England’s women’s national football team found hope and a home as they opened Euro 2025 qualifying. Unfortunately, they recently endured a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat with France’s late goal sealing their opening game loss. The friendly match at Stade de la Beaujoire in Nantes, which saw England losing 4-0, exposed deep flaws in England’s defensive game. This disturbing display put their advancement in the tournament in serious doubt.
The match couldn’t have started worse for England, who were looking to carry their momentum from winning Euro 2022 into the World Cup. It fast went downhill once France gained the momentum during the match. Marie-Antoinette Katoto opened the scoring for the French side and Sandy Baltimore doubled their lead shortly thereafter. It wasn’t enough though, with a late equalizer from England’s Keira Walsh proving too little, too late.
France Takes Command Early
France’s win was the result of a masterful performance that put England on their heels from the get-go. Katoto’s stunning opening goal after just 29 minutes set England’s backline on notice, exposing early frailties. From there, Baltimore picked up the go-ahead goal, taking advantage of the defensive lapses that had haunted England all game long.
As smoothly as the French side controlled the final, their tactical superiority, led by coach Laurent Bonadei, was never in question. He praised England for their capabilities, stating that they are “a really good team” and noted their previous success in the last Euros.
“We lost a game. Cheap defending one vs one. Not good enough. We couldn’t keep it in the areas we needed to keep it.” – Leah Williamson
At times, when England did attempt to play through the lines they were unable to control possession and their passing lacked crispness. The team had a hard time capitalizing on their opportunities. That was evident when Alessia Russo had a goal ruled out by VAR as Beth Mead was offside in the buildup.
“England are a really good team. They are fifth in the world rankings and won the last Euros so we have to respect this team.” – Laurent Bonadei
England Struggles in Key Moments
England head coach Sarina Wiegman said she was “disappointed” with the result.
After the game, Wiegman stressed the need for the team to learn from this experience, especially when it comes to staying calm in key moments.
“I’m very disappointed about the result. I thought we started really well, scored a goal and unfortunately, it didn’t count.” – Sarina Wiegman
Her second international goal came during the 87th minute, putting an exclamation point on a tremendous late surge. Unfortunately, it was too little to earn England a point. The match exposed a defensive fragility that will be harmful as they go deeper into the tournament.
With this defeat, England are now in a very precarious position in Euro 2025’s Group D. From here, they’d need to win their next two matches against the Netherlands and Wales to progress. Only then will they have any hope of advancing deeper into the tournament.
Looking Ahead: Crucial Matches Await
Williamson noted how England improved as France tired in the later stages of the match. It was still not enough improvement to swing the result.
The pressure will be on Wiegman and her squad as their focus shifts to these crucial games. The football team will have to clean up their defensive struggles and sloppy play overall if they want to hang with top-tier teams.
“We got better as they tired, we took advantage of that, but not enough.” – Leah Williamson
The pressure will mount on Wiegman and her squad as they prepare for these key matches. The team will need to address their defensive issues and improve their overall gameplay to contend with strong opponents.
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