France shock reigning champs England at women's Euros
Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore scored two quickfire goals towards the end of first half as France recorded a ninth straight win and stunned the defending champions in Zurich on Saturday.
Keira Walsh reduced the deficit three minutes from time but it wasn't enough to prevent England from becoming the first titleholders to lose their opening match at a women's Euros.
The defeat also ended England coach Sarina Wiegman's remarkable flawless record in the competition, after winning 12 out of 12 matches across two tournaments as she steered first the Netherlands to the title and then England.
"We're frustrated because we had such three very good weeks and we trained really well, but that's never a guarantee that of course you win the game," Wiegman said.
"You have to do things really well and we just didn't get it right at those moments."
The Lionesses next face the Netherlands on Wednesday, before taking on Wales in their final group match four days later.
The Netherlands beat Wales 3-0 in the early match in Group D.
It was a statement victory for France, who - despite being without injured captain Griedge Mbock - were in firm control for most of the match, apart from the opening 15 minutes and a tense finale after Walsh's goal.
However, France coach Laurent Bonadei was quick to dismiss any suggestion his team was emerging as one of the favorites
"I wont change my position on our status. At the moment we haven't won anything, we are still challengers with a lot of ambition," he said.
England got off to a strong start and Lauren James almost gave England the lead within 40 seconds with a clever run into the box but fired narrowly over.
Alessia Russo thought she gave England the lead in the 16th minute, turning in the rebound after Lauren Hemp's shot was saved but it was ruled out for a tight offside decision on Beth Mead in the buildup.
As England appeared to deflate after that call by the video assistant referee, France grew in ascendancy and broke the deadlock in the 36th.
Elise De Almeida won the ball in her own half before surging down the right and threading the ball through to Delphine Cascarino, who put in a low cross for Katoto to tap in at the back post.
France doubled heir lead just three minutes later. Baltimore mazed her way into the area, close to the byline, and Lucy Bronze inadvertently kept the ball in play with her attempted tackle, allowing the Chelsea forward to curl into the far side of the net.
England hadn't even had a shot on target before they got back into the game late on. A corner was cleared only to the edge of the area for Walsh to calmly control before firing into the top right corner for only her second international goal.
The Lionesses almost completed an improbable comeback in the final minute of stoppage time when France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin missed her punch and Hemp turned it goalwards but Selma Bacha cleared it off the line.
England have set a number of unwanted firsts as they began their defence of the Women's European Championship title by losing to France 2-1.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore scored two quickfire goals towards the end of first half as France recorded a ninth straight win and stunned the defending champions in Zurich on Saturday.
Keira Walsh reduced the deficit three minutes from time but it wasn't enough to prevent England from becoming the first titleholders to lose their opening match at a women's Euros.
The defeat also ended England coach Sarina Wiegman's remarkable flawless record in the competition, after winning 12 out of 12 matches across two tournaments as she steered first the Netherlands to the title and then England.
"We're frustrated because we had such three very good weeks and we trained really well, but that's never a guarantee that of course you win the game," Wiegman said.
"You have to do things really well and we just didn't get it right at those moments."
The Lionesses next face the Netherlands on Wednesday, before taking on Wales in their final group match four days later.
The Netherlands beat Wales 3-0 in the early match in Group D.
It was a statement victory for France, who - despite being without injured captain Griedge Mbock - were in firm control for most of the match, apart from the opening 15 minutes and a tense finale after Walsh's goal.
However, France coach Laurent Bonadei was quick to dismiss any suggestion his team was emerging as one of the favorites
"I wont change my position on our status. At the moment we haven't won anything, we are still challengers with a lot of ambition," he said.
England got off to a strong start and Lauren James almost gave England the lead within 40 seconds with a clever run into the box but fired narrowly over.
Alessia Russo thought she gave England the lead in the 16th minute, turning in the rebound after Lauren Hemp's shot was saved but it was ruled out for a tight offside decision on Beth Mead in the buildup.
