England's Euros Title Defence Starts Poorly With 2-1 Loss To France In Zurich

Add as a preferred source on Google

England's Leah Williamson expressed disappointment after their 2-1 loss to France in Zurich, marking the start of their Euros title defence. This defeat was England's first under Sarina Wiegman at a European Championship. Despite some promising moments, England struggled to challenge France consistently throughout the match.

France capitalised on England's defensive lapses, scoring two quick goals. Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored from close range in the 36th minute, and Sandy Baltimore doubled the lead three minutes later. Keira Walsh offered late hope with a long-range goal in the 87th minute, but England couldn't find an equaliser.

Alessia Russo thought she had given England the lead when she scored from a rebound after Lauren Hemp's shot was saved. However, the goal was disallowed due to a tight offside call against Beth Mead. This setback allowed France to take control and secure their victory.

Williamson didn't hold back in her assessment of England's performance. "We lost a game. Cheap defending one-v-one. Not good enough," she told ITV. She acknowledged that while they improved as the game progressed, their ball control was lacking.

This defeat marked Sarina Wiegman's first loss at a European Championship, having previously led her teams to 12 consecutive victories, including winning the title with the Netherlands in 2017. In her managerial career across major tournaments, this was only her third defeat in 27 games.

Wiegman expressed her disappointment with the result and noted that England started well but faltered by playing short passes that benefited France. "I think we can do better," she stated, emphasising the need for improvement and avoiding mistakes in future matches.

Upcoming Challenges for England

England now faces a challenging path in Group D as they prepare to play against the Netherlands next. The Oranje are currently leading the group after defeating Wales 3-0 earlier on Saturday. England must regroup quickly to improve their chances of advancing.

The Lionesses managed just two shots on target from their 12 attempts during the match against France, both occurring in the final ten minutes. Their expected goals (xG) were only 0.9 compared to France's 2.3, highlighting their struggles in creating clear opportunities.

Williamson reflected on England's performance: "When you lose the ball... you're in emergency defending... it's tough." She stressed that despite these challenges, they hold themselves to high standards and aim to learn from this experience.

The team is determined to recover and focus on their upcoming match against the Netherlands on Wednesday. They understand that sticking together and improving is crucial for their success moving forward.