France's Rubio relishes juggling act

Combining school exams with club and international football commitments is no easy task, yet France midfielder Léa Rubio is thriving both on and off the pitch as she enjoys the busiest and most exciting year of her life.

Germany blow
Before arriving in Belarus for the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship, Rubio passed her baccalauréat exams at home and will soon begin a university degree in speech therapy. So far, her 'summer break' has included a gruelling match against Germany on Monday that Les Bleuettes lost 2-1, despite taking an early lead. "It was a very hard game from a physical point of view," the 18-year-old told uefa.com. "Germany had two chances and scored two goals and that's why we lost. They were just a bit more efficient than us."

Must-win match
There is no time for Rubio to wallow, however, with a must-win Group A encounter against the hosts in Borisov on Thursday. "We were really disappointed to lose to Germany but we have to forget that now and focus on clinching second place in the group," explained the Montpellier Hérault SC youngster, who had almost made it 2-0 when she rattled the crossbar from 30 metres. "We don't know a lot about the Belarus team but they are playing at home and will be determined to do well against us."

'Great satisfaction'
Fortunately Rubio is used to busy schedules. She competed in the FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup in New Zealand last year, scoring one of the goals of the tournament against the United States, and the midfield schemer continues to take each new challenge in her stride. "The last three years have been hard because I've been at the French national team centre as well as trying to do my studies," she reflected. "We've had to work hard but most of the girls in the squad have now got their baccalauréat, which is a great source of personal satisfaction."

'A new experience'
Once this tournament is over there is the small matter of a UEFA Women's Champions League campaign to consider before starting university life. "Montpellier have qualified this year so we will have a game in FYR Macedonia [against ZFK Tikvesanka] soon," she said. "Playing in that competition will be a new and interesting experience for me." As ever though, Rubio is keen to focus on the task in hand before looking ahead to the future – and her immediate goal is to beat Belarus.