The French under-17 selection was beaten by Germany (2-2 aptb 4-3) in the final of its category.
France will only win its second Cadet World Cup, twenty-two years after the first. The Bleuets stumbled on the last step, Germany. As during the 2019 Euro, they failed in the penalty shootout following two heroic hours of play (2-2). The return from Indonesia will be complicated.
France missed the boat
The selection of Jean-Luc Vanucchi will therefore have to settle for a silver medal. However, she had done the hard part by coming back two goals behind in regulation time. Trailing 0-2 after 52 minutes, they got back on track thanks to the achievements of Bouabré (54e) and Amogou (86e).
CHAMPIONS! 🏆@DFB_Junioren | #U17WC pic.twitter.com/IZeZUtmqOP
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 2, 2023
In overtime, nothing changed even though the Germans were 10 against 11. And so it was the penalty shootout lottery that everything was decided. Paul Argney, the best goalkeeper in the competition, made two superb saves. It wasn’t enough to win, as there were unfortunately three misses from his teammates. The Mannschaft goalkeeper having been just as effective.
“We can only be proud of this team’s journey, said Vanucchi after the game at the Team’s microphone. We only played one half out of two, I didn’t understand. It’s the same scenario as at the Euro. We have the opportunities by being in numerical superiority and we do not convert. This is the high level. The shots on goal, I don’t know if they are saved or taken badly. If there isn’t the trophy, something is still missing. We’ll digest it and move on.”
