England Lionesses tasted defeat under Hege Riisse as they fell to a 3-1 defeat away to France in Caen.
Sandy Baltimore fired the hosts ahead with a 32nd minute curler from a French counter-attack after picking up Kadidiatou Diani’s cutback pass.
Les Bleues doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark as Viviane Asseyi fired a 63rd minute penalty into the bottom left corner, following a foul by Rachel Daly on Elisa de Almeida.
England reduced their deficit 16 minutes later as Marion Torrent tripped Lauren Hemp inside the box, with Fran Kirby firing the penalty into the bottom left corner.
That lead proved short-lived as France wrapped up victory just three minutes later with a tap-in from Marie-Antoinette Katoto, as the Bayern Munich star met Kadidiatou Diani’s pass on a swift counter-attack.
France made the brightest start with Katoto heading wide from a corner in the opening two minutes,
Everton striker, Valerie Gauvin then went close for the hosts in the sixth minute as she fired wide of bottom left corner via deflection, following overlapping one-two play with Baltimore up the left.
England soon afterwards got on top with Beth Mead seeing a 13th minute curler saved by Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, until Diani headed wide for the hosts from a corner nine minutes later.
Nikita Parris soon saw three successive shots blocked as she first curled wide of top right corner via a deflection, before her shot was deflected over followed by a third effort from a second corner which was ruled offside.
England saw a 31st minute tap-in by Ellen White from Beth Mead’s pass on counter-attack ruled offside, with Diani charging up the right on a French counter and pulled back for Baltimore to curl in to put the hosts in front.
Fran Kirby and Parris soon saw shots denied but Gauvin nearly doubled France’s lead in the first minute of injury time, only to flick Baltimore’s left hand cross just over the bar.
Parris nearly levelled the scoring less than a minute later as she met Keira Walsh’s cross but headed just wide of the bottom left corner.
Daly made an immediate impact just after the restart following her switch to left-back, as she overlapped with Kirby who fed a short through ball but fired over the bar just over a minute into the second half.
Half-time substitute, Chloe Kelly then headed wide of the top left corner from Kirby’s cross just nine minutes later.
France made a sluggish start to the second half but Baltimore unleashed Katoto on the hour mark but Roebuck deflects wide for a corner, which is initially cleared but to Diani whose shot hits the bar as Daly fouls de Almeida.
Asseyi stepped up and dispatched the penalty ruthlessly into the bottom right corner, as Roebuck dived incorrectly to her left.
England however soon began to get on top of their hosts and were rewarded when substitute, Lauren Hemp drew a penalty conceding foul from Mario Torrent with Kirby firing the penalty into the bottom left corner in the 79th minute.
Jordan Nobbs immediately afterwards saw a long range shot from just outside the box saved, before Hemp raced up the left and pulled back to Manchester City teammate, Walsh who struck the left post.
France quickly cleared and launched a counter-attack as Diani beat Lotte Wubben-Moy to tee up Katoto to tap in and restore the French’s two goal lead before holding on for victory despite Kelly’s late strike which Peyraud-Magnin comfortably saved.
What Next?
England will host Canada on Tuesday 13 April at 7:15pm (BST) at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium.
France will host twice reigning World Champions, USA in Le Havre on Tuesday 13 April at 8pm (BST).
Teams
France (4-4-2): Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, Marion Torrent (Eve Perisset – 85′), Aissatou Tounkara, Elisa de Almeida, Perle Marroni, Kadidiatou Diani (Kenza Dali – 85′), Grace Geyoro, Ella Palis (Ines Jaurena – 60′), Sandy Baltimore, Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Valerie Gauvin (Viviane Asseyi – 59′)
England (4-2-3-1): Ellie Roebuck, Rachel Daly, Alex Greenwood (Niamh Charles – 45′), Keira Walsh, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson (Lotte Wubben-Moy – 64′), Nikita Parris (Chloe Kelly – 45′), Jill Scott (Jordan Nobbs – 73′), Fran Kirby, Beth Mead (Lauren Hemp – 64′), Ellen White (Bethany England – 74′)
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