France withstands late comeback to secure victory against defending champions England in EURO 2025 opener

France maintained their impressive form, stretching their winning streak to nine games across all competitions with a 2-1 victory over reigning champions England in Zurich during their opening match of EURO 2025.

England took a bold step by including Lauren James in the starting lineup after an extended injury layoff, a gamble that nearly paid off immediately when she sent an effort just over the bar within the first minute.

Having scored before the half-time whistle in their last eight matches, the Lionesses thought they had secured another early goal when Alessia Russo netted from a rebound after Pauline Peyraud-Magnin parried Lauren Hemp’s initial shot, only for the goal to be ruled out due to Beth Mead being offside in the lead-up.

From this point, France began to assert their dominance, with Sakina Karchaoui nearly finding the net with a clever lob that brushed the side-netting.

France eventually broke the deadlock when Marie-Antoinette Katoto deftly finished off a cross from Delphine Cascarino.

They swiftly managed to double their advantage before half-time, as a lapse in concentration from Lucy Bronze allowed her Chelsea teammate Sandy Baltimore to cut inside and unleash a powerful shot into the top corner.

England may feel aggrieved by a potential foul in the build-up to that goal, but the scoreline was justified, with the reigning champions visibly disheartened as the match concluded.

As the second half began, the pattern continued with Elisa De Almeida testing the side-netting after cutting inside, and a poor backpass from Mead exposed Grace Geyoro, though Hannah Hampton managed to recover well after initially spilling the shot.

Eventually, England did find a consolation goal, as Keira Walsh struck accurately from the edge of the penalty area to reduce the deficit.

However, it came too late for the Lionesses, who suffered their fourth defeat in 11 games across all competitions, while Les Bleues celebrated a sixth consecutive victory in their opening game at the European Championships.