VELBERT, Germany (Interstat) — France’s under-19 women’s national team opened its UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Slovakia on Friday at IMS Arena.

The host French side, heavily favored pre-match, overcame an early deficit and a stubborn Slovakian defense to secure three points in the Group B6 fixture. A Interstat game simulator had projected a 1-1 draw, while its ELO rating system gave France a 77.1 percent probability to win, forecasts the young French squad ultimately validated but not without a significant challenge.

Slovakia, the visiting team, stunned the home crowd with an opening goal in the 16th minute. Forward Justine Rouquet, France’s most dangerous attacker on the day, finished a chance to give her side an early lead, demonstrating the clinical edge expected of the tournament favorites.

The match settled into a pattern of French possession and Slovakian resistance, with the visitors earning a yellow card in the 8th minute to Katarína Bučková and Rouquet receiving one for France in the 39th minute. The first half concluded with the hosts holding their narrow one-goal advantage.

The complexion of the match changed dramatically in the 74th minute. Slovakian substitute Victoria Havalec, who had entered the fray, found an equalizer to level the score at 1-1. The assist on the tying goal was credited to fellow Slovak substitute Katarína Bučková, who redeemed her earlier caution by helping to pull her team back into contention.

France’s response was swift and decisive. Just six minutes after conceding, midfielder Lina Gay scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 80th minute. The decisive play was orchestrated by Rouquet, who added an assist to her earlier goal, completing a standout performance with a goal and an assist.

The final minutes saw France manage the game effectively, preventing Slovakia from creating another clear chance to equalize. The result leaves France atop the early qualification group standings with a perfect record of one win and no losses in the competition. Slovakia begins its campaign with a loss.

In broader statistical context, France’s overall season record across all competitions now stands at one win and no losses, mirroring its start in this qualification tournament. Slovakia’s record across all competitions falls to no wins and one loss.

The match highlighted the impact of substitutions, with Slovakia’s changes directly leading to its goal, and the consistent threat of France’s attacking players, particularly Rouquet, whose contributions were central to the victory. The French side will look to build on this result in its next qualification match, while Slovakia will aim to rebound from a narrow defeat against a favored opponent.