England set a number of unwanted firsts as it began the defense of its Women’s European Championship title by losing to France on Saturday.

De Almeida shoots meekly wide of the near post after slipping Hemp very nicely on the edge of the area. England go straight down the other end but Russo miscontrols Hemp’s low cross in the penalty area. Although it was a slightly awkward ball, Russo would usually have done better.

France survived a late scare to defeat reigning champions England 2-1 in their opening match of the 2025 Women's Euros. England had the ball in the back of the net first as Alessia Russo got on the end of a rebounded save. However, following a VAR check, it was determined that there was an offside offence in the build-up to the goal.