As England appeared to deflate after that call by the video assistant referee, France grew in ascendancy and broke the deadlock in the 36th.
Elise De Almeida won the ball in her own half before surging down the right and threading the ball through to Delphine Cascarino, who put in a low cross for Katoto to tap in at the back post.
France doubled heir lead just three minutes later. Baltimore mazed her way into the area, close to the byline, and Lucy Bronze inadvertently kept the ball in play with her attempted tackle, allowing the Chelsea forward to curl into the far side of the net.
England hadn't even had a shot on target before they got back into the game late on. A corner was cleared only to the edge of the area for Walsh to calmly control before firing into the top right corner for only her second international goal.
The Lionesses almost completed an improbable comeback in the final minute of stoppage time when France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin missed her punch and Hemp turned it goalwards but Selma Bacha cleared it off the line.
England have set a number of unwanted firsts as they began their defence of the Women's European Championship title by losing to France 2-1.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Sandy Baltimore scored two quickfire goals towards the end of first half as France recorded a ninth straight win and stunned the defending champions in Zurich on Saturday.
Keira Walsh reduced the deficit three minutes from time but it wasn't enough to prevent England from becoming the first titleholders to lose their opening match at a women's Euros.
The defeat also ended England coach Sarina Wiegman's remarkable flawless record in the competition, after winning 12 out of 12 matches across two tournaments as she steered first the Netherlands to the title and then England.
"We're frustrated because we had such three very good weeks and we trained really well, but that's never a guarantee that of course you win the game," Wiegman said.
"You have to do things really well and we just didn't get it right at those moments."
The Lionesses next face the Netherlands on Wednesday, before taking on Wales in their final group match four days later.
The Netherlands beat Wales 3-0 in the early match in Group D.
It was a statement victory for France, who - despite being without injured captain Griedge Mbock - were in firm control for most of the match, apart from the opening 15 minutes and a tense finale after Walsh's goal.
However, France coach Laurent Bonadei was quick to dismiss any suggestion his team was emerging as one of the favorites
"I wont change my position on our status. At the moment we haven't won anything, we are still challengers with a lot of ambition," he said.
England got off to a strong start and Lauren James almost gave England the lead within 40 seconds with a clever run into the box but fired narrowly over.
Alessia Russo thought she gave England the lead in the 16th minute, turning in the rebound after Lauren Hemp's shot was saved but it was ruled out for a tight offside decision on Beth Mead in the buildup.
As England appeared to deflate after that call by the video assistant referee, France grew in ascendancy and broke the deadlock in the 36th.
Elise De Almeida won the ball in her own half before surging down the right and threading the ball through to Delphine Cascarino, who put in a low cross for Katoto to tap in at the back post.
France doubled heir lead just three minutes later. Baltimore mazed her way into the area, close to the byline, and Lucy Bronze inadvertently kept the ball in play with her attempted tackle, allowing the Chelsea forward to curl into the far side of the net.
England hadn't even had a shot on target before they got back into the game late on. A corner was cleared only to the edge of the area for Walsh to calmly control before firing into the top right corner for only her second international goal.
