Sandy Baltimore scores to make it 2-0. © ANSA / MICHAEL BUHOLZER

Defending champions England slip up at the start of the European Championship

France's women's football team showed defending champions England their limits at the European Championships in Switzerland.

July 05, 2025

From: dpa

In a clash between the favorites, the strong 2022 semi-finalists prevailed 2-1 (2-0) against the team of successful coach Sarina Wiegmann. In front of 22.542 spectators at Zurich's Letzigrund stadium, Marie-Antoinette Katoto (36th minute) and Sandy Baltimore (39th minute) scored for the French team, with Keira Walsh (87th minute) adding a late goal.

The English played more purposefully forward at the beginning. France's ball-wielding players often got lost in the minutiae, but then took the initiative.

England without three European Championship heroines

Before the tournament, three of the Lionesses' 2022 European Championship heroes retired from the national team: goalkeeper Mary Earps, Fran Kirby, and Millie Bright. However, this didn't particularly impress Dutch coach Wiegman. The 55-year-old had led her respective teams, first the Dutch and then England, to the World Cup and European Championship finals since 2017.

England's Beth Mead started empty-handed. © APA/afp / MIGUEL MEDINA

The English increasingly lost control in the first half. Stanway made a fateful loss of possession: The ball, via the strong Élisa de Almeida on the right wing and Delphine Cascarino, landed at Katoto, who slotted it home to make it 1-0. Shortly after, Baltimore beat three opponents to double the lead.

France without Lyon star Wendie Renard

For the French women's team, long-time captain and defensive leader Wendie Renard was, to her great annoyance, not selected by coach Laurent Bonadei for Switzerland. Record international player Eugénie Le Sommer (200 caps) is also missing.

However, after a successful start to the tournament, the dream of their first international title is still alive. Even after the break, the English found few openings. The only exception was Walsh, who fired a precise shot into the right corner from a corner, leaving France trembling once again.

The Netherlands had previously defeated newcomers Wales 3-0 (1-0) in a tough Group D. Captain Vivianne Miedema scored her 100th international goal, as did Victoria Pelova and Esmee Brugts for the 2017 European champions in Lucerne.