France brushed Morocco aside 4-0 in the Women's World Cup round of 16 to set up a quarterfinal with co-hosts Australia. Kadidiatou Diani and Eugenie Le Sommer both starred for Les Bleues as Herve Renard watched his side rack up a 3-0 lead inside of 23 minutes in Adelaide before adding gloss to the final score 20 minutes from time. The Lionesses of Atlas has been a wonderful story to follow Down Under but they were not truly a match for the efficient French who suddenly look to be one of the favorites to go all the way for the first time in their history.
We examine their credentials a little more closely and take a look at four reasons why everything could be coming up blue:
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1. Big guns struggling
The draw is truly opening up for France right now with an unconvincing Matildas side up next in Brisbane with either a ropey England or underdog Colombia to come in the semifinals. The Lionesses remain a quality team, of course, but they are yet to truly hit their stride, and will now be without the suspended Lauren James for at least one game, while Herve Renard has seen his team grow into the tournament after an inauspicious start with a goalless draw against Jamaica. Factor in that the USWNT, Germany and Brazil are already out while the other side of the draw boasts the Netherlands, Spain, Japan and Sweden and a run to at least the final in Sydney does not look beyond this French side.
2. France's remaining stars delivering
Much was made of France's absent star players, especially in attack, but Les Bleues are making light of those misses so far with Kadidiatou Diani absolutely exceling with 4 goals and 3 assists while Eugenie Le Sommer has also chipped in with 3 goals and counting. It has not all been about the French attack with a much-needed second tournament clean sheet also recorded at Hindmarsh Stadium against Morocco but Herve Renard's side are increasingly convincing now that they have picked up speed. England needed penalties against Nigeria and also now must contend with Lauren James' suspension after her red card in the round of 16 to even hope to match up against France or the Aussies who themselves are largely without captain Sam Kerr so far.
3. Pressure on co-hosts
Specific to their quarterfinal against the Matildas, France have the advantage of not carrying the hopes of the home nation as they did last time out in 2019. That pressure often gets too much and it was the case for the French at this approaching stage four years ago in Paris against champions USWNT. Australia not only have that pressure to deal with, they have also been without the influential Kerr for most of their campaign so far and there is no certainty that she will be fit to start at Lang Park this weekend. All of that is music to Les Bleues' ears as they plot their potential route to at least the final knowing that circumstances are in their favor -- for now.
4. Herve Renard's experience
Another big advantage that France have is their head coach Herve Renard. The 54-year-old is not just famous for his iconic white shirts, but he has carved out a reputation for himself as an excellent tactician and motivator in tournament format. Renard's record in the Africa Cup of Nations where he has led both Zambia and Ivory Coast to the title speaks for itself while he was also instrumental in inspiring Saudi Arabia to beat eventual FIFA 2022 World Cup winners Argentina against the odds in Qatar. With the Frenchman like a breath of fresh air after Corinne Diacre, Les Bleues have been able to focus on their performances on the field which is exactly what was needed coming into this tournament.