The Lionesses almost completed an improbable comeback in the final minute of stoppage time when France goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin missed her punch and Hemp turned it goalwards but Selma Bacha cleared it off the line.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Tour de France: Arensman wins stage 19 as Pogačar keeps yellow
Thymen Arensman claimed his second victory in this year's Tour de France when he benefited from the top guns' waiting game to prevail in the 19th stage, the last mountain trek of the race. The Dutch Ineos Grenadiers rider, whose team have been facing doping questions related to their glorious days as Team Sky, went solo in the final climb to La Plagne before crossing the line two seconds ahead of Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar, who were second and third respectively. "I'm absolutely destroyed. I can't believe it," Arensman said. "Already one stage on the Tour was unbelievable, from a breakaway, but now from the GC (general classification) group, against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming." Slovenian Pogačar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey and leads Vingegaard by 4:24 going into the final two stages and is widely expected to win a fourth title if he avoids a major incident. German Florian Lipowitz took fourth place on the shortened stage to cement his third place overall, stretching his advantage over fourth-placed Oscar Onley of Britain by 41 seconds to 1:03. It would have taken a colossal coup from Vingegaard to topple Pogačar on the final mountain test in the Alps, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider only tried within the last 100 metres to take two seconds off of the Slovenian's lead, with Pogačar emerging as the puppet master of the peloton. A leading trio featuring France's Lenny Martinez and Valentin Paret Peintre as well as former Tour runner-up Primoz Roglic, reached the Col du Pre with a small gap of a chasing group after a brutal 12.2-km ascent at 7.7 per cent. The peloton, controlled by Pogačar's UAE Emirates-XRG, trailed by less than a minute. With two kilometres left in the climb up to the Cormet de Roselend (5.9km at 6.9 per cent), Paret Peintre and Roglic shook off Martinez, but only briefly as the Bahrain-Victorious rider clawed his way back. Roglic was then swallowed two kilometres before the final climb and spat out immediately. Austrian Felix Gall, gunning for a top five finish in Paris, accelerated 14.5km from the finish with Arensman, Pogačar and Vingegaard reacting. Pogačar made his own move 14km from the top with Vingegaard and Arensman the only riders able to get into his slipstream. Pogačar eventually let Arensman go and seemed content with setting a decent tempo to keep the Dutchman within reach, but the Slovenian eventually did not make the effort to go for a fifth stage win this year. Australia's Ben O'Connor, who brilliantly won Thursday's 18th stage, was placed 12th, ensuring he kept his overall 10th position in the GC. South Australian Callum Scotson (Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale) was placed 24th. The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — live, free and exclusive — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub .
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Joe Root overtakes Ricky Ponting as Test cricket's second-greatest run-scorer during Old Trafford England vs India clash
Just one man stands in the way of Joe Root and cricketing history. With his latest batting masterclass of 150 overnight, the England star became the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket behind India great Sachin Tendulkar. "Just one more to go," said Ricky Ponting, who Root leapfrogged on day three of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. England leads by 186 runs after reaching 7-544 at stumps. That commanding position was largely thanks to Root's brilliance on a day when he took his career run total to 13,409. And despite having a long way to go to overtake Tendulkar (15,921), Ponting, who watched from the commentary booth, is backing the Englishman to become the number one batter. "The way his career has gone over the last five years, there's absolutely no reason why not," Ponting said before adding that the crowd had "witnessed a moment in history". With Tendulkar in his sights, it was fitting that the 34-year-old Root's charge up the rankings came against India. "He's not a big one for landmarks, but I think that's a pretty cool one, second-highest test runs is incredible," England vice-captain Ollie Pope said. "I'm sure he knew what the number was [that he needed] but he's not a guy who wants to shout about it. "The hunger he has, I wouldn't be surprised if he chased him [Tendulkar] down." On the brightest day yet of this Test, Root lapped up the adulation of the crowd, which rose to applaud as he checked off one personal achievement after another. There was a half-century at lunch, which saw Root move up to third on the runs list, surpassing greats Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. His 38th Test century came next and soon he was passing Ponting. Just