Women’s Euro 2025: France 2-1 England – Report, result and goals as Lionesses follow Wales with opening loss

France edged past England in their opening Euro 2025 clash, picking up a 2-1 win in a match that saw drama, disallowed goals, and a flurry of late chances for the Lionesses.

Goals from Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore gave the hosts a first-half advantage that England couldn’t quite recover from, despite a spirited second-half fightback and a goal from Keira Walsh.

The match began at a frantic pace, as both sides looked to impose themselves early. England were the first to threaten, with Lauren James narrowly missing the target in the opening minute following a neat setup from Alessia Russo.

Moments later, it appeared the Lionesses had taken the lead when Russo found the net in the 16th minute, but her goal was chalked off after a VAR review confirmed Beth Mead was offside in the buildup.

France capitalised on the reprieve, gradually growing into the game and asserting control through the dynamic midfield duo of Grace Geyoro and Oriane Jean-Francois.

Their efforts paid off in the 36th minute when Delphine Cascarino led a blistering counterattack, whipping in a cross for Katoto to slot home from close range, giving France a 1-0 lead.

Just three minutes later, the French doubled their advantage. This time it was Baltimore who reacted quickest inside the six-yard box, smashing the ball into the top corner after the England defence failed to clear their lines.

Defeat in our #WEURO2025 opener.

Our focus quickly turns to Wednesday and matchday two. pic.twitter.com/FLeTWvoXMV

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 5, 2025

The Lionesses went into the break trailing 2-0, frustrated and with work to do.

England responded in the second half with a triple substitution just before the hour mark, introducing Ella Toone, Chloe Kelly, and Niamh Charles.

These changes added energy to the visitors’ attack, with Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead continuing to pose problems down the flanks.

The match’s tempo remained high as both sides exchanged blows. Katoto and Geyoro both went close to extending France’s lead, but England keeper Hannah Hampton pulled off a fine string of saves.

At the other end, Ella Toone had two shots blocked in quick succession after a dangerous cross from Hemp, and Grace Clinton tried her luck from distance but missed the target.

England finally found a breakthrough in the 87th minute. Following a corner that France failed to clear, Keira Walsh was on hand to rifle a right-footed shot past Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and into the bottom corner, setting up a tense finish.

The Lionesses piled on the pressure in stoppage time, launching wave after wave of attacks. Michelle Agyemang and Russo had shots blocked, while Clinton and Hemp both came agonisingly close to equalising in the dying moments. However, France held on to secure the win, despite finishing the match with their backs to the wall.

The result was a bitter pill to swallow for Sarina Wiegman’s side, who showed plenty of promise but were ultimately undone by two moments of quality in the first half.

The reigning champions now have work to do if they are to make it out of their group.

Wales 0-3 Netherlands

⏰ FT | 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 0-3 🇳🇱

Defeat in our opening game at #WEURO2025 in Lucerne.

— Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@Cymru) July 5, 2025

Wales fell to a clinical Netherlands side, with the Dutch claiming a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Vivianne Miedema, Victoria Pelova, and Esmee Brugts.

After a promising start from Wales, who forced several early corners, it was the Dutch who struck first in stoppage time of the first half.

Miedema opened the scoring with a finish from outside the box, giving the Netherlands a 1-0 lead going into the break.

The visitors doubled their advantage just three minutes into the second half, with Pelova firing low into the bottom corner following a neat assist from Danielle van de Donk, who had a hand in all three goals.

Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark produced several strong saves throughout the match, including efforts to deny Jill Roord and Lineth Beerensteyn.

However, she could do little to stop the third goal in the 57th minute, as Brugts pounced from close range after a goalmouth scramble from a corner.

Despite the defeat, Wales had opportunities of their own. Gemma Evans headed narrowly wide, while Rachel Rowe and Josie Green saw efforts blocked from distance.

Injuries largely disrupted Wales’ rhythm in the second half, with both Ceri Holland and Olivia Clark also treatment.

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