Sarina Wiegman proclaimed a “new England”, and they have certainly been responsible for a few things previously unseen in the women’s Euros. This 2-1 defeat to France was the first time the defending champions have lost their opening game in the next competition, and it has now put them in real danger of becoming the first champions to go out in the group stage, too. Wednesday’s match against the Netherlands in Zurich is essentially a knockout tie.
Of most concern was something else new about this defeat, that is the real story of how it went. A manager who has previously been flawless in this tournament, winning it twice in a row with 100 per cent records, made her first big error. It is really the first time Wiegman has got it wrong as an England coach. And it was a big one.
