France U-17 Holds the Clean-sheet Record at the 2023 U-17 World Cup

JAKARTA - France U-17's journey to the semifinals of the 2023 U-17 World Cup is impressive.

They are the only contestants who still keep a clean sheet. Not a single goal came into the goal of Paul Argne, Les Bleus goalkeeper.

Three opponents in the group phase, namely the United States U-17, South Korea U-17 and Burkina Faso U-17, were unable to break into Les Bleus' goal.

It was the same in the knockout rounds. The meeting with Senegal U-17 in the last 16 ended 0-0 before France U-17 finally won on penalties.

Continuing to the quarter-finals, Uzbekistan U-17 also failed to shake Jean-Luc Vannuchi's team's goal.

The next step, of course, is that France U-17 wants to continue this record when they meet Mali U-17 in the semifinals.

Solidity in defense plus Paul Argney's neat ability in goal are the keys to a clean-sheet record.

"The amount of time we got to defend there was very important. We know that we can defend against other teams. We still haven't conceded a goal and that's crucial," said one of the Les Bleus players, Mathis Lambourde.

Jean-Luc Vannuchi's concoction on the defensive line was considered successful. He had found four doorstops that could reduce the opponent's attacks well before meeting Argney.

Yuann Titi, Bastien Meupiyou, Aymen Sadi and captain Joachim Kayi Sanda are Vannuchi's mainstays. The four defenders often fill the starting line-up for France U-17.

There were only two matches where Vannuchi did not use four of his friends at the heart of the defense, namely against South Korea U-17 in the group phase and Uzbekistan U-17 in the quarter-finals.

Occasional rotations were made, but Les Bleus remained solid. It seems that captain Kayi Sanda is the key.

He never once left the starting line-up. Meanwhile, at another post, Vannuchi can still rotate with the presence of Nhoa Sangui, Yoram Zague, or Arthur Tchaptchet.

The solidity of these four defenders makes Paul Argney comfortable. He is even more confident in guarding the French U-17 goal.

Not surprisingly, he is confident that the clean-sheet record he already holds will continue when he faces Mali U-17 in the semifinals.

"It certainly feels extraordinary to be able to keep this goal clean from conceding in a championship at the highest level like the 2023 U-17 World Cup," said Argney.

"This can also be achieved because of the hard work of all the players. I hope to continue this positive record. Hopefully I can help the team again and try to keep keeping clean sheets," he said further.

Apart from the solidity of the defensive line, Argney's ability also contributed to Les Bleus' clean sheet. His communication with defenders and his composure between the sticks and the penalty box are important attributes.

He said his ability was born thanks to his hard work learning from top European goalkeepers, one of whom was the French national team goalkeeper, Mike Maignan.

"In France, one of the goalkeepers who inspired me was Mike Maignan. He is currently the main goalkeeper for the French national team at senior level."

"I saw a lot of his actions on the pitch. Apart from that, I was also very impressed with Ederson's ability to play the ball. Of course Manuel Neuer. He is a very complete goalkeeper," said Argney.

The goalkeeper's toughness will be tested when facing Mali U-17, which is listed as one of the productive teams in the 2023 U-17 World Cup with 14 goals.