Hosts France to set ball rolling against Korea as World Cup kicks off

Paris (AFP) – The pressure is on France to live up to their status as one of the favourites as the host nation kick off their World Cup on Friday when they take on South Korea in the opening game before a sell-out crowd in Paris.

The spotlight is shining on women’s football as never before heading into the month-long tournament, with crowds on the up around the world and interest increasing all the time while the contenders to lift the trophy in Lyon on July 7 are plentiful.

The French, captained by Lyon star Amandine Henry, will get the chance to showcase their credentials when they run out before 47,000 fans at the Parc des Princes to face the Koreans at 1900 GMT in the first match in Group A, which also contains Norway and Nigeria.

Les Bleues are ranked fourth in the world and are seen as the second favourites after the holders, the United States.

The country is home to Europe’s leading club side, with Lyon last month winning a fourth consecutive Champions League, but the national team lost in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, the last European Championship and the 2016 Olympics.

Despite that, the president of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet, has set the team the objective of going all the way to the final.

“That is what he said and that is what I am paid to do. If I don’t fulfil that objective I will have to stand aside,” coach Corinne Diacre told sports daily L’Equipe.

“We would have been disappointed if the objective was smaller. It proves that he has confidence in us. It means we are capable of doing it,” added Diacre, a former French international who previously coached Clermont in the men’s second division.

France’s women are dreaming of matching the men, who are the reigning world champions and also won the World Cup as hosts in 1998.

“I am from that 1998 generation. We want to experience the same emotions,” said Henry, one of seven Lyon players in the French squad.

South Korea lost 3-0 to France in the last 16 at the 2015 World Cup in Canada and would love to reach the knockout phase again. Their star player is the midfielder Ji So-yun of Chelsea.

“We need to build experience. We will try to win the game but we will have to accept the result whatever happens,” their coach, Yoon Deok-yeo, said modestly.

from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2EWrYb4