2023-08-26 20:50:09
As in 2021 when it took 7th place, France is in the quarter-finals of a women’s volleyball Euro. Belgian coach Emile Rousseaux’s Bleues qualified on August 26 in Florence by beating Romania 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 21-25, 25-23). This performance should not be trivialized. For too many years, despite the success of Cannes in the Champions League, the Bleues du volley have been the poor relations of French joint sport.
Never invited to participate in a world championship: the last participation dates back to 1974. Never qualified for the Olympic Games: the last invitation dates from 1972. We never talked about them and generations of internationals remained anonymous. In a European championship, tricolor volleyball players have rarely gone beyond the stage of the 8th finals. The best result goes back to a 4th place in… 1951. But that was before.
A year before Paris 2024, Les Bleues are beginning to invite themselves into the concert of the great nations. And the proof that something has changed: they are now respected. They even started the game as the favorites, which in the history of the sport has not happened often at this stage of a competition. The game was certainly not easy, not at all. After a good start, Les Bleues were hooked in the first round, narrowly won 25-23. The second set was easier (25-16) and the French seemed set for an easy qualification. Only, the Romanians woke up to win the third round in front of the Blue suddenly a little paralyzed by the stakes.
Romania won this third set 25-21 to send shivers down the spines of the French. Well carried by Lucille Gicquel, the sister of Solène who is playing this Sunday, the final of the high jump competition of the Worlds in Budapest, the French women overthrew the match to win the fourth and last round 25-23 in just over two hours of play. “I’m very tired. It was intense and hard but at the end, there is victory and that’s the most important thing. Now we are waiting to find out who we are going to play against in the quarter-finals,” relishes Lucille Gicquel.
In the quarter-final this Tuesday, August 29, France will play against the winner of the quarter-final which opposes this Saturday from 9 p.m., Italy to Spain. Unless there is a huge surprise, it will be against Italy in Italy. It will be another pair of sleeves.
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