Selma Bacha – France. Women’s Euro 2022. Photo by James Whitehead.
Corrine Diacre kept her powder dry for 62 minutes.
France peppered the Netherlands with shots on goal, but Daphne van Domselaar and Stefanie van der Gragt just Doctor Strange-d their way into blocking every single one of those.
As an hour passed, Diacre had seen enough.
Melvine Malard, filling in for the injured Marie-Antoinette Katoto, made her way to the touchline. On came Selma Bacha, the 21-year-old who set the Champions League final alight two months ago in Turin.
As the French huffed and puffed to blow the house down, the Dutch weathered the storm.
Until Bacha decided to go supersonic.
A minute after coming on, the 21-year-old carved out a chance for Kadidiatou Diani, whose shot was subsequently blocked by Van der Gragt.
𝙻𝚞𝚌𝚔𝚢 𝚗𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 1️⃣3️⃣@BachaSelma = baller#WEUROPOTM @Visa pic.twitter.com/5yi2a2nczZ
— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 23, 2022
Two minutes after that, Bacha herself had a pop at goal, being denied by Van Domselaar’s steely right hand.
It took 33 shots, 102 minutes and a penalty for France to finally eke out a 1-0 win and eventually book a spot in the semi-final. And while their wastefulness was a theme in Rotherham, Selma Bacha’s singular drive to keep momentum on their side was a saving grace for a France side that appeared leggy in extra-time.
At half-time, as the Dutch finally had a moment to breathe, Mark Parsons brought on Jill Roord to shore up the midfield, and it worked for a while.
But Bacha, a four-time Division 1 Feminine and four-time Champions League winner, came on and chose violence.
While the Lyon defender is primarily known for her crossing ability, Bacha’s stint on the left wing was like lightning in a bottle.
Constantly running at the Dutch full-backs, Bacha twisted, turned and broke ankles as she willed France forward every chance she got.
It takes a certain edge and a touch of audacity to be the best outfield player on the pitch when the likes of Diani, Delphine Cascarino, Wendie Renard, Sakina Karchaoui, Danielle van de Donk and, of course, Vivianne Miedema are on the pitch.
Bacha, though, had just one thing on her mind at the New York Stadium: get sh*t done.
Every time the ball found itself at the mercy of Bacha’s feet, the 21-year-old conjured yet another trick, yet another audacious piece of delivery, wrapping her magical left foot around the ball, commanding it to go exactly where she wanted it to. With panache, of course.
According to FotMob data, for 60 minutes in Rotherham, Selma Bacha was everywhere, winning the ball (6 recoveries), taking corners (6), creating chances (4) and rattling a Dutch defence hanging on for dear life. Having Bacha and Karchaoui operating on the same side should be borderline illegal, but here we are, watching them wreak havoc at will.
Making it count! Let's hear it for the #VisaPOTM, Selma Bacha 🙌⚽
👊 Came in as a sub to spark the team
🔥 Played multiple positions with great intensity
🎯 Pass accuracy of around 80%
🏃♀️ Ran 7.4km in just 58 minutes
💨 Max speed of 27.1 km/h#WEURO2022 #FRAvNED @WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/MMNU3UOMdh— Visa UK (@VisaUK) July 24, 2022
Bacha’s can’t-stop-won’t-stop brand of football against the Dutch saw her named Player of the Match.
And while a starting spot is difficult to come by in a stacked French team, at just 21 years of age, Selma Bacha has the world at her feet.
With two games to go for a French team looking to carve their names into immortality amidst a sea of off-field chaos, Bacha will have just one thing on her mind: get sh*t done.
Written by Colin D’Cunha
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