Marie-Antoinette Katoto left defending champions England with a mountain to climb as France came from behind to snatch a priceless Euro 2025 qualifier victory at St James’ Park.
Beth Mead had given the Lionesses a 30th-minute lead in head coach Sarina Wiegman’s 50th game at the helm, but Elisa De Almeida levelled before the break to set the stage for Paris St Germain striker Katoto to secure a 2-1 win in front of a crowd of 42,561.
The defeat leaves England in third place in Group A3 behind the French and Sweden, who beat the Republic of Ireland 3-0 in Dublin, and knowing that anything less that a win in the reverse fixture in St-Etienne on Tuesday night could scupper any lingering hopes of finishing top.
Defeat at St. James'' Park.
We go again on Tuesday. 👊 pic.twitter.com/xaOhaQc2Tn
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) May 31, 2024
A battle between the sides ranked second and third in the world by FIFA was always likely to be tight, but ultimately it was the French who came out on top in a game of fine margins.
Wiegman was able to deploy the Leah Williamson-Millie Bright central defensive partnership for the first time since February last year on a night when keeper Mary Earps won her 50th cap.
But Earps’ landmark evening lasted less than eight minutes when, having earlier undergone lengthy treatment on the pitch after scuffing a first-minute clearance, she limped off to be replaced by Hannah Hampton.
After an even start, French keeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin could only look on as Lauren Hemp made the most of Russo’s foraging to cross to the near post, where Ella Toone steered her first-time shot just wide of the far upright.

Russo fired over from a narrow angle on the turn as the Lionesses continued to press, and they took the lead on the half-hour mark when Mead slotted home from close range after Georgia Stanway had collided with Selma Bacha as the pair attempted to get to Hemp’s cross.
The game was far from over, however, and Hampton was relieved to get two hands to Maelle Lakrar’s goal-bound header from a 34th-minute Bacha corner to preserve her side’s advantage.
However, France were level four minutes before the break when defender De Almeida sent a looping volley over Hampton from Kenza Dali’s corner after skipper Wendie Renard created the space with a nudge on Hemp to quieten the partisan home crowd.
Mead might have restored England’s lead deep into stoppage time after Russo and Bronze had broken at pace, but her curling effort was brilliantly tipped away by the keeper.
With Keira Walsh and Stanway starting to make their presence felt in a midfield battle which had been shaded by Sakina Karchaoui and Sandie Toletti before the break, the Lionesses once again established a head of steam after the restart.

However, they were fortunate to escape when Cascarino turned Walsh and worked her way into the penalty area before stabbing a 54th-minute shot just wide.
The hosts were having to remain patient as the French defended deep and in numbers, and they were caught by a 68th-minute sucker punch when, having failed to deal fully with Bacha’s corner, Katoto pounced to dispatch the ball past Hampton after it had been headed back into the box.
Stanway sent a dipping long-range effort over 14 minutes from time and substitute Chloe Kelly went even closer at the death, but there was no way back.
[(Red Star FC) Strength]: 1. Red Star FC have remained unbeaten in five of their last six matches, with good form.2. Red Star FC have scored a total of 10 goals in the last 5 matches, averaging 2 goals per game.3. Red Star FC won 2 of their last 3 games in AH.[(Red Star FC) Weakness]: 1. Red Star FC have conceded 7 goals in their last 5 matches, averaging nearly 2 goals per game, indicating a poor...
Erik ten Hag's Bayer Leverkusen Aim Sly Dig at Man United Ahead of Champions League DrawErik ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen appeared to take a sly swipe at Manchester United ahead of the Champions League group stage draw.Bayer Leverkusen will face PSG, Man City, Villareal, Benfica, PSV, Olympiacos, Newcastle, and Copenhagen in their 2025-26 Champions League league phase campaign.The German club,...

The UEFA Champions League trophy is displayed ahead of the drawLiverpool and Manchester City will both come up against Real Madrid in this season's Champions League, while title-holders Paris Saint-Germain were handed a tough list of opponents in Thursday's draw, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich.Xabi Alonso's Real will play City at home and take on Premier League champions Liverpool at Anfiel...

Former Man United Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked By BesiktasFormer Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been sacked by Turkish giants Besiktas.The 54-year-old was dismissed just hours after Besiktas were knocked out of the Europa Conference League by Swiss side Lausanne.Besiktas lost 2-1 on aggregate to Lausanne in their Conference League qualification final round, meaning they ...

Burnley Agree Deal to Sign Defensive Midfielder Florentino Luis from BenficaBurnley have reportedly agreed a deal to sign defensive midfielder Florentino Luis from Benfica.According to Sky Sports, the Premier League new boys have agreed a deal in principle to sign the highly rated 26-year-old.It’s understood the deal will be a season long loan with an obligation to buy Luis for a fee believe...

Chelsea and Man United FINALLY Reach Agreement on Fee for Wantaway Winger Alejandro GarnachoChelsea and Manchester United have finally reached an agreement on a fee for Alejandro Garnacho after weeks of speculation surrounding his future.The two clubs have been in negotiations over a deal for the 21-year-old for weeks, with Garnacho pushing for a move to Stamford Bridge.According to Fabrizio Roman...

Kobbie Mainoo Informs Manchester United of Desire to Leave on LoanKobbie Mainoo has reportedly informed Manchester United that he wishes to leave the club on loan to seek more regular playing time.The 20-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford with manager Ruben Amorim seemingly unable to find a place for him in his preferred tactical system.According to The Athletic’s Dav...

Barcelona indeed won LaLiga, Liverpool were even better than top-two, and Nottingham Forest very much finished in the top half of the Premier League table. PSG were definitely better without Kylian Mbappe, and Freiburg snagged a top-five finish in the Bundesliga.Our Early-Season Overreactions for 2024-25 had a fantastic success rate, even if Everton didn't go down, Juventus didn't win Serie A and ...

Ruben Amorim Oliver Glasner Man Utd Crystal PalaceFormer West Ham and Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins has backed Oliver Glasner to take the Manchester United job if Ruben Amorim is removed from his position in the coming months. The Red Devils' nightmare start to the 2025-26 campaign continued as they crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday after being beaten by Grimsby Town on penalties...

AC Milan Open Talks With Man City Over Deal For Defender Manuel AkanjiAC Milan have reportedly opened talks with Manchester City over a potential deal to sign defender Manuel Akanji.Massimiliano Allegri has been pushing his side to sign a new defender in the remaining days of the transfer window following the sale of Malick Thiaw to Newcastle.Now, according to Fabrizio Romano, the Italian giants h...



- 1 Lamine Yamal goes public with rapper girlfriend
- 2 Ruben Amorim gives cryptic response when asked about Andre Onana returning to starting XI for Fulham clash after Altay Bayindir blunder handed Arsenal victory
- 3 'Victory Bodes Well for Future' – Gasperini Delighted with Roma’s Opening Day Win
- 4 TIPS - Eintracht Frankfurt VS Werder Bremen
- 5 Transfer rumors, news: Arsenal could turn to Lyon's Fofana
- 6 Antony’s Man United Exit Hopes Rest on Fresh Real Betis Bid Within 'Next 24 Hours'
- 7 TIPS - Gamba Osaka VS Yokohama FC
- 8 TIPS - Schalke 04 VS VfL Bochum
- 9 TIPS - Sunderland A.F.C. VS Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
- 10 TIPS - Beijing Guoan VS Wuhan Three Towns FC