Off to a perfect start [4-1]

Pedro Martinez Losa's new-look Bordeaux team is off to a flying start, after beating Fleury (4-1) with a dominant display in spite of the crushing summer heat. The Girondines started the game as they meant to go on, pushing forward and causing all sorts of trouble for the Fleury defence. Sevecke was pressured into a hurried back-pass which caught her goalkeeper by surprise and ended up in her own net (1-0). Bordeaux were on flowing form in the first half, with Ouleymata Sarr (7’), Viviane Asseyi (12’) and Kathellen Sousa (21’) all taking turns to test Fleury keeper Gignoux Soulier. The Girondines were clearly the superior team here, particularly in midfield thanks to the dynamic trio formed by Charlotte Bilbault, Inès Jaurena and Ghoutia Karchouni. Their technical interplay and creativity helped the unstoppable Viviane Asseyi provoke panic in the visitors' defence with each new attack. The score remained 1-0 at half time, though Bunny Shaw did rattle the woodwork just before the break (44’). The second period was less fast-flowing, as the combined effects of a busy pre-season and the summer heat began to take their toll on both teams. The game kept on ticking over until things really kicked off in the last fifteen minutes. When Inès Jaurena fired in a well-placed corner, Khadija Shaw broke free of her marker to head home from the front post (2-0, 75’). The Girondines looked bound for glory, but Fleury were not finished yet. If there was one thing which could have been improved on Bordeaux's performance this afternoon, it was undoubtedly the unforced errors committed on certain clearances. Virtually the only chances the visitors got came from wayward passing at the back. Stine Larsen, Fleury's biggest threat in the first half, failed to make her chances count (3’, 29’, 35’). So did Daphné Corboz (18’). But with so many stray balls being sprayed about, one of them was going to end badly. Makanza finally pounced on a poor ball from Julie Thibaud, to skip past Vanessa Gilles and score from close range (2-1). Were Bordeaux in for a tough ride in the last ten minutes? Not exactly... Keen to make amends for this goal, and buoyed by fresh legs in the form of substitutes Andrea Lardez (66’), Maëlle Garbino (70’) and Sophie Istillart (84’), the Girondines rapidly scored twice to put this game to bed. Viviane Asseyi converted a penalty won by Vanessa Gilles (3-1, 82’), before Khadija Shaw sealed the win. Delphine Chatelin connected with a smart ball from Ghoutia Karchouni and broke free down the middle, laying off for Bunny to smash it home with her left foot (4-1). After this emphatic victory, Pedro Martinez Losa and his coaching staff will be relishing the prospect of their next game, on Saturday 7th September in Dijon.