The adventure is over for the French in the Euro.

Beaten by a more dominating German team (2-1), the Blues who dreamed of the title will not see Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Stunned, hands on hips, the French had their heads down at the final whistle, when the Germans let their joy burst, arms raised.

The French team fails at the gates of the final, like at the 2011 World Cup in Germany and at the 2012 Olympics in London, and will bring its regrets home, after having failed in the game and disillusioned in its ambitions.

The adventure of our Bleues stops here 🇫🇷


Congratulations for this beautiful course 💙



🇩🇪2-1🇫🇷 |

#ALLFRA |

#ProudofBleues #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/LDLpOPU9FO

- French Women's Team (@equipedefranceF) July 27, 2022

If "disappointment prevails" after this defeat, coach Corinne Deacon felt that the future was promising.

"Tonight was not our evening, this competition was perhaps not ours. But in any case the foundation is solid, we have built something important with a very friendly, hardworking group who does not like to lose, it bodes well for the future”, she reacted after the final whistle at a press conference.

Corinne Deacon's new look French team, rejuvenated and calmed down, which had not reached the semi-finals of a major competition since the 2012 Olympics, has indeed sown promise.

She can now project herself with ambition towards the 2023 World Cup and the Olympic Games planned at home in 2024.

🏆 #WEURO2022


🇫🇷🎙 Corinne Deacon: “Not everything is to be thrown away” pic.twitter.com/GcQfWO1ABI

— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) July 28, 2022

A good mix between experience and new generation

France was able to evacuate past failures and controversies with a group that seemed united around its captain Wendie Renard (32), surrounded by the already experienced Delphine Cascarino and Grace Geyoro (25), among others, and new faces like that of Selma Bacha.

At 21, the left side or winger, the latter revealed herself to those who had not seen her play with OL.

Another revelation, even more noticed: Clara Matéo, 24 years old.

The Paris FC striker, used as a midfielder, scored valuable points during the tournament, as a starter in place of Sandie Toletti, or as an incoming, especially against Germany.

🏆 @BachaSelma voted player of the match against the Netherlands!

👏#ProudoftreBleues #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/Ag0PWUp18h

– French Women's Team (@equipedefranceF) July 24, 2022

This successful generational mix is ​​to the credit of coach Corinne Deacon, who made it her leitmotif when shaping her workforce.

"The old ones supervise the young people very well. But it must also be said that the young people are attentive, they also bring their share of freshness, their share of carelessness. It all makes a very good mix", said she was also congratulated after the quarter-final won in extra time against the Netherlands (1-0 aet), reigning vice-world champions.

The coach thus managed to appease her locker room seriously shaken in 2020 by the mediatized clash with Amandine Henry, her former captain.

The non-selection for the Euro of Eugénie Le Sommer, top scorer in the history of the Blue, was also quickly forgotten in view of the offensive talents aligned.

Off the field, on the other hand, she has not managed to get rid of the distant, and sometimes brittle, image that has stuck with her since her start in 2017, often responding sideways, superficially or even misleading to journalists. 

A series of major competitions

By reaching the "last four", but not Wembley, Corinne Deacon has met the expectations of her Federation. 

Reinforced by its president Noël Le Graët even before the start of the competition, the French technician, whose contract is coming to an end, now has the World Cup in her sights.

Les Bleues already have their ticket in their pocket for Australia and New Zealand, hosts of the tournament in the summer of 2023, even before their last two qualifying matches in September.

𝑄𝑈𝐴𝐿𝐼𝐹𝐼𝐸�𝐸𝑆 𝑃𝑂𝑈𝑅 𝐿𝐴 𝐶𝑂𝑈𝑃𝐸 𝑀𝑂𝑁𝐷𝐸 𝑀𝑂𝑁𝐷𝐸 𝑀𝑂𝑁𝐷𝐸 2023 🙌



The Bleues won against Slovenia (1-0) and pick up their ticket for Australia 🇦🇺 and New Zealand 🇳🇿! #Fiersdetrebleues pic.twitter.com/vxm9g8bpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqpqp

– French Women's Team (@equipedefranceF) April 12, 2022

They will also have the support of their public during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and perhaps the following year if the French Football Federation, candidate for the organization of Euro-2025, were to win the bet.

The current workforce will have time to mature by then, without losing feathers.

Les Bleues will also find Marie-Antoinette Katoto, their star scorer, who left England after the second match and a serious right knee injury.

The failure at the Euro cannot be explained solely by the absence of "MAK", but the Parisian's package has necessarily confused her teammates, deprived of a goal machine credited with 16 goals this season in 15 selections , all started as titular.

With Katoto, Renard, Diani and the young shoots, France has a shot to play in the next three years to finally win a first title that it misses so much.

With AFP and Reuters

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