Hansen shoots Norway to brink of quarters, France pip England
- Last updated: July 7, 2025 | 10:18
France staked their claim to be contenders for Women's Euro 2025 by beating holders England 2-1 on Saturday and joining the Netherlands at the top of Group D.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore netted within three minutes of each other towards the end of the first half as Les Bleues deservedly defeated England in Zurich.
Laurent Bonadei's team are level on three points with leaders the Dutch, who cruised past Wales 3-0 earlier on Saturday, after striking a big blow in the battle to qualify from possibly the hardest group at the tournament.
France face underdogs Wales next on Wednesday while England have a huge clash with the Netherlands, again at the Letzigrund Stadium.
The French were better all over the pitch, driven by the sparkling wing play of Baltimore and Delphine Cascarino, while Keira Walsh's lovely strike with three minutes remaining made the scoreline flatter unconvincing England.
Not even Lauren James' return to the starting XI could inspire England, the Chelsea star way below her best as the Lionesses struggled to put any pressure on France until it was too late.
Alessia Russo thought she had given England the lead in the 16th minute when she prodded home on the rebound after Pauline Peyraud-Magnin kept out Lauren Hemp's shot, only for the goal to be ruled out for a razor-thin offside in the build-up.
From there, France took the initiative, pushing England back into their own half and dominating possession, and they had a deserved lead through Katoto in the 36th minute when the Lyon forward guided home Cascarino's low cross.
And three minutes later Baltimore made the scoreline accurately represent the balance of play with a wonderful individual goal, easily skipping around Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson before rifling her finish into the top corner.
Walsh found the top corner with England's first strike on target and Sarina Wiegman's team almost snatched a point in the dying moments when Selma Bacha cleared Michelle Agyemang's shot off the line and saved the result for France.
Meanwhile, England forward Lauren Hemp urged team unity following the Lionesses' disappointing 2-1 defeat by France in their Euro 2025 opener, as the reigning champions face the Netherlands on Wednesday with the risk of an early exit looming.
"I'd probably say it's more of an arm around each other (than calling each other out)," Hemp told reporters on Sunday. "When times are tough, we've had difficult conversations on the pitch at times. I think after it, off it, you've got to come together rather than push each other further apart.
"I think that's what this team is good at, is getting around each other and supporting each other, because obviously we're then going to need everyone back up to their best on Wednesday."
Captain Leah Williamson had said England were undone by a "cheap sort of emotional defending" against a France team that ran circles around them for most of the night.
England do have a history of slow starts in tournaments, such as their narrow victories over Austria at Euro 2022 and Haiti at the 2023 World Cup, where they eventually reached the final. Hemp emphasised the team's ability to rise to the occasion.
"We thrive under pressure," Hemp said. "Every game we go into we want to win, and from how we acted the last 10 minutes of the game, we know what's at stake, and we obviously want to get as far as we can, and we are reigning champions that is important to remember that and gain confidence from that."
The team held a light training session on Sunday at their Zurich base, with Hemp and other starters observing while more rested players trained. The session was open to local girls from clubs and schools as part of a thank-you gesture, with players posing for selfies and signing shirts afterward.
Hemp, along with teammates Alex Greenwood, Georgia Stanway, and Lauren James, returned to action after extended injury absences. Hemp, who underwent two knee surgeries since November, acknowledged the challenges of regaining form but highlighted the team's collective experience.
"A lot of us have had a big amount of time out, and it has obviously been gutting for us," the 24-year-old said. "We have missed most of the season, but we've also had four or five games to get up to scratch, and I think it's no excuse really.
"We're all in this as a team, and we've got so much experience on the pitch, even though I've been out for seven months, I also played six years (for England), so it's important to remember that and take confidence from it.
"Obviously, we're going to be a bit rusty, but everyone's going to be a bit rusty, so we're all in the same boat."
Earlier, Vivianne Miedema scored her 100th international goal as the Netherlands swept past Wales to take the initiative in the group.
Manchester City striker Miedema opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time in Lucerne with a beautiful curling strike, completing her century of goals for her country.
Victoria Pelova and Esmee Brugts netted the other goals after the break to give Wales a rude awakening in their major tournament debut.
"They defended really well and I'm glad my goal helped to start it all up," said Miedema.
"In the second half, you saw that we can play a bit more, and eventually we also scored two really good goals."
Andries Jonker's team are top on goal difference while Wales already have their work cut out to qualify.
Rhian Wilkinson's side could easily have been behind before Miedema, who was a doubt for the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury in April, struck, as Jill Roord crashed a rocket of a shot off the post in the 35th minute.
Agencies