Pichon dreams of happy ending

By Pete Sanderson in Preston

France striker Marinette Pichon admitted she was "in dreamland" after Les Bleues finally shrugged off their tag of also-rans to beat Italy 3-1 in their opening Group B game at Deepdale on Monday night.

Predatory strikes
The victory put the French just one win away from their first ever semi-final in a UEFA European Women's Championship – the target that coach Elisabeth Loisel set before the final tournament began. Pichon, who scored two opportunist goals, believes the result is the confidence booster France needed after years of struggling to get beyond the first phase.

Star player
"Obviously I am happy to score two goals from a personal point of view, but the important thing is we have made a great start to the tournament," Pichon told uefa.com after picking up the Player of the Match award. "It is great to finally get a win under our belts in the first game of a tournament - in fact it feels like a dream right now but our performance was also very impressive and I think we can get even stronger."

Praise for others
The 29-year-old, who made her international debut back in 1994, also said she would share her Player of the Match prize with her team-mates and saved a special mention for midfielder Sandrine Soubeyrand who set up two of France's three goals, including an exceptional pass in the 17th minute for striker Hoda Lattaf.

Wonderful talent
"Sandrine is a player who should get more credit for what she does," said Pichon, the tournament's top scorer thanks to those two strikes. "She is an awesome talent with a great touch and incredible vision. It makes my job a lot easier when you have players like her, Stéphanie [Mugneret-Béghé] and Sonia [Bompastor] in your midfield."

Revenge mission
Pichon now has her sights on gaining revenge against France's next opponents Norway for their defeat by the Scandinavians in UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2001™. "There is a strong desire within the team to get revenge against Norway," said Les Bleues' record goalscorer. "It is not going to be easy but we'll work hard to make sure we're as well prepared as possible. Then life gets even tougher and we must beat Germany – but we will deal with that game once the Norway match is over."

Relaxing time
Asked the secret behind France's success, Pichon revealed it is all about being able to relax. "We have a great bunch of girls and we spend a lot of time talking – as girls do," she added. "But one tactic which seems to relax us most is watching films – usually French ones. They seem to put us in the right frame of mind - especially if they have happy endings." Doubtless Pichon will be hoping France's campaign in England ends on a similarly positive note.