England dropped further points at home in their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign following a 2-1 defeat by group leaders France at St James’ Park.
Former Sunderland winger Beth Mead netted the opener in front of the Gallowgate End when she was teed up by Lauren Hemp, but it was cancelled out by Elisa de Almeida’s stunning volley.
Another first-time strike by Marie-Antoinette Katoto in the second half put France in front as they extended their lead at the top of Group A3 by five points.
England suffered an early blow when goalkeeper Mary Earps was forced off injured minutes into her 50th appearance for the Lionesses.
Her replacement, Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton, stepped up to deliver a strong performance, diving to her left in the first half to deny a goal-bound header from Maelle Lakrar.
But Hampton could do very little to keep out De Almeida’s volley which spun over her head, before Katoto’s perfectly-timed effort crept inside the far corner.
Earps was seen on crutches on the pitch at full time and manager Sarina Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live that she "really didn't know" the extent of the hip injury and whether she would be available for Tuesday's game in Saint-Etienne.
It is a damaging result for European champions England, who hope to defend their crown in Switzerland next summer, but must come through a difficult qualifying campaign.
Victory over the Republic of Ireland, followed by a draw at home to Sweden, means England sit second in the group with work to do.
It was Wiegman’s 50th match in charge of the Lionesses and her first test against France since moving over from the Netherlands.
But it did not go to plan as England suffered a first defeat in European qualifying since 2002.
France, ranked third in the world, were always going to cause England problems with their pacy frontline and they boasted several Lyon stars who had appeared in Saturday’s Champions League final defeat by Barcelona.
The visitors threatened early on as England struggled to gain rhythm following Earps’ injury but the Lionesses eventually settled and deserved their goal through Mead.
It was the first time Wiegman was able to select Euro 2022 centre-back pairing Leah Williamson and Millie Bright together since February 2023 but England’s defence were undone on set-pieces.
France’s response to Mead’s opener was a strong one and Katoto poked a shot over the bar minutes before De Almeida’s volley flew past Hampton.
Goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin had to pull off a smart save at the other end to keep out Mead’s curling effort on the stroke of half-time and chances continued to come for both teams.
France’s Delphine Cascarino and England’s Chloe Kelly came close after the break but it was the group leaders who had the final say through Katoto’s volley.
With France manager Herve Renard sat in the stands due to suspension, and assistant Laurent Bonadei standing in his place, Wiegman was often left on her own in the dugout looking frustrated as she urged more intensity and variation from her players.
After failing to reach the Olympic Games, it would be a devastating outcome if England were to not to qualify for Euro 2025 so they will hope to respond immediately when they travel to France for Tuesday’s second meeting.
Source: BBC
BDST: 1205 HRS, JUN 01, 2024
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