The critics were almost right once again.

In France, before the European Football Championship, many believed that their national team would be eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament at the latest - after all, that was the case at the three previous European Championships.

France were overwhelmingly superior against the defending champions from the Netherlands last Saturday, but the game went into extra time after 90 goalless minutes.

There, the French finally converted a penalty and defended their deserved but delicate lead until the final whistle.

In their first semi-final at a European Championship, they will meet Germany this Wednesday evening (9 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the European Football Championship, on ZDF and on DAZN).

France's performances vary considerably

When looking at the French squad, the skepticism of the observers is surprising.

At the heart of the team is a block of players who make their living at Olympique Lyon - the club that have won the Champions League six times in the past seven years.

At 32, veteran defensive tackle and captain Wendie Renard is one of the most colorful icons in her sport.

Teammates and opponents describe Renard as an inspiration.

The young centre-forward Marie-Antoinette Katoto also went into the tournament with a lot of self-confidence: last season in France's first division she scored 18 goals in 21 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain;

in the Champions League it was seven goals in seven games.

However, in the second group game against Belgium, Katoto sustained a cruciate ligament and meniscus injury in her right knee, meaning she will not be able to play again at the European Championships.

Melvine Malard, who has scored one goal in the tournament so far, played in her position in the following matches.

The team is made up of some of the best players in European football.

But despite all the quality, the performances of the French women in the tournament fluctuated considerably.

There is also the constant danger that internal disputes could throw the team off course.

Cohesion is considered their biggest problem.

The French journalist Théo Troude described the team ahead of the European Championship in the British daily newspaper "The Guardian" as a "ticking time bomb".

That also has something to do with the coach Corinne Diacre.

She has been in office since 2017, and since then there have been internal skirmishes.

"Diacre is a very good coach," French football expert Julien Laurens said on a BBC radio program, "but she's a very difficult person." She's all about discipline, and Laurens described her leadership style as cold and distant.

In the past, she has publicly criticized players.

Her motto is "we're not here to laugh", even if she's recently been trying to be gentler.

Even at the 2019 World Cup, when France were eliminated in the quarter-finals, there was such a bad atmosphere in the French camp that goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi announced afterwards that she would no longer play for France as long as Diacre was in office: “A title with this coach win seems impossible to me.”

Others would think like her, but didn't dare to say it openly, said Bouhaddi.

For the European Championship, Diacre has not nominated two of the best players from Olympique Lyon – France's record goalscorer Eugénie Le Sommer and Amandine Henry – despite their recent good performances, which again met with widespread misunderstanding in France.

"We're here to make history," said Diacre after winning the quarterfinals: "We've reached a new level, but that's not the end for us.

We want to go to the final.

This team has a common goal and that is our strength.”

The fact that the game was only decided by a penalty in extra time seems like a miracle when you look at the statistics.

France had 33 shots on target, were awarded 12 corners and were fouled 15 times by the Netherlands.

Before the game, Diacre had announced that her team would treat the opponent "with a sledgehammer".

The German team should also be prepared for this.