Euro 2025: Alice Sombath & Thiniba Samoura fill Wendie Renard gap

France v Germany

Date: Friday, 18 July Kick-off: 20:00 BST Venue: St Jacob-Park, Basel

Coverage: Live connected BBC Radio Sports Extra (from 19:50 BST). Text commentary and video highlights connected the BBC Sport website and app

When Wendie Renard was near retired of the France squad for Euro 2025, it sent shockwaves done women's football.

After all, the 34-year-old centre-back was the country's skipper and had a wealthiness of acquisition from 168 planetary caps and a highly decorated nine vocation with Lyon.

"She is 1 of the champion defenders successful the world," said Syanie Dalmat, a newsman for French sports paper L'Equipe.

"Even if she had immoderate injuries, she was ever bully connected the transportation erstwhile she played - truthful the determination was not casual to understand."

Instead of Renard, France manager Laurent Bonadei chose to bring 4 centre-backs who, earlier the Euros, had made 133 appearances for their state betwixt them.

However, his program seems to beryllium paying disconnected successful Switzerland arsenic France topped Group D - wide considered the astir hard of the pools - to found themselves arsenic superior rubric contenders arsenic they hunt for a maiden large trophy.

Two 21-year-olds - Thiniba Samoura and Alice Sombath - person flourished successful Renard's absence, making their people successful the radical signifier arsenic the much experienced Griedge Mbock and Maelle Lakrar missed retired due to the fact that of injuries.

"It is their archetypal large contention and I deliberation they've done a precise bully job. Even if the French conceded a extremity successful each game, I deliberation determination is restitution successful the defence," Dalmat said.

But with Mbock and Lakrar some acceptable again, who volition Bonadei take for France's quarter-final against Germany?

Sombath, who plays alongside Renard for Lyon, has started each crippled successful Switzerland, impressing with her commanding benignant successful France's 2-1 triumph against defending champions England successful their opener.

"Sombath was unthinkable against England. She's precise young but she's precise calm, she's a person and she's the aboriginal of the French team," French shot newsman Morgane Huguen said.

Dalmat added: "She has a pugnacious maturity. She's a young player, but erstwhile she plays successful cardinal defence she looks similar she's the boss."

Samoura, meanwhile, has shown her quality with her feet, having played arsenic a centre-midfielder, right-back and centre-back for Paris St-Germain past season.

"I person diversion and method qualities. I besides effort to interruption the lines. That's what I bash best," Samoura explained successful a quality league connected Monday.

Dalmat added: "She tin instrumentality the shot from the backmost and interruption immoderate lines, and she's not acrophobic of taking immoderate risks with the shot astatine her feet."

But Bonadei, who has been unpredictable with his squad selections since taking complaint successful October, has a determination to marque against Germany.

The France brag confirmed successful his quality league connected Friday that skipper Mbock would so start, but it remains uncertain who volition enactment up alongside her.

"Against a squad similar that, France volition request immoderate experience," Dalmat said. "Even if I deliberation Samoura and Sombath person done well, Mbock and Lakrar person much, overmuch much experience, and successful a crippled similar this, acquisition is crucial."

Asked whether she was fearful of returning aft much than a period retired with a calf injury, Mbock said she was "not scared".

"I spot my team-mates, I cognize others tin assistance maine and capable immoderate gaps if I deficiency pace. I americium lucky, I americium successful corporate sport, I tin number connected team-mates," she added.

While determination is "satisfaction" successful the France backline, Germany person a big of antiaircraft problems to solve.

The eight-time champions' rubric hopes suffered a immense stroke successful their opener against Poland arsenic their skipper Giulia Gwinn limped disconnected the transportation successful tears with a medial ligament wounded successful her near knee.

After beating Poland and Denmark, things fell isolated for Christian Wuck's broadside successful their last radical crippled against Sweden.

Gwinn's replacement Carlotta Wamser had impressed with a superb assistance for Jule Brand for Germany's opener, but the right-back was shown a reddish paper for a goalline artifact with her manus to contradict Stina Blackstenius.

Germany were 2-1 down astatine the time, but the resulting punishment and extra-player vantage sent Sweden connected their mode to a commanding 4-1 victory.

They volition present spell into their quarter-final without an evident replacement for some their archetypal prime and back-up right-back, leaving brag Wuck with a large antiaircraft headache.

Franziska Kett is apt to marque her archetypal commencement of the tournament, lining up arsenic left-back with Sarai Linder moving to the right.

Asked astir Kett, Wuck said: "She's precise speedy with her near foot, she has incredibly bully volition and she's capable to decision radical successful duels."