Englands French pressing problem leads to Womens Euro defeat

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Soccer Football - UEFA Womens Euro 2025 - Group D - France v England - Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland - July 5, 2025 England players look dejected after the match REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

ZURICH - England came into the Womens Euros as reigning champions and promptly fell into a trap set for them by a cunning French side who ruthlessly exploited their errors en route to a 2-1 Group D win on Saturday that puts the Lionesses in a precarious position after their opening game.

A bright start for England resulted in a disallowed goal before giving way to a flat, listless performance that saw them concede two goals in the first half and, despite a late onslaught following a Keira Walsh goal, there were few positives England could take from the game.

Faced with the lightning counter-attacking of France, England could not afford to give away the ball but they did so repeatedly and cheaply, especially in the middle of the field.

The positive is that Ive not seen us like that, in terms of turning the ball over so much, for a while, England captain Leah Williamson said. When you lose the ball cheaply, youre defending in an emergency. When you concede four or five counter-attacks in a row against quality like France have, it is tough.

As England coach Sarina Wiegman pointed out after the game, the French were selective in how they pressed, waiting until England tried to pass their way out of small spaces