when thoughts might have been turning towards a double century, he was stumped by substitute keeper Dhruv Jurel off Ravindra Jadeja. There was more applause and chants of "Rooooot" as he walked to the pavilion, having helped England take control of a match it was hoping to win to clinch the five-match series, which it led 2–1. "The way he goes about his cricket, the way he trains, the amount of runs he's got, is amazing. He's a joy to watch and to see how he goes about his stuff. He keeps getting better and better," Pope said. The day could have gone very differently had Root not survived nearly being run out on 22, following a miscommunication with Pope that left him way out of position when Jadeja tried to capitalise. Before that, he narrowly avoided being out leg before wicket. But that was long forgotten as Old Trafford stood to applaud his latest outstanding performance. Root was not the only one who impressed as England carried on its brilliant batting from day two, when the opening partnership of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett put on a blistering 166 in reply to India's first innings 358. England resumed on 2-225 and Pope joined Root with a half-century at lunch as the visitors struggled to have any impact with the ball. Pope eventually went for 71 when caught by KL Rahul off Washington Sundar. And Sundar soon had his second wicket when Harry Brook (3) was stumped by Jurel. England overcame that wobble when Ben Stokes (77 not out) came out to join Root. The pair looked impenetrable as the England captain reached 66 not out and Root continued to score freely. It was only when Stokes retired hurt with cramp in the evening session with England on 4-491 that the partnership was eventually broken. Then India began to have some joy on a difficult day. Root was stumped to make it 5-499. Smith (9) was caught by Jurel off Jasprit Bumrah and Chris Woakes (4) was bowled by Mohammed Siraj. Wickets fell so quickly that Stokes was back at the crease before stumps to join Liam Dawson (21 not out). Moving a lot more comfortably, Stokes added 11 runs to his score as England headed for a substantial first-innings lead. AP
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Thymen Arensman claims shortened 19th stage of the Tour de France as Tadej Pogačar all but locks up overall victory
Dutch rider Thymen Arensman launched a daring solo attack on a long final climb and held on grimly to win the 19th stage of the Tour de France. Although race leader Tadej Pogačar took a step closer to a fourth Tour title, the Slovenian star could not catch Arensman. He finished the stage in third place behind Dane Jonas Vingegaard, who just beat Pogačar to the line. It was a rare success for the two-time Tour winner Vingegaard over Pogačar in this year's race but ultimately made little difference, since Pogačar is 4 minutes and 24 seconds ahead of Vingegaard with two stages left. Vingegaard could not drop Pogačar on the shortened stage, which featured a 19.1km finish up to the ski resort of La Plagne. Arensman had shown his climbing ability with a stunning solo effort last weekend to win a mammoth mountain stage. He made his move this time with 13km left. Pogačar and Vingegaard marked each other at first and chose not to follow. By the time they did, it was too late and Arensman won the stage by two seconds. "Tadej and Jonas are the strongest in the world, almost aliens, and I'm human," the 25-year-old Arensman said. "I can't believe I beat them today. I tried to not look behind." Moments after crossing the line, Arensman put his hands on his face and wept as he sat on the ground against a crash barrier, panting heavily with exhaustion. "I'm absolutely destroyed, I can't believe it. To win one stage from the breakaway was already unbelievable," he said. "But now to do it against the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming." Stage 19 was shortened after cows infected by a contagious disease were culled in an area along the mountainous route. It was meant to be 129.9km long but trimmed to 93.1km. Two of five climbs were removed, including the 13.7km Col des Saisies — where an outbreak of nodular dermatitis (lumpy skin) affected a herd of cows. "The discovery of an outbreak of contagious nodular dermatitis affecting cattle in a herd located specifically in the Col des Saisies necessitated the culling of the animals," race organiser ASO said. "It was decided, in agreement with the authorities, to modify the route." However, the stage still featured two Hors catégorie ascents — the hardest level of climbing — with a 12.6km ascent up Col du Pré followed by the trek up La Plagne. Primož Roglič, the 2020 Tour runner-up and a record-equalling four-time Spanish Vuelta champion, attacked near the top of Col du Pré but then faded well away. Tonight's 20th stage is a hilly 184.2km route through eastern France finishing in Pontarlier. The 21st and final stage sees three climbs up Montmartre hill — a short, sharp ascent which featured at the Paris Olympics last year — before a traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées. Around 3,000 police officers will be deployed to ensure security. AP
