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Key occasions
45 min +2: England have but to register a shot heading in the right direction. They did rating a disallowed aim, to be truthful, however guidelines are guidelines. “The fullbacks usually are not having good video games however I actually don’t assume they’re getting a lot if any assist from their wingers,” argues Henry Miller. “Hemp specifically has let Carter be remoted and never tracked again sufficient.”
45 min: … however that’s not going to occur, as a result of there might be 5 further minutes of first-half play.
44 min: England desperately want one thing earlier than the break, and Mead advances down the appropriate. Her cross is aimless, however headed behind for a nook anyway. Nonetheless the set piece is not any use, simply cleared by France. England look surprised. In actual fact it’s in all probability finest for them if the half-time whistle comes quicksmart.
43 min: In any case, France nonetheless had masses to do, and the defending by Williamson and particularly Bronze was dismal. The total-backs are having a nightmare.
42 min: Sarina Wiegman is furious on the choice, and offers the assistant referee the what-for. However the sort out occurred proper in entrance of the referee, and having seen nothing mistaken with it in actual time, she’s not of a thoughts to vary her choice.
40 min: There’s a VAR test for a potential foul on Russo. However it’s a kind of hard-but-fair 50-50 challenges. Lakrar merely caught Russo dozing and barged her off the ball. The aim stands.
GOAL! France 2-0 England (Baltimore 39)
Lakrar wins a crunching sort out on Russo within the centre circle, then sends France off on one other assault. Baltimore dribbles in from the left, reaches the byline by dismissing Bronze and Williamson with absurd ease, cuts again, swivels and lashes spectacularly into the top-right nook! This scoreline doesn’t flatter France.
38 min: Cascarino begins one other France assault down the appropriate. Her cross isn’t so pinpoint this time. England can’t carry on like this, although. Cascarino has the run of the appropriate flank.
GOAL! France 1-0 England (Katoto 36)
Cascarino has been the boss of Carter down the appropriate, and she or he as soon as once more finds acres of house. She rolls into the six-yard field. Katoto, racing in from the opposite flank, slots simply from a few yards. Easy as that. And it had been coming. Each England full-backs – Bronze and particularly Carter – are being given the runaround.
35 min: James shoves Bacha to the ground from behind. Bacha falls awkwardly and desires therapy, however France play on anyway, Cascarino discovering extra space down the appropriate. She cuts again to no one, then play is stopped so Bacha can get some therapy.
33 min: Baltimore crosses from the left. Cascarino heads down for De Almeida, who shoots onerous in the direction of the underside proper. Hampton saves brilliantly with an prolonged leg, however the offside flag goes up so it wouldn’t have counted anyway. That’s good goalkeeping, although.
31 min: James tries to launch Bronze down the appropriate however critically overhits the move. Objective kick. Because the disallowed aim, England have gone quiet as an attacking drive.
29 min: Baltimore skips previous Bronze on the left, and cuts again to … no one. The ball’s hacked clear. However France come once more, Karchaoui and Cascarino combining crisply down the appropriate earlier than chopping again for Bacha, who makes an attempt to catch out Hampton with a dipping shot in the direction of the top-left nook. Hampton is on level this time to say.
27 min: Cascarino works down the appropriate and has her cross dealt with by Carter. A free kick that’s in impact a nook. The set piece is distributed in the direction of the far stick. Katoto wins a header, but it surely’s a weak one, and straightforward for Hampton. A nervy couple of minutes for England as France re-establish that earlier dominance.
25 min: Karchaoui goes for the spectacular once more. A protracted move hoicked down the inside-left channel. She chases after it, and spots Hampton standing round in no-woman’s land. She makes an attempt the lob, however can solely ripple the aspect netting. A yard or so to the appropriate, and that was getting in. Hampton was method out of place, and out of the sport.
24 min: Karchaoui swans in from the appropriate and appears for the top-left nook. She finds a top-left nook, but it surely’s of the stand behind.
23 min: Russo sends Hemp into house down the left. Hemp crosses. Russo tries to get on the tip of the return, however James is already there, and makes an attempt an elaborate overhead kick from the penalty spot. It’s formidable, and sails miles over the crossbar. May need been higher both laying that off for Russo, or leaving her team-mate to it altogether. However these are split-second choices.
