VELBERT, Germany (Interstat) — France U19 opened its UEFA Under-19 Championship qualification campaign with a 2-1 victory over Slovakia U19 on Friday at IMS Arena.

Justine Rouquet put the host side ahead in the 16th minute, assisted by Katarína Bučková. Slovakia’s Victoria Havalec, a substitute, leveled the score in the 74th minute. French midfielder Lina Gay netted the decisive goal later in the second half, with Rouquet providing the assist.

Both Bučková and Rouquet received first-half yellow cards. The result defied a pre-match projection of a 1-1 draw from Interstat, which gave France a 77% probability to win. France begins the qualifying group with a win, while Slovakia starts with a loss.