Get French Football News
·3 July 2023
Get French Football News
·3 July 2023
France crashed out of the U21 Euros on Sunday night by losing to Ukraine in the quarter-finals. Les Bleuets were in the lead thanks to an emphatic finish from Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki but they came undone when Mykhailo Mudryk and Heorhiy Sudokov inspired Ukraine to a comeback win. It was another underwhelming performance from France’s U21 side despite the abundance of talent on paper. Despite a tremendous record when it comes to home-grown players and academy training, France have failed to win a single U21 international tournament since 1988.
Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who also disappointed last night after a convincing group stage, felt that Les Bleuets didn’t show enough to deserve their place in the semi-finals. “We’re very talented, but we fall short on certain aspects and we fail to make up for it“, explains the French shot-stopper to beIN Sports. Chevalier then went on to say that the Ukrainians showed a greater will to win than France. “Given their country’s situation, they maybe showed more fury than us. They were a combative team. We were too, but we were maybe less combative than Ukraine.“
Ukraine will face Spain in the semi-finals on Wednesday. Meanwhile, calls for Sylvain Ripoll to leave his post as France’s U21 manager are set to grow louder in the coming days.
GFFN | Bastien Cheval