Le Sommer penalty sends France into World Cup knockout stages

With six OL players in Corinne Deacon's Starting XI Wednesday night, France faced Norway in Nice in their second test of Group A. Coming off a 4-0 blowout of South Korea, Les Bleues had the chance to seal their spot in the World Cup knockout stages with a win over their Scandinavian opposition.

After a scoreless first half, the hosts finally took the lead seconds after the break thanks to Valérie Gauvin (46', 1-0), on a nice assist from Amel Majri. But the advantage was short-lived, as a surprising  Wendie Renard own-goal (54 ', 1- 1) leveled the score.  

But France wouldn't be denied, as VAR validated a penalty against Torrent that OL's Eugénie Le Sommer (72 ', 2-1) converted from the spot to put the hosts back in front.

A sigh of relief for Deacon and company, and three big points that secure qualification to the next round of the tournament - and one step closer to lifting the trophy in front of their home fans in France.

The final whistle goes: Les Bleues earn a hard-fought win in Nice! 🤜#FiersdetreBleues #FIFAWWC #FRANOR pic.twitter.com/vSmIQPqEhW

— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) June 12, 2019