There was an all too familiar ruthlessness with which Lucy Bronze and Nikita Parris, who will both be playing for Lyon from next season, attacked the part-time care worker and Scotland left-back Nicola Docherty. That same efficiency was on display at the Parc des Princes on Friday in a France team built around the treble‑winning stars of that Lyon side – but it can almost look cruel.
There is only one setting for any player at the six-time European champions, they play turned up all the way to 11 and then some – a testament to the elite professional environment they foster that is unmatched anywhere in the world in the women’s game. Thus it was fitting that the Lyon-bound Parris should be the player linking so resolutely with Bronze – who has been at the French club since 2017 – on England’s right.
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