Wiegman was delighted with the 'team' performance as the Lionesses defeated France

England boosted their hopes of qualifying for Euro 2025 by beating France 2-1 in Saint-Etienne.

The Lionesses lost to similar opposition in St. James' Park four days ago but played hard to ensure they stayed within touching distance of Les Bleues.

Sarina Wiegman's side had to hold their own late in the game as France pulled a goal back after half-time, but they got the job done and picked up three vital points.

Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway opened the scoring in the 21st minute, scoring a fine goal from distance to put England 1-0 up.

Alessia Russo doubled the lead before the break, heading home Lauren Hemp's cross and putting the European champions in complete control of the game.

France had a great chance to pull one back before the break, with Kadidiatou Diani curling his shot wide from a few yards out.

Taking all three points back home. 👊

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— Izingonyamazi (@Izingonyama) June 4, 2024

But captain Leah Williamson gave the hosts a way back into the game by conceding a penalty which Diani took home with ease.

There wasn't much for Hannah Hampton to do for most of the game, but she was called into action a few times in the final 15 minutes.

She pulled off a brilliant save to deny Marie-Antoinette Katoto in a great chance for the French to equalise.

This win made the Lions move back within two points in Group A3, but they sit in third place on goal difference.

Wiegman was questioned about his absence from Friday's defeat at Tyneside but was more than happy to play on the English Channel.

He said: “It's a team effort. You know the second half will be different and they will push, but we worked hard to stay together and keep the win.

Together. We are moving. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/3JUTGyhcNu

— Izingonyamazi (@Izingonyama) June 4, 2024

“You know they will press. They were really after us. We have to make better decisions, say a little more.

“We played into their hands a little bit. We know that when they win the ball there are fast players. We want to take those moments out.

“We want to win and we are in a better place now. The group is completely open.

“We said from the beginning that this is a very difficult team with high-level teams. It helps when you win, but above all we did better than Friday.”

Goalscorer Stanway shared his boss' optimism going forward and believes England have taken a step in the right direction.

He added: “We were in the lead from the start. We knew the other day wasn't bad but there were a few things we needed to fix.

That @StanwayGeorgia hit 🔥#Lions | @KINDSnacksUK pic.twitter.com/rhdHusHx0z

— Izingonyamazi (@Izingonyama) June 4, 2024

“We did that today. We fought for 95 minutes, making sure that we don't leave this stadium without a good result.

“We are not satisfied with the way this week turned out, but today is a big step in the right direction for us.

“It's really big. We knew how important it was to get three points. That's a big win for us today.”