“If we win, I’m king of the world, but we lose and I’m gone”

The choice of France, Herve Renardsaid he had nothing to criticize his players after they lost by “millimeters” in the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup, losing to Australia in a dramatic penalty shootout this Saturday. The match ended 0–0 after extra time, with Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold saving three French penalties before Cortnee Vine scored the winning penalty to make it 7–6.

France, seeking to reach the semi-finals for the second time after 2011, had their fair share of chances, and Renard said the match could have gone either way.

“It’s very difficult to fight these things, but unfortunately we couldn’t get that win.” “I have nothing to criticize. They all worked exceptionally hard. We have no regrets.”

Renard opted to bring on goalkeeper Solene Durand to face penalties in place of first-choice keeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, with the substitute making several key saves in the shootout. The Frenchman said the substitution was planned in advance, adding: “We all know Durand’s qualities, he is incredible in penalty shootouts.

“If we win tonight, I will be the king of the world, but tonight I am not because we lost by a few millimeters. This is football, but this is also why we love football, because I think everyone the people who watch this game are enjoying it. I think it’s a fantastic picture of women’s football.”

Renard said he and his team will quickly think about the Olympic Games in Paris next year. “We’re going to keep improving and we’re going to keep this mentality and everything will be fine.” “We will only continue this year 2023, get off to a good start for 2024 with the League of Nations and then prepare for the Olympics,” he said.

“We hope to recover some of the players who are missing from the team this time. Again, that is an important part of football. It will allow us to be stronger,” he added.