Portugal-France (F): Becho in all the good shots, the French defense on a thread... The tops and the flops

TOPS

Established on the right, the Olympique Lyonnais striker carried on her shoulders the offensive sector of the French women's team, victorious over Portugal (1-0) to conclude her year 2023. With her speed and quality of dribbling , the former Reims player launched numerous offensives before creating the first real opportunity for the Bleues (21st). In the second half, the Becho rocket struck again and tried (it hit the crossbar in the 92nd) until being rewarded with an assist, on a perfect cross taken by Grace Geyoro (94th). His undermining work against the Portuguese defense ended up paying off, with the gong.

The Blues can say thank you to Becho but also, of course, to scorer Grace Geyoro. Entering the game in the 70th minute in place of Clara Mateo, the PSG midfielder participated in the French highlight by raising the overall level of the team. His technical quality and his forward projection have been good for the collective. And to give another flavor to this evening, Geyoro was responsible for scoring, as a surface fox, at the end of added time. Already decisive in the first leg (2-0), the Parisian definitely likes to disgust Portugal.

The Turinoise, associated in central defense with Maëlle Lakrar, saved countless dangerous situations for the Blues. First caught out by Encarnacao, she made up for it with a very clean tackle in the area (26th). A cleanliness and serenity that she retained after the break to run the French house, surprisingly feverish on numerous occasions. In the absence of Wendie Renard, Cascarino took on the role of leader brilliantly.

Flops

If Solène Durand came out with a new “clean sheet”, everything was not perfect for the French rearguard. Very often taken ahead of them by the Portuguese attacking duo (Capeta and Encarnacao), Hervé Renard's players, like Maëlle Lakrar, seemed on a tightrope. Their relative passivity almost cost dearly at the start of the game (16th), then in the second half when a goal was wrongly refused for the Portuguese (56th). The management of depth must not have pleased the French coach this evening.

Taking advantage of the squad review carried out by Hervé Renard, the two Paris FC players had the opportunity to shine from the kick-off. But, too discreet offensively, they did not really seize their chance. Unlike Becho and even Viviane Asseyi, who tried her luck several times, Dufour and Mateo lacked impact and sharpness in the last thirty meters. Which explains, in part, the first hour of play without connecting Blues.