England's defence of their European title got off to a damaging start when they were defeated by France in their high-profile group-stage clash in Zurich.

Widely considered to be England's toughest match in Group D, this game was always going to be a test for Sarina Wiegman's team — and they failed to rise to it.

Despite a strong start and some magic from Chelsea forward Lauren James — who was fit enough to start — the Lionesses struggled to threaten France for much of their Euro 2025 opener.

They thought they had taken the lead when Alessia Russo fired in a rebound from Lauren Hemp's saved shot, but the video assistant referee (VAR) ruled it out for offside against Beth Mead in the build-up.

From that moment on, France dominated, and they deservedly took the lead through Marie-Antoinette Katoto, who scored from close range after 36 minutes.

Chelsea forward Sandy Baltimore doubled the lead three minutes later, and it looked unlikely that England would recover until Keira Walsh's excellent long-range strike in the 87^(th) minute sailed into the top corner.

Rallied by Walsh's second international goal in 88 matches, the Lionesses applied late pressure to France in stoppage time but could not find the crucial equaliser.