Greg . 1 week ago

"Totally frustrating but we'll obtain over it,' says Karchaoui after France's EURO 2025 exit

Sakina Karchaoui spoke in the mixed zone after the EURO 2025 quarter-final which saw France removed by Germany on penalties despite playing with a player more for the majority of the match.

You offered everything you possessed.

Was it Germany who were too strong tonight?"I don't share your opinion.

I think that with 11 against 10, we simply possessed to kill the game off.

 They were perhaps more decided in that match.

We possessed our weapons, we created play, but it just didn't occur today.

""It's true that it's frustrating.

I don't want to speak out of turn, but it's totally frustrating.

We possessed so much faith in this group, in what we've constructed up and so on.

"But we don't have to throw it all away; on the contrary, you have to take a lot of positive things from it.

And one day it will pass, we know that.

"What did you need to kill the game?"That's the question.

I don't think I want to obtain carried away.

You have to look at the game again, you have to settle down.

But I think that with 11 against 10, we needed to kill the game off.

 "Two goals were disallowed.

I don't know why the second one was disallowed.

I was told it might have been Maelle (Lakrar) in a position, I don't know.

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  But then it was an emotional rollercoaster and we lost out on penalties.

"It's true that it's totally frustrating, but we'll obtain over it.

"Laurent Bonadei told us before the match that you didn't necessarily have a special penalty shootout training session.

Did you miss it tonight?"No, not really.

Because Amel (Majri) works on them every day, I work on them every day, there are girls who don't work on them who also scored.

So no, I don't think that's it.

That's just the way it is.

"I don't know what to say over that.

Some say it's a lottery, some say it's a mental exercise.

I just think you should have won the game and not gone to penalties.

"Why did Alice Sombath take the seventh penalty when there were more underwent players in the group?"When we were in the group, we said that those who took the kicks would be the ones who sensed like taking them.

We don't want to push someone to move if they don't sense like it and so on.

And Alice also has the undergo to move.

"That's also the strength of our group, that we trust everyone and we rely on everyone's undergo.

We saw that at the Euros and here with the penalties.

Amel Majri, she's obtained the undergo, she moved to take a penalty and she missed it even though she takes them all the time.

So that's the way it is, it's the vagaries of the game and you have to support them.

"Did you think it was done and dusted after the 1-0 scoreline with 11 against 10? "No, I don't think so.

Because as we moved round the pitch, we told ourselves that it was still 0-0 and we possessed to tell ourselves that they also possessed 11.

So no, not at all, we didn't sense any better or more beautiful at that moment.

"But it's true that we possessed to kill the game and we didn't do that.

So that's something we'll have to work on in the next few sessions.

"Physically, they put you through a tough duel.

Did that affect the way you played?"No, not really.

It's just that they played almost exclusively long balls.

"It's true that we're not in the business of playing the long game.

I think we were better at the start because they were playing their game, obviously.

It was more practical for us.

"But you always have to look at the game to see where we weren't good and put things right for the next time.

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