France is distraught after being eliminated from the Women’s European Championship in Switzerland. The French team played with one more player on the field than Germany for a long time in the quarter-finals on Saturday, but ultimately lost via penalties (1-1).
German player Kathrin Hendrich received a red card after thirteen minutes for pulling Griedge Mbock’s hair. France took the lead from the resulting penalty, but Germany quickly equalized. France eagerly searched for the winning goal but had two goals disallowed. Germany ultimately proved to be the best in the penalty shootout.
“We are sad and disappointed,” said coach Laurent Bonadei after the match. “We played with one more player on the field for a long time, but had trouble finding the opening. The players lacked precision in finishing. But we also take our hats off to this German team.”
France has often been eliminated in the quarter-finals in recent editions of the European Championship. Only in 2022 did the team reach the semi-finals. At that time, the team also lost to Germany (2-1).
“We have to keep working hard to ever get further in a tournament,” Bonadei said. “But we simply also have to deal with opponents with a lot of quality. It comes down to details. This team has developed well in recent months. We are making progress. There is hope.”
Geyoro: ‘This is very cruel’
Midfielder Grace Geyoro could hardly comprehend the elimination. “This is very cruel and difficult to accept. We have given everything, so it will take some time to process this. We wonder when we will be rewarded for our hard work.”
Teammate Selma Bacha agreed with Geyoro’s words. “We were determined to advance. I have no words for this. We played well but were unlucky. This defeat hurts, even if no tears are flowing.”
Germany will play world champion Spain in the semi-finals on Wednesday. Defending champion England will be in action a day earlier. Sarina Wiegman’s team will face Italy in the semi-final.