France believe in Wembley dream insists Everton’s Dali following opening victory | OneFootball

In what was possibly the most exciting way to end Matchday 1 of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, a five star first-half performance from France saw them make a statement in group D as they defeated Italy 5-1.

Although she didn’t start, Everton’s Kenza Dali watched on from the bench as the whirlwind events of the first 45 minutes unfolded and was bought on as a second half substitute when the job had already been done.

The midfielder looked comfortable in her role on the pitch, and although she may have not had enough time to impact the game significantly, she will be an important player as the tournament progresses.

“It was amazing,” Dali told FAWSL Full-Time. “I wasn’t that surprised because I know the quality we have. Obviously, all the times we were close to the goal, we scored, which was amazing.”

On the opposing team was Dali’s Everton teammate Aurora Galli. Despite the Italian being disappointed with the result, the 25-year-old chatted to Dali post-match. The pair have shared the dressing room at Everton for a whole season and will look forward to the new campaign, with the Barclays Women’s Super League fixtures out later today.

“We’re really good friends; she’s someone I really like on and off the pitch,” said Dali. “She was disappointed, but it is what it is, they have two more games and so I wish her the best.”

Despite being one of the favourites, France haven’t been spoken about as much as the likes of England, Sweden, Spain or Germany but after their opening performance, they are certainly a force to be reckoned with.

“We just started the tournament so hopefully, we all believe that we can win it, “said Dali when asked whether she thinks France can go all the way. “The final, it’s at Wembley, it’s a dream for everyone. England is the country of football.

“It’s just the first game, it’s the first step and hopefully, we’ve got five more steps. We can see things like tonight are done and then we go again. It can be a completely different game. I will not say everything is with us, it was tonight and then we will see again in four days.”

France still have to face-off against Belgium and Iceland in their group but look comfortable to top the table. Dali will no doubt feature in all of those games, whether it’s in the starting line-up or off the bench.

By Megan Garbutt