England ask fans to 'stick with us' after World Cup defeat

Opening match of the Women's World Cup in Canada ends in defeat to France

Jill Scott
(Image credit: Getty)

France 1 England 0. England's opening match of the Women's World Cup failed to provide much of a spectacle, with the main talking points a single first-half goal from French forward Eugenie Le Sommer and an elbow in the face of an England defender from Camille Abily which went unpunished by the referee.

England have not beaten France in the women's game for 40 years and set out to thwart the tournament favourites in front of a sparse crowd in Moncton. The plan worked for most of the match, but Le Sommer's long range strike proved to be the key moment of the match as both sides struggled to carve out clear cut chances in difficult conditions.

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