France play down significance of pre-World Cup defeat to Matildas | OneFootball

France are steeling themselves for a hostile atmosphere in Brisbane for their Women’s World Cup quarter-final against Australia on Saturday, as Les Bleues seek to play down the significance of a pre-tournament friendly defeat to the Matildas.

Almost 50,000 fans will attend the tie that comes less than a month since the Matildas defeated the visitors 1-0 in Melbourne. French midfielder Kenza Dali predicted the Suncorp Stadium crowd “is going to be against us”.

“I feel like this World Cup everywhere we played the crowd was against us and at the moment it’s good [preparation] for us,” Dali said after France brushed aside Morocco 4-0 in the last 16 in Adelaide on Tuesday. “So it’s up to us to handle the pressure [against Australia].

However, she believes little can be learned from the teams’ performances in the pre-tournament friendly in Melbourne.

“When we played this game, we were still in preparation, even Australia. It’s going to be a completely different game on Saturday night,” she said.

Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin described Australia as “a very interesting team to play”, and also sought to diminish the relevance of July’s result.

“The context [last time] wasn’t the same, it was a friendly match. Now it’s direct elimination, it’s a different thing,” she said.

Australia started slowly at the tournament, needing a penalty to beat Ireland 1-0 in the opening match, then losing 3-2 to Nigeria in the second. Yet their revival, highlighted by a 4-0 win over Olympics champions Canada and a 2-0 win over Denmark, has been noted.

“[Australia] is a fantastic team and they play with a lot of freedom,” Dali said. “They look like they really enjoyed it and they handled the pressure well.”

Australia captain Sam Kerr started the friendly against France, but was taken off during the second half with the score still 0-0. Days later, she injured her calf in training and has missed the entire tournament, except for a late appearance in Monday’s round of 16 victory over Denmark.

“I think she’s a great player and I hope for her, she’s going to play,” Dali said. “It must have been really sad and frustrating for her to watch from the side. I do believe she’s prepared herself for us and she’s going to be there, I’m 100% sure.”

In Kerr’s absence, Caitlin Foord has become a focus for Australian attacks down the left flank and Dali is mindful of the Arsenal forward’s quality, describing her as the Matildas’ “best player at the moment”.

France started the tournament with a 0-0 draw with Jamaica, and then edged past Brazil 2-1. Since then, their attack has found its groove, first in a 6-3 win over Panama then in the victory over Morocco.

Their trajectory suggests the team is playing their way into form, much like the co-hosts.

French forward Viviane Asseyi said her team is prepared for the challenge. “We need to compose ourselves now, time will go quickly,” she said. “There are only good teams left. But to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

Header image: [Photograph: Sarah Reed/Getty Images]