Sarina Wiegman's side fell short at St James' Park on Friday as Elisa De Almeida and Marie-Antoinette Katoto punished poor set piece defending
Perhaps England should've known it wouldn't be their day against France on Friday when Mary Earps suffered what appeared to be a hip injury with less than 45 seconds on the clock. A simple passing motion left the Lionesses' No.1 wincing in pain and though their fortunes briefly improved when Beth Mead put them ahead at St James' Park, an eventual 2-1 defeat to Les Bleues was the result of a disappointing display.
Things just didn't click for Sarina Wiegman's side in this match. There were nice moments, such as Mead's composed finish and a shot of hers later in the first half which forced Pauline Peyraud-Magnin into a sublime stop, but there were too few of these. There were no huge defensive errors that cost them, either, in what was just a flat performance. Instead, it was an inability to defend set pieces that hurt the Lionesses.
There was little they could do about Elisa De Almeida's stunning volley from a first half corner, except perhaps avoid conceding the dead ball situation, but failure to clear their lines from another in the second period was damaging and eventually led to Marie-Antoinette Katoto's skillful, sweeping finish. This was only England's first defeat in seven games, and first in the qualifying for Euro 2025, but after a draw against Sweden at Wembley in their first game in this competition, it leaves them third in a group of four ahead of a very difficult return game with the French on Tuesday.
GOAL rates the Lionesses' players from St James' Park…
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Mary Earps (N/A):
Limped off with what looked to be a hip injury after only eight minutes.
Lucy Bronze (6/10):
Got forward plenty and linked up well with Mead down the right to cause France problems. Not troubled much defensively.
Millie Bright (5/10):
Looked rusty here despite ending the season with Chelsea having looked more match fit after so long on the sidelines.
Leah Williamson (6/10):
Superb pass to Toone to start the attack for the first goal.
Jess Carter (6/10):
Solid in her defensive work, especially given she was up against two sublime wingers. Like Bronze, wasn't troubled too much.
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Keira Walsh (6/10):
Near faultless in possession.
Georgia Stanway (5/10):
Didn't get on the ball as much as usual and lacked incision when she did.
Ella Toone (5/10):
Did well to pick up a nice pocket of space in the build-up to Mead's opener, though was relatively quiet for large spells.
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Beth Mead (7/10):
Great composure with the finish that broke the deadlock and was so close to a second, too, but for an excellent Peyraud-Magnin save.
Alessia Russo (5/10):
Looked lively despite her recent long-haul post-season trip with Arsenal but didn't have her shooting boots on.
Lauren Hemp (7/10):
Always an outlet down the left and was often England's most creative player.
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Hannah Hampton (7/10):
Had to take Earps' place early on and didn't put a foot wrong despite the goals. Made an exceptional save to deny Lakrar in the first half.
Chloe Kelly (N/A):
Had a good chance moments after coming on with 10 minutes to go, but couldn't connect properly from close range.
Fran Kirby (N/A):
Looked lively off the bench, though didn't have a lot of time to make an impact.
Sarina Wiegman (4/10):
Made her substitutions far too late. The game was already crying out for a change when the hour mark came along and yet it wasn't until the 80th minute that Wiegman turned to her bench, after France had taken the lead.