UEFA Women’s Nations League final announcement: Spain – France | UEFA Women’s Nations League

Spain face France in the first UEFA Women’s Nations League final on Wednesday in Seville.

What do you need to know?

A year ago, neither Spain nor France reached a major senior women’s international final. However, La Roja come into this match having been crowned Women’s World Cup champions in August by beating England in Sydney and France, after being so close all year and winning multiple youth and club titles categories. , he is now in the finals, which he has been striving to reach for many years.

Spain have not slowed down since becoming world champions. They won five of the six games they played in the group stage of that tournament (the only defeat coming at home to Italy when Spain’s entry into the final stage had already been confirmed) and also scored 23 goals, their highest total in the competition. They beat the Netherlands 3-0 in Seville on Friday thanks to goals from Jenny Hermoso, Aitana Bonmati and Ona Batlle, stars of the last World Cup, and saw Vicky Lopez make her senior debut. The 17-year-old is the latest in a long line of Spanish footballers who are proving their worth with a string of impressive performances in the youth categories and who faced France in the UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championship final in May, losing. a heavy defeat with a score of 3:2, despite the fact that two goals were scored in that match.

France became the only unbeaten team in the A League, beating a determined Germany 2-1 in front of more than 30,000 spectators at the OL Stadium on Friday. Kadidatou Diani’s powerful strike was complemented by a penalty converted by Sakina Karchaoui, her first international goal in her 69th cap. The Blues may still be aiming for their first women’s title at senior level, but 15 of their players (including Vicky Becho, called up this weekend in place of Sandy Baltimore) have won European Championships or World Cups at youth level, five of them at youth level. 2016 European Women’s U19 Championship when they beat a Spanish team of Maite Oroz, Bonmati and Lucia García in the final.

Much of the Spanish squad had achieved similar titles at youth level prior to their World Cup triumph, and their recent success has seen them break attendance records more than once this Nations League campaign. A crowd of 21,856 recently witnessed Spain’s victory over the Netherlands at La Cartuja in Seville, where they will once again face France, whom they have never beaten in their 13 previous matches.

Form state

Face to face:
13 matches played
Spain wins 0
French victories 10
Draws 3
Spain goals 8
France scores 22 goals

The Last Confrontation:
France – Spain 2-0 (Le Sommer 27′, D Cascarino 76′)
08/31/2019, friendly, Clermont-Ferrand

Results in the League of Nations

Spain

First from group A4

09/22/2023: Sweden – Spain 2:3
09/26/2023: Spain – Switzerland 5:0
10/27/2023: Italy – Spain 0:1
10/31/2023: Switzerland – Spain 1:7
12/01/2023: Spain – Italy 2:3
12/05/2023: Spain – Sweden 5:3

Semi-finals

02/23/2023: Spain – Netherlands 3:0

France

First from group A2

09/22/2023: France – Portugal 2:0
09/26/2023: Austria – France 0:1
10/27/2023: Norway – France 1:2
10/31/2023: France – Norway 0:0
12/01/2023: France – Austria 3:0
12/05/2023: Portugal – France 0:1

Semi-finals

02/23/2023: France – Germany 2:1

What the selectors say

Monse Tome, coach of the Spanish national team: “No, we are not relaxed (after qualifying for the Olympics), it is impossible. We know we are facing a great adversary. We know the characteristics of France, its strengths and weaknesses. The group is looking forward to it. The final. The entire coaching staff is convinced that we are not going to relax. We are confident and very prepared.”

“France is a team we have been analyzing for a long time. We all know the type of players that are on this team. These are players who can move very quickly. We must be very careful and very aware of these transitions. “

Herve Renard, coach of the French national team: “First of all, you should be happy to be here. It’s always a great opportunity to take part in a final, regardless of the competition. It’s a special moment for the French women’s team, so you should enjoy it.”

“Spain is deservedly the world champion. This is a team that plays the most beautiful football, and it is fair that they are world champions. This is a team that scores a lot of goals, but also concedes, so we will have to play with their Weaknesses “Like all teams, there are strengths and weaknesses. But overall, Spain has more strengths than weaknesses.”