Positive outlook for both France and Denmark

Gilles Eyquem, France coach
I think we were under pressure for more than the first ten minutes. That first half was difficult for us, certainly compared with what we are capable of doing. It was our worst first half for a long time yet we still managed to score three goals. There were good things but in our control of the game, we were not well organised. We had made some changes and maybe that affected the team's balance. We were under pressure, too, because we had to get a result, but I think overall, given our great second-half display, we had a good game.

I had decided to reshuffle my starting 11 and start with the more experienced players. Against England the younger ones were a bit surprised by the physical side of the game. They realised they were in a big competition. So I picked some experienced girls who play in the top league at home. They were able to control the ball and handle the physical aspect. I think there is great satisfaction in the squad tonight. We had analysed our mistakes against England, where we kept going through the middle and forgot to use the wings.

Against Wales it will be a difficult match because the Welsh will want to get a result. They proved their quality against England, as they were threatening for about an hour. It could be complicated for them physically, but we are taking this game very seriously and want to win because our goal is to win the group. We would like to avoid Germany because they are the strongest team in the competition. Then we will think about goal difference depending on the result of England-Denmark. Indeed, first place could go down to goal difference.

Søren Randa-Boldt, Denmark coach
I am disappointed about the way we gave the goals away. It was personal mistakes but this is football – you cannot win against France when you give them three goals. I am disappointed about that but I am satisfied about our game. We played much better than against Wales [a 1-0 Danish victory]. We played at a higher level today. I am looking forward to the game against England on Sunday, which will be a fantastic final for the qualification.

I asked the players to stay focused in the five minutes that followed the goal – that is very important when you score. You can relax a little bit, but we made the mistake. They are young players, they are learning, and in the second half it was better. Our keeper did not have the best first half of her life either but she knows how good a keeper she is.

Against England it will be a fantastic game – we will see players that will go on to the national team some day so it is very good [for them]. We hope we qualify, it's our goal for the tournament. We played twice against England in January and they were very close matches so I hope we win this time. However, today France were the best team we have met in many years.