The England Women’s Football Team suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat against the France Women’s Football Team in their opening match of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2024 tournament. What a way to end the weekend, history was made on Sunday! For England, it would be the first time a defending champion lost their opening match in a follow-on tournament. Captain Leah Williamson reacted to the display with disappointment, admitting that they “weren’t good enough”.
The loss is a bitter pill to swallow for the England side. They’ll have to be re-grouping quickly, though, as a tough test vs the Netherlands Women’s Football Team comes in only four days. Head coach Sarina Wiegman admitted that there is a lot to improve on and said that the team were rather sloppy throughout the game.
A Tough Challenge Against a Strong Opponent
France’s victory came as no surprise, given their status as one of the top teams in women’s football. Ranked fifth in the world, they displayed poise and finesse from start to finish. The French are the reigning champions of the last Euros, further raising the stakes for England.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto got France’s scoring started early on in the first half, putting an early goal away. That was quickly followed by Sandy Baltimore’s second goal, which doubled France’s lead and forced England onto the ropes. Even with the best effort in the world, England consistently lost possession and had many unforced errors, which are always a recipe for disaster.
“England are a really good team,” – Laurent Bonadei, head coach of France Women’s Football Team.
This diplomatic language belies the awe at the breadth of England’s talents. It casts a sad light upon the hard struggles they faced in their mission on the pitch.
Reflections on Performance
After the final whistle, Sarina Wiegman faced the press, admitting where her team had gone wrong. She said that although the story was looking good at first for England, the national overall strategy wasn’t pulling through.
“We learned from those mistakes in fairness and grew into the game, but on the ball we were not good enough. We got better as they tired, we took advantage of that, but not enough.” – Sarina Wiegman
Wiegman said there would be a focus on their opportunities to get better. They were never able to capitalize on those opportunities against a resilient French side.
Leah Williamson wasn’t certainly not for repeating her coach’s thoughts about England’s need to grow and develop as a team. For Canada, she highlighted some key defensive lapses that were very punishing in their game against France.
“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
Williamson’s frank evaluation of their defensive breakdowns. Today’s featured player, he focuses on what needs to be at the top of their minds as they get ready for their upcoming game.
Looking Ahead
England now have just four days to prepare for their next clash against the Netherlands. They must rapidly change course and address their tactical failures. Their next match against Ghana, now a must-win situation, will be key to keeping their hopes of advancing to the knockout tournament stage alive.
The pressure couldn’t be greater for Wiegman’s team as they look to recover from this disappointment. Another big win over the Netherlands, though, will be critical to keep them alive and in contention to advance out of their group.
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