Defender Eve Perisset scored a penalty in extra time to earn France a 1-0 win over holders the Netherlands and a place in the semi-finals of the Women’s European Championship for the first time on Saturday.
France, whose last three appearances at the Euros ended in the quarter-finals, desperately searched for an opening to score as they kept surrounding the Dutch goal but it took Perisset’s spot kick in the 102nd minute to finally break the deadlock. France was awarded a penalty after Kadidiatou Diani had been brought down by defender Dominique Janssen in the area and Perisset fired her effort into the back of the net.
The French will face eight-time European champions Germany in the semi-finals. France had netted all their eight group-stage goals before halftime but despite putting the Dutch under relentless pressure, they were unable to score within 90 minutes.
The Dutch attempted only a single shot on target throughout the game, even with their all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema returning to the line-up after she missed two group-stage games due to COVID-19. Mark Parsons’ Dutch side were also lucky to have goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, whose incredible saves took the game into extra time.
Van Domselaar blocked a low shot by Diani in the 15th minute, as well as two powerful strikes from Charlotte Bilbault and Delphine Cascarino from outside the box within the next five minutes. Melvine Malard thought she finally found the opening goal for France in the 37th minute, but Stefanie Van Der Gragt blocked her shot from the goal line.
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