France struck twice late in the first half, with Marie‑Antoinette Katoto converting a tap‑in before Sandy Baltimore curled a stunning effort into the top corner, all against the run of play after VAR disallowed Alessia Russo’s early goal. England showed late promise through Keira Walsh’s long‑range strike in the 87th minute but couldn’t salvage a result.
Captain Leah Williamson issues blunt assessment
Lionesses captain Leah Williamson delivered a direct summary via Goal.com: “We lost the game [with] poor defending one‑versus‑one … Not good enough with the ball, we weren’t good enough,” she stated, emphasising individual responsibility.”
On England’s defensive errors, she added: “We lost the game with cheap defending one‑v‑one … We learnt from those mistakes in fairness”. Her tough language underlines England’s need to regroup quickly ahead of their crucial match against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Tactical sparks and questions for Wiegman
Despite a spirited second half, defensive lapses dominated the performance. Critics have questioned coach Sarina Wiegman’s reluctance to make early substitutions and a cautious tactical setup. Lauren James struggled in midfield and England suffered from poor pressing and midfield balance.
Still, England rallied late, creating chances after Walsh’s goal and injecting urgency via substitutes Grace Clinton and Michelle Agyemang. Players like Georgia Stanway and Jess Carter came under scrutiny, with defensive discipline a key concern.
With the Netherlands looming, England require sharper defending, smarter substitutions and greater midfield clarity. Williamson and her teammates must erase the mistakes of Zurich and rediscover the composure that secured the Lionesses Euro 2022 glory.
Did you watch the game Gooners? I don’t think we could have gotten off to a worse start..
Your thoughts welcome in the comments below.
Michelle M
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The loss makes the next Mead – Miediema family derby more tense (Netherlands v England). Complacency may have cost them. Since the Arsenal players (6 in number) are the backbone of the team they didn’t get enough rest as they were engaged in UCL final v Barcelona. England team are definitely affected by late withdrawals of its key experienced players most notably goalie Earps and Chelsea captain. Spain and Argentina in WCs started losing but they finally won the trophy. There is still hope.
Tonight a make or break must see tie between England and Netherlands at 16 GMT. Netherlands feature 2 Arsenal players in Pelova and the goalie Van of course Miedema now plays for Man City. England team have 6 Arsenal players. If England loses, a swift return to the Switzerland airport.
Irresistible England 2-0 up at half time. Our girls however didn’t score. It seems all 3 teams may end up with 6 points each. Tough group!
6 Arsenal Women players with England progressed to the knock out phase after thumping Wales 6-1 Mead and Russo among the scorers. Congrats!