60 min: A triple change by England. James, Mead and Carter make way for Kelly, Toone and Charles.
France v England: Women’s Euro 2025 – live | Women’s Euro 2025
Published: 2025-07-05 21:25:50 | Views: 11
Key events
59 min: Baltimore has been quiet since the restart, but now she slips Karchaoui into space down the left. Karchaoui’s low shot-cum-cross is feathered away from the danger-zone by Hampton. England hearts in mouths for a second there.
57 min: James wins a corner down the right. Mead passes it along the line to Hemp, on the corner of the six-yard box. France are dozing. She spins and takes a snapshot that’s going wide, but Katoto is taking no chances and turns out of play for another corner. Nothing comes of the second one. That was quick thinking by Mead and Hemp; just a shame the resulting shot was a bit of a scuff.
55 min: Bronze nutmegs Bacha, which is a lovely moment of skill, but doesn’t lead anywhere.
54 min: Mead ships possession cheaply to Katoto, who feeds Geyoro down the left channel. Geyoro enters the box with only Hampton to beat. Hampton does just enough, the ball squeezing under her body but, the pace taken off, dribbling towards the line, allowing the keeper to swivel and smother.
53 min: England have enjoyed 57 percent of possession so far tonight. They’ve not enjoyed much else.
52 min: De Almeida sends Hemp the wrong way as she enters the England box from the right flank. She’s got options in the middle, but lashes a shot into the side netting. She apologies to her team-mates. England immediately counter, Hemp romping up the left and hooking infield for Russo, who miscontrols and fails to get a shot away. Half a chance for England there, with France light at the back.
51 min: This half has started, but it hasn’t really started. France will be perfectly content as the clock turns.
49 min: Mead makes good down the inside-right channel, but she’s cut across Karchaoui in doing so, and the referee pulls her up for a foul. England are clearly still sore about the Lakrar tackle, because Mead is incensed at what seems a fair-enough decision, while Sarina Wiegman throws some irritated shapes on the sidelines. England need to clear their heads.
47 min: A scrappy start to the half. “Unfortunately, Stanway has done nothing except make a poor intercepted pass, which led to the first French goal,” writes Peter Gartner. “Stanway off, Toone on. Also, we need some Beever-Jones.”
France get the second half underway. No changes. “I feel bad to single anyone out,” begins Zach Neeley, “but I don’t see how England survive with Carter playing like this. It’s not doing her any favours leaving her out there.”
Meanwhile here’s Tom Garry’s half-time dispatch.
It is very rare to see Sarina Wiegman argue with any officials, like she did with the fourth official after France’s second goal was given. That is possibly the angriest I have seen her, in her four years as England head coach.
Now she has some big tactical decisions to make. England have the players on the bench to turn this around, and this is where Wiegman and her staff will need to earn the big bucks. This game isn’t necessarily over. But France are controlling the midfield now and something needs to be changed.
ITV’s pundits aren’t pulling any punches. Emma Hayes reckons “England have been bullied all over the pitch”, a point a livid Karen Carney picks up and runs with when asked about the Maëlle Lakrar challenge on Alessia Russo that led to Sandy Baltimore twisting the blood of Lucy Bronze and captain Leah Williamson.
“Initially I thought it was a foul but that was the English side of me … being brutally honest, it wasn’t a foul … we’ve been bullied all over the pitch … it looks like we’ve never played together … it’s not a foul … France have been physical … it was unacceptable from a defensive perspective … come on Leah, you’re better than that … France have been superb … I’m really annoyed … this is our trophy and they’ve come and bullied us.”
Think Roy Keane after a Manchester United home defeat, then take it up a couple of notches. Magnificent entertainment, if not exactly the sort England fans will have tuned in for.
