World Cup NOW: Wendie Renard paves the way for France
France and Brazil met in a matchup of heavyweights, but it was France that walked away with three points in the 2-1 win. France took an early lead in this high-intensity game, while Debinha's equalizer for Brazil in the second half and Wendie Renard's winning header near the end made for a wild ride the whole way through.
The "World Cup NOW" crew — Jimmy Conrad, Leslie Osbourne, Heather O'Reilly and Melissa Ortiz — discuss Brazil's lapse of judgment on defense in the final moments of the game as Renard was able to charge in unmarked to score such a crucial goal for France.
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Ortiz: "What a match we just experienced! … One of the things I loved most about France was that they made use of every set play possible. They played to their strengths, which were playing physical and using Wendie Renard, which is where they are most successful."
O'Reilly: "I don't know if anyone was marking her [Renard], so that just proves you can be focused for 89 minutes of the game, but turning off for one could be the difference of winning and losing."
Conrad: "For me, set pieces are about desire and willingness to make a play, so easily controllable. Those are ones that feel preventable, because you just have to do the work, you have to mark players … so to have them [Brazil] fall asleep at the back post — really unacceptable at this level, in this type of game."
Osborne: "That's always been an issue with Brazil, their discipline and organization on set pieces, so it's very Brazilian-like to give up a goal at the last minute. … Being able to not have those lapses, that's the difference in this game."