Current title holders England faced a 2-1 defeat against France in their Euro 2025 opener in Zurich, despite Keira Walsh scoring a late goal.
Lauren James made a comeback to Sarina Wiegman’s starting lineup and England thought they had scored first against the 2022 semi-finalists but had an early Alessia Russo goal disallowed after a VAR check.
Instead, Marie-Antoinette Katoto scored the opening goal in the 36th minute before Sandy Baltimore from Chelsea doubled France’s lead three minutes later.
Late substitutions injected energy into the Lionesses in the final moments of the game and Walsh gave them hope by reducing the deficit in the 87th minute, but they couldn't secure a draw.
With England men’s head coach Thomas Tuchel observing from the stands, James was active right from the start, taking a shot from inside France’s penalty area in the opening minute, which went off target. Three minutes later, the Chelsea forward was creating chances around the edge of the box, crossing the ball just out of reach of several England players.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton had her debut in a major tournament when she collected Selma Bacha’s free-kick, earning applause from the England onlookers behind her.
Russo thought she had scored after following up on Lauren Hemp’s saved attempt, but a VAR check revealed Beth Mead had been slightly offside in the build-up to Hemp’s shot, leading to the goal being disallowed.
The momentum shifted in France’s favor as they pressed forward, with Hampton making a crucial save to deny Elisa De Almeida.
It was Paris St Germain defender, Elisa De Almeida, who made the crucial interception in midfield, setting up Delphine Cascarino with a well-placed pass for the opener.
Cascarino then delivered a cross to Katoto, who tapped in the opening goal.
Baltimore extended their lead three minutes later, getting past Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze before scoring in the top right corner.
In the second half, France continued to threaten, with Hampton stopping Grace Geyoro's shot but fumbling the save, recovering just in time to prevent further damage.
James was substituted after 60 minutes as part of a triple change by Wiegman.
As the game progressed, it seemed that time was running out for England, until Grace Clinton made her major tournament debut in the 77th minute, followed by Michelle Agyemang a few minutes later.
However, England found a spark late in the game, with substitute Ella Toone almost scoring to reduce the deficit.
Walsh managed to pull one back after France failed to clear an England corner, guiding a shot past Pauline Peyraud-Magnin from outside the box to keep England's hopes alive.
Despite the late resurgence, England couldn't salvage a draw with five minutes of added time not being enough for them to find an equalizer.