France 1 Wales 1
July 9 – A rampant France booked their ticket to the quarter-finals with a commanding 4-1 win over Wales in St. Gallen on Wednesday night. Despite heavy rotation, the French side pulled no punches against the Euro debutants, delivering a dominant performance that sends a clear message to whoever awaits them next week.
A stroll through St. Gallen’s city centre ahead of kick-off revealed the scale of the Welsh presence – vibrant, vocal, and impossible to miss. For a moment, you’d be forgiven for thinking Wales were the host nation.
That sneak preview spilled into the stands, where a sea of red rose to their feet for an emotional national anthem that raised the curtain at the Kybunpark Arena.
Earlier in the day, England picked up a valuable win versus the Netherlands – meaning it was do or die for Wales if they wanted to stick around into next week.
France made seven changes from the team that started against England, including a completely new-look front line, showing the strength in depth they have to offer.
Star midfielder Amel Majri, an absentee against England, was particularly impressive and will surely be in Laurent Bonadei’s mind for knockout selection when the time comes. They may have had a new look, but still oozed an identical confidence, forcing early saves out of Wales goalkeeper Safia Middleton Patel.
It didn’t take long for Les Bleues to pick up where they left off versus England, netting just seven minutes in thanks to a brilliant volley by Clara Mateo after Wales failed to clear a corner.
Going 1-0 down early on is never ideal, but the damage it did to the Welsh support was worse than the dent in the scoreline. For a brief spell, the impossible happened – their enthusiasm was completely zapped.
That fire was quickly breathed back into the dragon by Jess Fishlock, who tapped in from close range to draw things level in the 12th minute. A glimmer of hope, and a first-ever Euros goal for the Dragons, scored by veteran Fishlock. Who else?
The half rumbled on with few opportunities for either side. France clearly wanted to slow down the pace of the game, even at the marginal cost of viewing entertainment, though they picked up the pace as the half drew to a close, stringing together some clever attacking play.
This translated into a French penalty on the cusp of half-time after a reckless, and unnecessary, challenge from Wales winger Ceri Holland, who was furiously tracking back.
The decision survived a brief VAR check – prompting French forward Katitidou Diani to convert in full view of the 2,000 red fans behind the goal. The finish left a lot to be desired, trickling down the middle of the goal and just barely beating the keeper, but they all count the same.
As the sun melted into St Gallen’s stunning mountainous horizon, the second half began just how the first finished: French domination. Now armed with a valuable lead, Bonadei’s side were able to push forward more freely. Majri cemented an impressive perfomance with a goal of her own in the 53rd minute, arrowing a clever whipped finish into the bottom right corner.
The chance flowered from a moment of madness from Patel in the box, who was dispossessed and left helpless as the ball nestled neatly into the net for the third time that night.
That lead was quickly rewritten to four in the 64th minute following yet another mistake from Patel, who failed to clear a close range cross. France captain Grace Geyoro was free behind her to tap into an empty net. The faint whisper of hope from the Wales end was put to silence – their European dream looked doomed.
Ahead of the matchup, France coach Laurent Bonadei praised the Welsh spirit. It must be said, even in the face of defeat, the Wales supporters brought an energy unmatched by any team across the tournament.
Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson doubled down on this sentiment. Before the game, she said: “I think this is another fantastic opportunity for us to show up and play to the best of our ability. It’s another great test. We know we can improve, and it’s about delivering as strong a performance as we can and show Wales how proud we are to represent our country.”
That pride was infectious and bulletproof, .
Their Euros dream may have met an early end, but the Welsh still have one final moment to savour on Swiss soil: Sunday’s derby versus England in the same stadium.
France can look with optimism to the quarter finals next week, with only a Netherlands-shaped hurdle before the knockouts begin.
| Grp D | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Wales | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1752128740labto1752128740ofdlr1752128740owedi1752128740sni@g1752128740niwe.1752128740yrrah1752128740