France has the ability to intimidate with the ease and clarity with which they defeated England, but the reigning champions are still a formidable opponent. The most balanced match of the opening day was settled by the French women in two decisive plays within the first half an hour, leaving Sarina Wiegman with nothing to counter. This result marked Wiegman’s first defeat as a coach in the knockout stages of a European Championship.
The schedule prepared a much-anticipated clash to conclude the group’s first day, featuring a “group of death” scenario that pitted two champions, England and The Netherlands, against a serious contender, France, a semifinalist in 2022, and debutant Wales. The Dutch team fulfilled expectations with a resounding 0-3 victory, gaining early advantage. However, the main battle unfolded in Zurich.
There is no doubt that the English team, the current champions, is a team to beat, control, and they started the match living by this principle. With suffocating pressure, Russo managed to break away down the wing to provide an assist for Lauren James, but her strike went high. Without losing momentum, Chelsea’s player delivered a cross to the far post just missed by Hemp. They almost achieved what they aimed for: a goal within 15 minutes. However, the rebound from goalkeeper Peyraud-Magnin, which Russo intercepted, was deemed offside. France steadied their efforts, gradually taking control of the game until they had it comfortably under control, even after England’s late goal in the 87th minute.
Slowly, the team under Laurent Bonadeu began to grow in confidence, transitioning through a generational change. While England lost their defensive cohesion, relying solely on counter-attacks, the French squad identified gaps in the English midfield, which had become ineffective and transparent, worrying Wiegman.
Captain Karchaoui began to make her presence felt, first attempting a long-range shot and then receiving the ball behind the defense from Bacha, which the English managed to clear just before she could face goalkeeper Hampton. The French were invigorated. Bacha got involved, delivering a volley right on the mark, while Di Almeida, from the right side, made a penetrating run into the box, only to be denied by a foot save from Chelsea’s goalkeeper. They were knocking on the door, and within three minutes, they unlocked it twice.
Di Almeida, effective in winning every 50-50, provided a through pass to Cascarino, who sent in a low cross that Katoto finished without hesitation. England’s defense appeared weak, as it had for much of the preceding 36 minutes, and another blow came when Russo, turning to argue a foul against Lakrar, lost possession, leading to Sandy Baltimore scoring at the far post after outmaneuvering both Greenwood and Williamson.
Sarina Wiegman, looking concerned on the bench.
France had effectively submerged England in the blink of an eye, and the English squad could not react positively to the two goals. Although they gained more possession in the second half, the French team comfortably held their defensive shape, relying on quick transitions while hoping that nerves would play tricks on their opponents. This reality almost became evident when Mead made a poor pass to her defenders, allowing Grace Geyoro to create a shot that Hampton barely managed to save. Geyoro took another shot when assisted by Jean-François in front of the goal, yet the alert goalkeeper denied her again.
On the sidelines, there were protests regarding Swedish referee Tess Olofsson and VAR, which ruled a tight offside that disallowed the first English goal and did not penalize Russo’s foul leading to the French team’s second goal. There were also calls for a direct red card for Karchaoui due to a dangerous challenge on Arsenal’s forward.
After staving off the first surge of fury from the reigning champions, the French returned to their original game plan, finding ways to frustrate England in every conceivable manner. Wiegman sent Agyemang on with instructions for Lucy Bronze that seemed to be an appeal for urgency. England pressed forward continually, managing to pull back a goal through Walsh, which merely served to minimize the defeat.