The French team, beaten on Tuesday in the Netherlands (2-1), still hopes to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, facing the same opponent, Auxerre, on Saturday (9:10 PM).
The French team must address their defensive fragility, a long-standing weakness of Laurent Bonadei’s group. On Tuesday, the team conceded at least one goal for the twelfth consecutive time, despite the absence of several key players from the Dutch side, including their star striker Vivianne Miedema (95 goals in 118 appearances). This defeat allowed the Netherlands to surpass France at the top of Group A2 by one point.
“It’s us who have the ball initially from a throw-in, we’re not present for the second ball, we commit a foul,” replayed the coach after the defeat, referring to the first goal conceded by the players on a corner kick. “And then in the duel, we were a bit passive, a bit chaotic,” regretted Bonadei.
Context: The French national team is facing challenges in defense and struggling to secure their spot for the upcoming World Cup.
Fact Check: The French team suffered a defeat against the Netherlands, impacting their standing in the qualification group.
While the French team managed to equalize, they once again collapsed too easily, caught off guard after losing possession. “We know that after losing the ball, we need to be even more reactive to avoid getting caught in behind because that’s where they hurt us,” acknowledged midfielder Oriane Jean-François. “These are things we want to improve on.” One of the reasons for this recurring defensive vulnerability is the lack of collective landmarks from a defense disrupted by numerous injuries.
Context: Defensive vulnerabilities are linked to the team’s defensive line being affected by injuries.
Selma Bacha from Lyon suffered an ankle injury in March and had to withdraw from the games against the Netherlands due to a calf injury. The central defender Griedge Mbock, the team captain since May 2025, was sidelined for a significant part of Euro 2025 due to a calf injury, leading the coach to introduce young players Alice Sombath and Thiniba Samoura.
Context: Injuries have forced the French team to rely on younger players in key defensive positions.
Veteran goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin was questioned about her performance in the recent games as she conceded goals. The experienced goalkeeper, who currently plays for Denver, has been through a challenging period in her career and hasn’t played since signing with the team earlier this year.
“Unfortunately, we had worked on pressing. We had focused on several points, including transitions and ball losses, to be very present in order to quickly regain possession and thus favor our possession game,” explained Bonadei on Tuesday night. “Defensive aspects concern everyone, from the first attacker to our goalkeeper,” he emphasized. Midfielder Grace Geyoro echoed a similar sentiment, emphasizing the collective responsibility of the team in defense.
Fact Check: The coach emphasizes the importance of teamwork in all areas of the game.
