France 2-1 England: Off-colour Lionesses crumble in Euros opener as Les Bleus dominate in Zurich | OneFootball

England rued the losses of some senior squad members ahead of the tournament

The Lionesses’ Euros title defence got off to a dreadful start on Saturday night as they were played off the park by France, falling to a 2-1 defeat in Zurich.

The final score flattered England. France lacked a clinical edge throughout the tie, and could, or rather should, have scored more than they did.

It was a rude awakening for Sarina Wiegman’s side, who appeared to be in good spirits and on fine form after beating Jamaica 7-0 in a pre-tournament friendly.

But that result turned out to be mere paper over cracks. The Lionesses endured a fraught training camp before flying to Switzerland, marred by the international retirements of the long-serving Mary Earps and Fran Kirby, while Chelsea’s Millie Bright also made herself unavailable.

As French goals began to fly in Zurich, England were crying out for their big game nous.

Sandy Baltimore doubles France’s lead

AP

The tie started reasonably well for England. Their play was positive and passing snappy, with Lauren James appearing bright off the mark as she returned to the starting lineup following a hamstring injury.

The tide changed after Alessia Russo saw an early opener ruled out for a hairline offside, though. England’s confidence was knocked, and France, who had been slow to start, took it as a wake-up call.

From that point on, Les Bleus excelled and England were at sea. After a period of sustained pressure, the Lionesses were caught out in transition and France opened the scoring on the break through Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who tapped Delphine Cascarino’s cross home from close range.

The advantage became two moments later. Sandy Baltimore drove at her Chelsea teammate Lucy Bronze, sending the veteran full-back scrambling before lashing a venomous finish past another Blues teammate in Hannah Hampton.

An unthreatening corner was England’s last contribution of the first half. They went in at the break without registering a shot on target, save for Russo’s disallowed effort.

There was scant improvement after the break - the Lionesses remained out of sorts.

Arsenal’s Beth Mead played Katoto in behind with a bafflingly wayward back pass for what should have been France’s third of the night. Shortly after, Hannah Hampton, usually a cool presence between the sticks, dropped a cross to the feet of Kadidiatou Diani, leaving her back line to scramble a panicked ‘anywhere will do’ clearance.

The issues persisted at the opposite end, too - with 80 minutes played, England still had not managed a shot on target, while France boasted 14.

The substitute Ella Toone forced a corner with England’s first shot on target of the evening, which Walsh finished from the edge of the box to halve England’s deficit, but, try as they might, there was not enough time to complete the comeback.

Their Euros campaign will get no easier next time out when they face the Netherlands, who sit atop the table after beating Wales 3-0. It is back to the drawing board for Wiegman.