Five things we learnt as England lose to France in Euro 2025 opener

The Herald Scotland

3 days ago

Here is everything we learnt on the opening night of Group D…
No sign of a 'new England' as slow start proves costly
In 2022, England overcame a slow start against Austria to find momentum after an opening 1-0 win.
In 2023, England faced Haiti in their World Cup opener and mustered a 1-0 in a yet another slow start.
In 2025, the trend has continued but the opponent has proved much tougher as England were punished for their lethargy in a worrying first match in Switzerland.
While Sarina Wiegman spoke of a 'new England' prior to their clash with France, some habits prove too hard to shake as the tournament holders stuttered in the face of dynamic opposition.
Passes went awry, chances were left wasted and possession was ceded too easily on a night where Lionesses fans were dealt a chastening dose of reality.
The result turns the Netherlands fixture into a must-win game on Wednesday as Wiegman needs a result to ensure the 'new England' she is talking about is not just an iteration cannot live up to its predecessors.
Einstein is a go-go
'As Einstein said: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result,'' were the words of Laurent Bonadei when he selected his squad for the tournament.
After just one game, Bonadei's decision to drop Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer seems to be proving him right.
In a game that felt a must-win for either of the two side's progression from Group D, it was his France team that came out on top, and the 2-1 scoreline was more flattering on England's part.
After weathering a spate of early England chances that saw Lauren James blaze over and Alessia Russo and Lauren Hemp narrowly miss glancing a subsequent cross from the Chelsea player into the net, France gained control.
There was no sign that they were missing the presence of their talismanic stars as Selma Bacha, Delphine Cascarino and Sandy Baltimore ran riot down the wings.
It was from the wide areas that France found both goals, first as Cascarino found Marie-Antoinette Katoto at the back post off the right before Baltimore had the beating of Lucy Bronze on the left.
The French now take momentum into a game against Wales which they will expect to win, and by the time they meet the Netherlands they could well have already qualified for the knockouts.
Pace at the back still a problem
While England dominated early proceedings, as soon as momentum shifted they soon found themselves exposed at the back by a France side with an abundance of pace.
Jess Carter was started at left-back, likely in the hope that the added pace would help England to deal with the force of the stacked French attack.
But surrounded by poor passing and Lauren Hemp's lax tracking back, Carter looked exposed against the combination of attacking force from Cascarino and Elisa De Almeida's link-up.
Thanks for your fantastic support in Zürich and back home ❤️
Now it's time to recover and reset - we'll see you all on Wednesday, #Lionesses fans 👊 pic.twitter.com/DTp01jXvjM — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 5, 2025
The left-back was hauled at 60 minutes as Niamh Charles came on in her place but by that time the damage was done and the rest of the defence was not immune from criticism.
Captain Leah Williamson blamed individual errors and failing to win one v one battles, but in most instances those one v ones came down to a matter of pace, and nearly every time England came second.
Stuck in the Bronze Age
Sarina Wiegman's unwillingness to find a successor for Lucy Bronze felt more exposed than ever on a humid night in Zurich.
Bronze has often found success in her marauding role down the right, flying forward to assist in England's attacks just as much as their defence.
Against a side with attacking pace and power of France, however, such instincts might be better off curbed but in Zurich they proved as evident as ever.
And on this occasion, that came to the Lionesses' detriment.
The second goal, in particular, from Bronze's club teammate Baltimore proved most illustrative of the problems with her attacking tendencies.
Bronze was caught out of position when England lost possession in midfield, allowing Baltimore to get an advance on the Lionesses' right-back and surge into the box.
Defeat in our #WEURO2025 opener.
Our focus quickly turns to Wednesday and matchday two. pic.twitter.com/FLeTWvoXMV — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 5, 2025
In Bronze's attempt at recovery she managed to block the tackle of Leah Williamson and keep the ball in play, giving Baltimore the time and space to strike home with aplomb.
Even when the 33-year-old did get on the ball higher up the pitch, more often than not she was vulnerable to a turnover and found herself stranded.
It was a stubbornness to such play that left England exposed, and with little alternative other than centre-back Maya Le Tissier, it seems it is one they will persist with.
Agyemang over Aggie
Where Sarina Wiegman has previously stuck with a consistent complement of changes to impact the game off the bench - the trio of Russo, Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly a prime example at Euro 2022 - today she threw caution to the wind.
While Aggie Beever-Jones has been trusted as the substitute attacking pick in build-up games, it was Michelle Agyemang who was handed the reins against France.
At 2-0 down, the 19-year-old forward was subbed on to make an impact and added a renewed impetus to the England attack.
It was in those final 10 minutes, with four attackers on the pitch, that the Lionesses looked most likely to score - and so they did through a Walsh strike from range.
And had they had more time, it did not seem beyond the realms of possibility that Agyemang would have helped them to a second.
'We have to focus on that 10 minutes that we did have at the end and take that into the next game,' Jess Carter reflected.
'[Agyemang] is an incredible talent and, even better, she's an incredible person.
'Having someone like her to bring on, I think that we do have depth in our subs and the players that came on today really showed that and made a really big impact.'