Report: France 0-1 England WU23s

England women’s under-23s kicked-off 2026 with an impressive 1-0 win over France at Clairefontaine on Monday afternoon in the WU23 European League.

Lauren Smith’s Young Lionesses played their first of two games in this international window with a trip to the French national football centre for what turned out to be a competitive and testing challenge.

And England more than stood up to the task throughout, keeping their hosts at bay and managing the game when they came under pressure but also posing a threat at the other end.

It was a closely-matched encounter and it was England who found the breakthrough with what turned out to be the winning goal late in the first half though Lexi Lloyd-Smith.

The goal came after Erica Meg Parkinson’s run took her into the box before seeing a low shot bounce back off the inside of the post to deny what would’ve been a fine solo effort.

But England recycled the ball and when it ended up at the feet of Lloyd-Smith on the right-hand side of the area, she fired an unstoppable shot which whistled past French ‘keeper Ines Marques and into the top corner to give the Young Lionesses the advantage at the break.

The second half saw France really step up the pressure in their search for an equaliser, but the Young Lionesses remained firm throughout and able to keep them at arm’s length while looking for opportunities to break.

And they almost doubled their lead midway through the second half when Meg Collett, on her first start for the WU23s, saw her effort hit the outside of the post following a corner and scramble in the French area.

Smith’s team held out from there to seal a vital victory in their campaign, which will now seem them in the semi-finals of the WU23 European Competition with details of opposition to be confirmed in due course.

The team will be back in action again on home soil later this week, when they host the Netherlands in an international at Shrewsbury Town on Friday 6 March (7pm GMT). Tickets are available here.

England: 1 Khiara Keating (Manchester City), 2 Megan Collett (Southampton), 3 Chloe Sarwie (Chelsea), 4 Ruby Mace (Everton) (c), 5 Gracie Prior (Manchester City), 6 Teyah Goldie (London City Lionesses), 7 Lexi Lloyd-Smith (Bristol City), 8 Maisie Symonds (Brighton & Hove Albion), 9 Isobel Goodwin (London City Lionesses), 10 Erica Meg Parkinson (Valadares Gaia), 11 Eleanor Klinger (Stanford University)

Substitutes: 18 Jess Simpson (Southampton, on loan from Manchester United) for Sarwie 62, 14 Lenna Gunning-Williams (Tottenham Hotspur) for Klinger 62, 23 Jessie Gale (Arsenal on loan to Bristol City) for Goodwin 73, 15 Sarah Brasero (West Ham) for Lloyd-Smith 90

Substitutes not used: 12 Olivia McLoughlin (Leicester City), 13 Katie Cox (Aberdeen, on loan from Chelsea), 16 Hannah Silcock (Birmingham City, on loan from Liverpool), 17 Mari Ward (Bristol City), 19 Cerys Brown (Nottingham Forest, on loan from London City Lionesses), 20 Lexi Potter (Chelsea), 22 Natalia Negri (Ipswich Town)

Head coach: Lauren Smith

Goals: Lexi Lloyd-Smith 43