the Cécifoot Blues dismiss Colombia and reach the final – Libération

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It’s funny how the Eiffel Tower stadium and its turquoise blue pitch look less good in the rain. We preferred the sunset of two days ago then the night facing the sparkling grand dame, when the French blind football team had beaten Turkey without being too scared (2-0). But this Thursday, September 5 afternoon when it was time to climb into the stands to watch the Blues’ semi-final against Colombia, it was more sweaters, anoraks and umbrellas. The atmosphere didn’t help break the gloom either: we were on something much more timid, calmer, than what we had seen so far. Difficult to do better with partly empty stands – they will fill up as the match progresses. So we bet on the French team to warm everyone up. And we did well: the Blues won (1-0) against Colombia and will play for gold on Saturday.

For Toussaint Akpweh’s men, however, the menu was salty: Colombia is perhaps the team in best form at the moment behind Brazil. The yellow and red, although 12th nation in the world rankings, beat the Blues at the beginning of June (1-0) and won the prestigious World Grand Prix in Schiltigheim (Bas-Rhin). In Paris, they came out of their group undefeated (two wins, one draw). Frédéric Villeroux, the captain of the Blues, briefed us: “There are two mopeds in front, the 10 and the 9, the 7 who holds the ball well in the middle, distributes, hard on impact too. It’s going to be a midfield battle, and a physical battle.”

Yellow swimming cap

We feel the physical battle from the outset. And the players too. First we see endless hits and pile-ups – playing on a wet and therefore slippery pitch doesn’t help. The mopeds in front, we quickly see them too. Starting with «the 10th», Juan David Perez Quintero, only scorer for his team in Paris (two goals in groups). From the stands, the sort of yellow swimming cap he wears on his head catches the eye. As for the ball, it seems attracted to his feet: all Colombian attacks go through him. Fortunately, the 28-year-old was clumsy this Thursday: his first shot ended up in the stands, the second a few centimeters from a photographer’s head (quite a reflex!).

France also has its number 10, thirteen years older than Perez Quintero, but at least just as good: Frédéric Villeroux. As in the first round, the captain is everywhere. It’s him who recovers the balls, he who puts buffers when necessary, he also who gets the biggest chances, like this face-to-face with the Colombian goalkeeper at the start of the match – the shot ends in the private parts of the doorman. At the lemons, a draw on all counts: four strikes everywhere, four fouls also, and 51% to 49% in terms of possession (for Colombia). Oh well, the sun has come back.

Ping-pong game

The second act resembles a game of ping-pong: a big Colombian occasion, then a French one, then a Colombian one, and so on. As against China in the group stages, Alessandro Bartolomucci multiplies the parades, his counterpart imitates him. Then on a corner, after a mix-up, the ball arrives at Villeroux’s feet (again and again), three meters from the goal. The veteran doesn’t ask any questions: he shoots straight, and hard. The Colombian goalkeeper has a hole. 1-0 for the Blues four minutes from time.

Not really in danger, the Blues hold on until the end. The crowd, silent to allow the players to hear the ball equipped with bells and the instructions, explodes. On the field, the players collapse while Villeroux clears the ball into the stands. Far from being favorites, the French team did it: they will leave Paris with a medal, gold or silver. See you on Saturday at 8 p.m., against Argentina or Brazil. With good weather, please, and an Eiffel Tower that sparkles again.