, before bowing to the eventual champions, Italy. They made it back to the Euro Final in 2016, but fell just short against Portugal. Then of course, last year, they managed to win their second World Cup title ever, going undefeated and beating Croatia in a game in which they admittedly did not play their best.
So, they have clearly enjoyed some considerable success over the past four decades.
It appears that the women's team, L'équipe de France féminine, is seriously trying to add to that legacy. They are the host country, and they got off to an incredible start, dominating South Korea, 4-0, in their opening game, before beating Norway, 2-1, in their second game.
They will next play Nigeria tomorrow in their final game of group play, before then moving onto the elimination round.
One major question is whether France can defeat the giant of women's international football/soccer right now, the United States.
The two teams would be set for a quarterfinal showdown, if they each continue winning up to that point, as they both are expected to.
Allez les bleus!
One major question is whether France can defeat the giant of women's international football/soccer right now, the United States.
The two teams would be set for a quarterfinal showdown, if they each continue winning up to that point, as they both are expected to.
Allez les bleus!
How France became a challenger to the U.S. in this Women's World Cup by Bonnie D. Ford, ESPN, June 7, 2019:
https://www.espn.com/soccer/fifa-womens-world-cup/story/3869899/how-france-became-a-challenger-to-the-us-in-this-womens-world-cup
I think the US team remains the favorite, and the only team against which Les Bleues (note the second "e" in this case) would be the underdogs. If I'm not mistaken, the bracket is set up in such a way that they can't meet in the final. If they meet in the elimination round and France wins, I predict they'll hoist the trophy. But that's a big if. Allez les Bleues!
ReplyDeleteI would like to see Les Bleus take it all! Shades of the 1998 World Cup hosted by France, only this time for women.
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