2023-08-02 17:36:40
Kadidiatou Diani, during the match of the Blues against Panama (6-3), in Sydney (Australia), August 2, 2023. MARK BAKER / AP
It is an intense and liberating joy that Kadidiatou Diani shared with all her teammates at each of her three goals, Wednesday August 2, during the slightly crazy victory of the Blue against Panama (6-3), in Sydney (Australia). ), for their final match of the Women’s World Cup group stage. And when it came to converting the second penalty of the evening, she didn’t leave it to anyone else. The former Parisian, whose signature in Lyon was formalized on Wednesday, thus scored the first hat-trick of a French player in the World Cup.
Read also: France-Panama: relive the big victory of Les Bleues and their qualification for the knockout stages of the Women’s World Cup
After a string of scoring opportunities where she has lacked skill or luck since the start of the World Cup, Kadidiatou Diani, 28, panics the statistics and also enters her tournament. This strange success – marked by an offensive festival and a few defensive errors – against a modest Panamanian team ensured that Hervé Renard’s players qualified for the round of 16 of the competition (they finished in first place in group F). At the same time, it offers a promising trigger for the future of one of their best players.
Match ball under her arm, which she will keep as a reward for her hat-trick, Diani reacts without excess: “It feels good to score, especially since these are my first World Cup goals. These are memories you won’t forget. The fact of not having scored did not weigh on me more than that, she says. The most important thing is that I give my all by helping the team as best I can. [Mercredi], I was rewarded. »
A cold-blooded shot
By scoring her team’s second goal, the one that allowed the Tricolores to regain the advantage before the half-hour mark, after conceding the opener in the first minute, the future Lyon striker was exulted. This first personal goal in Australia triggers everything: a kind of “Madjer” (heel made behind the supporting foot) countered, then a shot in force, full of composure and unstoppable. When she is replaced on the hour mark, her duty accomplished after two other very well-taken penalties, the coach can only congratulate her. Thanks to these three goals, Diani immediately climbed to second place in the scoring charts, one length behind the Japanese Hinata Miyazawa.
Unlucky against Jamaica in the opening with missed opportunities, including a header on the bar, better against Brazil during a success (2-1) with an assist for Eugénie Le Sommer, Diani passed a milestone against the Panamanians. But she never doubted: “You can’t do everything, the most important thing is to persevere. You must not lower your head when you miss opportunities, and [il faut] stay focused. »
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