Slick France ease into semi-finals

France scored three first-half goals as they beat Poland 4-0 in Reykjavik to seal progress to the last four of the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship where they will meet old adversaries Germany in a repeat of last year's final.

Blistering start
Twelve months ago the Germans triumphed 3-0 in a one-sided match but they may struggle to repeat the feat on Thursday if Stéphane Pilard's charges perform like they did today. It took just five minutes for Eugénie Le Sommer to break the deadlock and from then on Les Bleuettes did not look back. With Poland penned inside their own half, Laura Agard made it 2-0 midway through the half and when Marie-Laure Delie latched on to Amandine Henry's through-ball eight minutes before the interval and rifled it into the top corner, there was only going to be one winner.

Downpour
Iceland was named the most desirable place to live in Europe in a report published last week, and France started as if determined to savour the surroundings for a few more days. Whatever the study was based on, it cannot have been the weather as the game kicked off in torrential rain but it did not dampen French enthusiasm and they swarmed forward. They soon had their reward when Le Sommer stole in behind the Polish back line, cushioned the ball and then drilled it under Anna Bocian.

Agard strike
Charlotte Amaury should have doubled the advantage within a minute following a Natalia Chudzik mistake, but Bocian got her fingertips to her chip and collected at the second attempt with Delie lurking. The France No9 was one of five changes to the starting XI that lost 3-1 to England on Friday and her powerful running was a constant threat as Poland backed off, inviting shots from outside the area. They eventually paid the price when Bocian failed to hold a long-range strike and Agard was on hand to turn the ball in.

Amaury reward
That the goalscorer was a centre-back was testament to the attacking approach Les Bleuettes adopted and Delie soon extended the lead. Poland offered little in return and France goalkeeper Karima Benameur was not tested until first-half injury time when Dominika Machnacka turned a corner towards the near post. It proved light relief and only profligate shooting and a series of excellent interceptions from Machnacka and Natasza Górnicka kept the score down until Amaury made it 4-0 midway through the second period, converting Gwenaëlle Butel's low centre to secure a date with Germany.