21 min: Cascarino skins Carter with an excessive amount of ease down the appropriate. She loops in the direction of Baltimore, however the cross is a smidgen too excessive. It’s half cleared, then Jean-François returns it by lashing a shot over the bar. This definitely doesn’t really feel like a recreation destined to finish 0-0.
20 min: England load the field, however Greenwood wastes the free kick, floating it excessive into the penalty space, straightforward pickings for Peyraud-Magnin.
19 min: Are England pissed off? No, they appear inspired. Mead makes her presence felt down the appropriate and attracts a foul from Jean-François. A free kick in a harmful place.
VAR: NO GOAL. France 0-0 England
17 min: Ah, there have been a few offsides within the build-up. Mead was a spark off when she obtained the move from James, then Russo, in an offside place, feathered Mead’s ping again throughout to Hemp. The proper choice x2.
GOAL! France 0-1 England (Russo 16)
The champions open the scoring! James drops deep then runs down the inside-left channel. She switches play to Mead on the appropriate. Mead rolls it again to Hemp on the left. Hemp’s solely acquired Peyraud-Magnin to beat! The keeper parries Hemp’s rising shot, however the ball deflects into the trail of Russo, who adroitly slams into the left-hand aspect of the online. Superb play all spherical!
15 min: Walsh takes a poor contact within the centre circle and is fortunate that Karchaoui’s try and launch Cascarino down the appropriate is overhit, crusing into contact. England had been gentle on the again there.
13 min: Bacha makes good down the left however can’t discover anybody together with her move infield. Les Bleues, as you’d count on from a assured group on an eight-game profitable run, are dominating possession now.
11 min: That is good end-to-end stuff now. Mead tries to beat Lakrar to a ball performed into the French field down the appropriate. Lakrar wins the tussle and waltzes off with the ball. Mead, having fallen over, claims a penalty, but it surely’s a cheeky request and the referee waves play on.
9 min: France are actually entering into the sport, and the England half. Cascarino reaches the byline down the appropriate solely to curve her cross out of play for a aim kick.
8 min: Karchaoui probes down the inside-right channel and is upended by Stanway. It’s a reasonably crude problem, and one that may absolutely earn a reserving had it been made later within the recreation. However the referee decides a chat will suffice. Bacha swings the free kick into the mixer and it’s confidently claimed by Hampton.
6 min: This begin will give England coronary heart. They may very simply be 2-0 up already. France are seeing extra of the ball, however England look harmful once they get it and advance.
4 min: James barges her method down the appropriate, all energy and tempo. After which some delicate artwork, as she checks again and swishes a wonderful cross into the centre. Russo and Mead sort of get in one another’s method, six yards out, and the ball flies between them each and away from hazard. An enormous likelihood goes begging. What a ball, although!
2 min: France reply with just a few passes to calm the nerves. That was near a disastrous begin for the fourth favourites to win the complete factor.
39 secs: England needs to be main. House for Russo down the appropriate. She cuts again for James, who has time simply contained in the field! However she blooters wildly over the bar. That will have been some assertion.
Each units of gamers take a knee towards all types of discrimination … after which the European champions get the match began. Right here we go, then.
… however earlier than kick-off, we pause for a minute’s silence in reminiscence of two beloved brothers taken from us earlier this week. Completely noticed. Relaxation nicely, Diogo. Sleep straightforward, André. xx
The groups are out! France of their well-known bleu, England in Mick-Mills-inspired white with purple and blue shoulder panels. An exquisite ambiance on the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich. We’ll be off as soon as cash have been tossed, fists bumped, and people pennants exchanged and anthems sung.
Our man Tom Garry is on the recreation tonight. Right here’s his pre-match missive.
The England males’s group boss Thomas Tuchel is right here within the stands in Zurich tonight, to observe Sarina Wiegman’s group in motion. He has been getting round to a number of fixtures this summer time, together with the boys’s Below-21s closing too. His colleague Wiegman has received each single match she has overseen at European Championships to this point.
Wiegman in fact having received the 2017 staging with the Netherlands with a one hundred pc report, simply as she did with England 5 years later. The sliding-door second under appears an awfully very long time in the past, doesn’t it?
The nationwide anthems. France have received this too, haven’t they.
Pennant watch. France have this actually sewn up. It’s merely not potential to go mistaken with that flag. Easy and basic.
