Three big points in Soyaux: 0-3

As the old adage goes: "Derbies are not for playing, they're for winning." And victory always tastes that little bit sweeter when it caps off a hard-fought game, which was certainly the case today. The first fifteen minutes set the tone for the rest of the game, with few clear-cut chances but plenty of tackles and a yellow card for Emeline Saint Georges, who hacked down Claire Lavogez from behind as she was headed goalwards (10'). The Girondines did not pose any real threat up front until they won a penalty, following a scuffle in the box. Unfortunately for us, Romane Munich saved Katja Snoeijs's spot kick (18'). Soyaux seemed buoyed by this stop, and started to push forward. A decent shot from Battouri got the better of Mylène Chavas, only to ricochet off the crossbar (20').

The rest of the first half was similarly rugged and scrappy, and there were no more chances on goal before the break. Patrice Lair was determined to change that immediately, bringing on Inès Jauréna and Melissa Herrera for Ella Palis and Claire Lavogez.

Those changes paid off almost immediately, when in the 53rd minute Melissa Herrera broke free, crossed the ball in for Katja Snoeijs and, when her shot and Inès Jauréna's follow-up effort were blocked, Julie Dufour pounced to give Bordeaux the lead (0-1). Soyaux looked stunned, and the Girondines pushed hard to capitalise on their disarray. Charlotte Bilbault was wide of the mark (58'), and barely a minute later Melissa Herrera ran up against Romane Munich in a one-on-one (59').

The hosts looked tired now, and no longer able to get the ball forward. Lena tried her luck, but Mylène Chavas dealt with her shot with ease (74'). Another second-half sub, Melissa Gomes, finally sealed the result in the final minutes with her 20th D1 goal (0-2). There was even time for a third, when Maëlle Garbino rounded off a superb team performance in the dying seconds of injury time (0-3, 93') !

This victory puts Bordeaux (curently in 6th place) within two points of Fleury (in 4th). Next up for the Girondines is an away trip to... Fleury (Sunday 20 March, kick-off 14:45), a crucial game.