France and England storm into women's Euros quarters with big wins
France scored three goals in seven minutes as they rallied to a classy 5-2 triumph over the Netherlands at women's Euro 2025 on Sunday to clinch a quarter-final berth along with title holders England, who trounced Wales 6-1.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto in the 61st and a quickfire brace from Delphine Cascarino in the 64th and 67th, before captain Sakina Karchaoui converted a stoppage time penalty, saw France reverse a 2-1 half-time deficit, and finish atop Group D with maximum points.
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Sandie Toletti had opened the scoring for Les Bleus on her 30th birthday in the 22nd minute but the 2017 champions Netherlands kept up their dim knock-out round hopes when they went ahead 2-1 from Victoria Pelova in the 26th and a Selma Bacha own goal in the 41st.
The French would have none of it, though, and advanced from the group of death together with England who were 4-0 up against Wales at half-time from Georgia Stanway's penalty and Ella Toone then scoring before setting up Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Substitutes Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones warpped up matters in the 72nd and 89th as England got their second big win following a 4-0 over the Dutch, after an opening 2-1 defeat against France.
Intriguing quarter-finals
England will now face Sweden in the quarter-finals on Thursday, while France play record champions and 2022 runners-up Germany on Saturday.
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Both quarter-final games are rematches of the 2022 semi-finals won by England and Germany, but France and Sweden, who also won all three games, have looked very strong in Switzerland.
The other quarter-finals are Norway v Italy on Wednesday and hosts Switzerland v world champions and top favourites Spain on Friday.
France and England happy
"We got off to a good start, but then we gave ourselves a bit of a scare," France coach Laurent Bonadei told France TV.
"At half-time, the players pulled themselves together, we readjusted tactically and we had a bit more bite. We had a good second half with some great goals. That's the kind of football we like, going forward.
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"If someone had told me at the draw that we'd finish with nine points and 11 goals I might not have believed them. I'm proud of the girls."
England coach Sarine Wiegman told ITV she was happy that "we won and scored six goals. We knew ahead of this tournament that this group was hard. When you lose the first game there is a massive urgency to win the other two."
Looking ahead at Sweden, she said: "They're always very powerful, they have speed up front on the counter-attack. It is a hard team to beat. They have done well in the group. We will see and we will get ready."
Dutch hit back after French lead
Effectively needing a big victory to stay alive, the Dutch started brightly but France led when birthday girl Toletti found the bottom left corner completely unmarked from the edge of the area off Kototo.
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The Dutch were level just four minutes later from Pelova's curling effort into the top corner on the rebound of Grant's volley saved superbly by Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
The turnaround was complete in the 41st when Bacha hit into her own net off a deflected Lineth Beerensteyn cross.
France rally in style
France stepped up their efforts after the break and the equalizer came in the 61st from Katoto who was played through and beat golakeeper Daphne van Domselaar.
The third soon followed from Cascarino's stunning long-range blast into the top left corner, and Cascarino hit again in the 67th on the rebound of Katoto's shot which bounced against the left and right post.
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There was no way back for the Dutch and their misery was complete when Karchaoui converted from the spot late on.
England in full command
There were also seven goals in St Gallen, where England were in full control against their debutant neighbours and took the lead in the 13th minute when Stanway converted from the spot after a review determined that she was fouled inside the penalty area by Carrie Jones.
Toone tapped the second in the 21st after her first effort was stopped on the goalline. Toone then set up Hemp to head the third at the far post after half an hour, and also fed Russo to tap the fourth shortly before half-time.
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Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark tipped a Jessica Park volley against the post before Mead slotted the fifth in the 72nd. Wales got a consolation goal from Hannah Cain's blast five minutes later before Beever-Jones's header made it half a dozen late on.
France's players celebrate their side's first goal of the game during the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 group D soccer match between Netherlands and France at St. Jakob-Park. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa
France's Sandie Toletti (L) and Sakina Karchaoui celebrate their side's first goal of the game during the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 group D soccer match between Netherlands and France at St. Jakob-Park. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa
England's Lauren Hemp (3rd R) celebrates her team's third goal with her teammates during the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 Group D soccer match between England and Wales at the Arena St. Gallen. Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
England's Alessia Russo (L) celebrates her team's fourth goal during the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 Group D soccer match between England and Wales at the Arena St. Gallen. Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa
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