The FA nevertheless sustain a behavior that’s lengthy blighted the boys’s recreation, by issuing a pennant that appears as if it’s been knocked out in 5 minutes utilizing Microsoft Phrase. Beautiful 1982-referencing equipment, although, and the gamers get a goodie bag stuffed with Dove merchandise too, so the directors haven’t been completely asleep on the job.
England supervisor Sarina Wiegman speaks to ITV. “We’re prepared … excited … lastly we are able to begin now too as a result of all the opposite groups have began already … we’ve had three weeks of coaching classes … the sport towards Jamaica … now we begin tonight … I hope [Lauren James] goes to carry out nicely … she will carry one thing completely different … she tried actually onerous to be the place she is correct now … we’ve choices … she is happy … [Alex Greenwood] is a pacesetter of the group … so skilled … she connects the group … we’d like her expertise … [Jess Carter] performs nicely at left-back … retains it easy … she additionally desires to go ahead … when to go, when to remain … [France] are highly effective … dynamic … pace up entrance … we’re conscious of that.”
A serious event merely isn’t a significant event and not using a wallchart. Don’t fear in the event you haven’t been in a position to supply one, as a result of our resident creative genius David Squires has been to work and has your again. You realize the pack drill: Print it out! Pin it up! Fill it in! Make a sequence of primary-school-level errors whereas filling out the ultimate tables!
The Guardian Specialists’ Community has run the rule over each group at Euro 2025. Right here’s why France have the potential to achieve the ultimate …
… and why England can defend their title.
At this time’s different recreation in Group D has simply completed: Wales 0-3 Netherlands. Underdogs Wales held out towards the Netherlands till first-half stoppage time, at which level the beforehand quiet Vivianne Miedema stepped up with a screamer, and the 2017 champions by no means appeared again. Emillia Hawkins delivers the small print within the new-fangled minute-by-minute idiom.
1. Netherlands W1 D0 L0 F3 A0 Pts 3
2. England W0 D0 L0 F0 A0 Pts 0
3. France W0 D0 L0 F0 A0 Pts 0
4. Wales P1 W0 D0 L1 F0 A3 Pts 0
The massive information for the Lionesses: Lauren James begins the sport. The half-hour run-out she acquired towards Jamaica final week has stood her in good stead. It’s the Chelsea ahead’s first begin for membership or nation since selecting up a hamstring harm in April. Alex Greenwood wins her one hundredth cap at centre-back.
A few James’s Chelsea team-mates are in France’s beginning XI: midfielder Oriane Jean-François and winger Sandy Baltimore. Manchester United’s Melvine Malard and Everton’s Kelly Gago are on the bench. France’s centre-back and captain Griedge Mbock has a calf problem and isn’t risked.
The groups
France: Peyraud-Magnin, de Almeida, Lakrar, Sombath, Bacha, Karchaoui, Jean-Francois, Geyoro, Baltimore, Katoto, Cascarino.
Subs: Lerond, Samoura, Toletti, Malard, Majri, Diani, Mateo, Gago, Mbock, N’Dongala, Bogaert, Picaud.
England: Hampton, Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Carter, James, Walsh, Stanway, Mead, Russo, Hemp.
Subs: Moorhouse, Charles, Toone, Le Tissier, Clinton, Morgan, Agyemang, Kelly, Beever-Jones, Park, Wubben-Moy, Keating.
Referee: Tess Olofsson (Sweden).
Preamble
It’s the ultimate recreation of the primary wave of matches, and the most effective of them has been saved till final. The champions England start the defence of their title towards France, fourth favourites to carry the trophy and the largest nation on this event by no means to win a significant worldwide prize. This, you think, goes to be tasty.
It’s not that straightforward to foretell, thoughts. France have the general higher hand within the head-to-head, with 5 wins from ten conferences to England’s two. However it’s the latest match-ups which are essentially the most instructive, and these groups met final yr in qualifying for these finals, and traded 2-1 away victories throughout the house of 4 days. So good luck calling it.
Maybe general type clears the image? Effectively, maybe: France are on an eight-game profitable streak, whereas the Lionesses have been inconsistent of late, defeated by Belgium and Spain in latest Nations League matches. However Sarina Wiegman’s ladies also can boast a victory over the world champions this yr, they usually’ve lately put 5 previous Belgium, six previous Portugal, and 7 previous Jamaica. So yeah, good luck calling this. The sport kicks off at 8pm UK time, 9pm in Zurich. It’s on!