Caroline Drouin’s ordeal with Les Bleues against New Zealand

Nobody would have liked to find themselves in the shoes of Caroline Drouin in the 80th minute of the breathless France and New Zealand. Fate had generously pushed the emotional lid of Les Bleues’ first half by entrusting him with the responsibility of handing the victory to his side with a penalty kick from 35 metres, slightly to the right of the posts.

Leading by one point, the French team could only count on Rennaise’s right foot. Hundreds of Tricolor supporters held their breath, as if to make up for the deafening whistles of Eden Park. But it wasn’t enough. After spending 80 minutes on the court, Drouin missed her shot and took away the superhero costume she could have worn proudly.

After the meeting, her partners followed one another to assuage her guilt, which she did not fail to impose on herself. “At no time does defeat remain with Caro, Center slide is Gabriel Werner. We haven’t done the job before. We should have killed the game and carried the ball more. We didn’t make many mistakes. »This is not Caro’s fault.Anael Deshay’s column abounds. HShe gave us ten last week, and now we’re missing one, we can’t blame her. We win together, we lose together. »

Just before the attempt, a small meeting took place between Drouin and his commanding officer, Gael Hermit. Before the penalty kick, I told him that whatever happened, we were together until the end. He trusts the latter. We were together from the first to the eighty. It’s the DNA and strength of this group. No matter what happens, whether there is turmoil or moments of joy, we are together all the time. »

Left alone on the lawn for a few moments, Drouin stared off into space, inevitably fixated on that missed match point, but also perhaps her balls were served straight from the court (26, 34) or that penalty touch was not found (12). The captain of the Bleues, rather than her interest in the animation, could not manage the best match of her career on foot, yet one of her strengths, the Black Ferns continue to praise her during the week.

We can imagine that Caro was very disappointed, Says Agathe Seshat whore. It’s tough because she took the blame, even though it was the team’s choice. It’s a huge weight in this sizzling stadium. We can’t blame her. We have to help him raise his head. » Since the beginning of his career, Drouin has already proven his ability to bounce back after a hard hit. This is the fate of those who have a fate greater than theirs in their hands. or at the end of the foot.