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The folded bodies of the players in white shirts at the close told the story. England were lacklustre and they are down, but they are not out. The Lionesses kicked off their European title defence with a 2-1 defeat by an impressive France team, delivering Sarina Wiegman’s first major tournament defeat outside a final.
After a promising and pressing start fell away, Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore delivered for a resurgent France, Keira Walsh’s late strike from a corner reducing the reigning European champions’ blushes. A late charge was not enough and England have a lot of work to do to escape the tournament’s group of death.
There had been a cautious optimism around England fans in the buildup, a feeling that the holders would be able to assert their authority on the competition in the showpiece of the opening set of fixtures. In the French press, pessimism was the order of the day, the unceremonious dropping of the long-term captain, Wendie Renard, and the record goalscorer, Eugénie Le Sommer, the key talking point. It felt like an even more outrageous decision with Griedge Mbock struggling to shake off a calf problem that Laurent Bonadei all but confirmed ruled her out of their first match. The manager had provoked some raised eyebrows when he quoted Einstein in reply to questions about Renard’s omission for the first time since 2005, saying the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again. He had a point: the French had played 26 games at the Women’s Euros before this fixture but have never made the final. They have been perennial underachievers, awash with individual talent but crippled by off the field issues, dressing room controversy and poor coaching.
The ferocity with which England burst out of the blocks at a balmy Stadion Letzigrund in front of 22,542 fans will not have eased French nerves and they were lucky to not be behind inside the opening minute. While Renard’s absence dominated French headlines, the potential return of Lauren James – and the price of everything in Switzerland – was the talk of England’s media and fans. Her name in the starting XI was an extremely welcome sight, the forward, a generational talent, having played just 30 minutes of football in three months, when she came on against Jamaica in England’s sendoff game last Sunday.
It was James who almost caught France out. England’s press won the ball and Alessia Russo found space down the right to cut back for James, who fired wildly over inside 39 seconds.
She was the outlet in a blistering opening 20 minutes for the defending champions, soon making a powerful run followed by a beautiful and testing cross into the middle with which neither Russo or Beth Mead could quite connect.
Wiegman’s side thought they had the lead in the 16th minute and it would have been deserved, Russo firing a rebound past Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, who had saved from Lauren Hemp. A video assistant referee check ruled it out for an offside in the buildup, but replays and stills were confusing, suggesting the most hairline of calls.
There was a cagier period after the disallowed goal, the wind seemingly out of England’s sails a little, and the French began to settle, finding joy out wide, particularly on the right against a somewhat bullied Jess Carter. A fine instinctive save from the foot of Hannah Hampton, freshly handed the No 1 shirt full time after the retirement of Mary Earps, spared England, although VAR also intervened for an offside.
The goal was coming, though. England’s passing was, put kindly, sloppy and France were quick to capitalise. Stanway was the culprit for the opener, her short pass pounced on by Élisa De Almeida. The full-back released Delphine Cascarino, who was untroubled by Carter, and pinged a cross in towards Katoto, who turned the ball coolly in.
It was a bruising move. Six minutes later Les Bleues had a second and more calamitous defending proved costly. Lucy Bronze raced in to assist Leah Williamson as she tracked Baltimore but the full-back made a hash of her tackle and ended up on the floor poking the ball back to the Chelsea forward, who slammed across goal and in.
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England were rattled and France just looked hungrier. It took until the hour mark for Wiegman to make changes and it felt overdue: James, who was kept quiet after that blistering start, was hooked for Ella Toone, Mead made way for Chloe Kelly and Carter was spared facing forward Kadidiatou Diani, one of three France substitutions, when she was replaced by Charles.
Concerningly, England just looked a little lost, unable to adapt to counteract the fluidity of the cohesive French.
Toone fired wide late on, the ball taking a deflection on the way, and Wiegman played her hail Mary, sending on the 19-year-old Arsenal forward Michelle Agyemang as they waited to take the corner. The set piece was cleared as far as Walsh, who fired in from the edge of the box.
Agyemang caused problems for the French defence, but she just didn’t have enough time. All is not lost. As Bronze pointed out in the buildup, England lost to France in their opening game of the 2015 World Cup before going on to record their best ever tournament run at the time, when they suffered semi-final heartbreak against Japan. The difference now is the strength of the group. They face the Netherlands next, who earned a 3-0 win over Wales in the early kick-off, before the home nations battle it out.