Half-time postbag. “England made a meal of defending that first French goal, so it’s no surprise that Marie-Antoinette’s beaming face had ‘Let them eat cake’ written all over it” – Peter Oh
“Like a team used to weak tea, England can’t handle the French press. In the minutes leading up the second goal, Lionesses were barely able to get out of their penalty box, let alone cross the halfway line” – Kári Tulinius
“I’m sitting here in my flat, just one kilometre as the crow flies from the Letzigrund. I expect to hear you cheering all the way over here! Let me say, it’s such a joy to have my favourite football commentators in my home country. Welcome, friends! As for the heat: go for a swim in the lake or river in the morning – just be careful, and do shower afterwards, the duck fleas are back! As for eating out – just don’t, it’s far too expensive. And please, don’t even think about having fondue in this heat – it’ll be the death of you. Head to Migros, grab some bits, and have a picnic in the park” – Bettina Stehli
HALF TIME: France 2-0 England
… nothing occurs. The toughest group just got even tougher for the reigning champions. Big second half for the defence of their title coming up. Already.
45 min +5: Stanway’s speculative shot is deflected out for a corner on the right. From which …
45 min +4: France seem happy enough to sit back, hold their shape, and wait for the break.
45 min +3: Walsh tries to release Stanway with a cute pass down the right channel, but her team-mate is on the back foot and the ball rolls out of play for a goal kick. Pained England expressions all round.
45 min +2: England have yet to register a shot on target. They did score a disallowed goal, to be fair, but rules are rules. “The fullbacks are not having good games but I really don’t think they are getting much if any help from their wingers,” argues Henry Miller. “Hemp in particular has let Carter be isolated and not tracked back enough.”
45 min: … but that’s not going to happen, because there will be five additional minutes of first-half play.
44 min: England desperately need something before the break, and Mead advances down the right. Her cross is aimless, but headed behind for a corner anyway. However the set piece is no use, easily cleared by France. England look stunned. In fact it’s probably best for them if the half-time whistle comes quicksmart.
43 min: In any case, France still had loads to do, and the defending by Williamson and especially Bronze was dismal. The full-backs are having a nightmare.
42 min: Sarina Wiegman is livid at the decision, and gives the assistant referee the what-for. But the tackle happened right in front of the referee, and having seen nothing wrong with it in real time, she’s not of a mind to change her decision.
40 min: There’s a VAR check for a possible foul on Russo. But it’s one of those hard-but-fair 50-50 challenges. Lakrar simply caught Russo dozing and barged her off the ball. The goal stands.
GOAL! France 2-0 England (Baltimore 39)
Lakrar wins a crunching tackle on Russo in the centre circle, then sends France off on another attack. Baltimore dribbles in from the left, reaches the byline by brushing off Bronze and Williamson with absurd ease, cuts back, swivels and lashes spectacularly into the top-right corner! This scoreline doesn’t flatter France.
38 min: Cascarino starts another France attack down the right. Her cross isn’t so pinpoint this time. England can’t keep on like this, though. Cascarino has the run of the right flank.
GOAL! France 1-0 England (Katoto 36)
Cascarino has been the boss of Carter down the right, and she once again finds acres of space. She rolls into the six-yard box. Katoto, racing in from the other flank, slots easily from a couple of yards. Simple as that. And it had been coming. Both England full-backs – Bronze and especially Carter – are being given the runaround.
35 min: James shoves Bacha to the floor from behind. Bacha falls awkwardly and wants treatment, but France play on anyway, Cascarino finding more space down the right. She cuts back to nobody, then play is stopped so Bacha can get some treatment.
33 min: Baltimore crosses from the left. Cascarino heads down for De Almeida, who shoots hard towards the bottom right. Hampton saves brilliantly with an extended leg, but the offside flag goes up so it wouldn’t have counted anyway. That’s good goalkeeping, though.
31 min: James tries to release Bronze down the right but seriously overhits the pass. Goal kick. Since the disallowed goal, England have gone quiet as an attacking force.
29 min: Baltimore skips past Bronze on the left, and cuts back to … nobody. The ball’s hacked clear. But France come again, Karchaoui and Cascarino combining crisply down the right before cutting back for Bacha, who attempts to catch out Hampton with a dipping shot towards the top-left corner. Hampton is on point this time to claim.
27 min: Cascarino works down the right and has her cross handled by Carter. A free kick that’s in effect a corner. The set piece is sent towards the far stick. Katoto wins a header, but it’s a weak one, and easy for Hampton. A nervy couple of minutes for England as France re-establish that earlier dominance.
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