England Women’s defence of their European Championship title got off to a disappointing start as they fell 2-1 to France in their Group D opener at the Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich. This marked the first time a reigning champion has lost their opening match in the subsequent tournament.
France dominated much of the game, capitalizing on England’s defensive lapses. Marie-Antoinette Katoto opened the scoring in the 36th minute, finishing a well-worked move initiated by Delphine Cascarino. Just three minutes later, Sandy Baltimore doubled the lead, shrugging off challenges from Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze before slotting the ball home.
England had a brief moment of hope in the 16th minute when Alessia Russo found the net, but the goal was disallowed after VAR ruled Beth Mead offside in the build-up. Despite a late surge, the Lionesses struggled to break down a resilient French defence.
Keira Walsh provided a glimmer of hope for England in the 87th minute, firing home from a cleared corner for her second international goal. The Lionesses pushed for an equalizer, with Lauren Hemp’s effort cleared off the line and substitute Michelle Agyemang showing promise, but it wasn’t enough to salvage a point.
“We were outplayed in key moments,” said England manager Sarina Wiegman. “We need to regroup and focus on our next matches against the Netherlands and Wales to keep our hopes alive in the tournament.”
With this defeat, England sits third in Group D and faces an uphill battle to secure a spot in the knockout stages. France, meanwhile, will look to build on their strong start as the competition progresses.
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