England’s qualification hopes for Euro 2025 are far from straightforward and Tuesday’s return game against France takes on greater significance

Disappointment emanated from the Lionesses after Friday’s 2-1 loss to France made the terrain ahead a lot tougher as the defending champions seek a place at Euro 2025. England slipped to third in Group A3 at the midway point of their qualifying campaign, behind France and Sweden, 3-0 victors in the Republic of Ireland.

Tricky away ties lie ahead, starting with France in Saint-Étienne on Tuesday. Only the top two qualify automatically for next summer’s tournament in Switzerland, with the playoffs a scenario England are keen to avoid. They have collected four points from their first three games and are five adrift of France and level with Sweden, who have a marginally better goal difference.

• England 1-2 France (Mead 30; De Almeida 41, Katoto 68)
• England goalkeeper Mary Earps goes off injured early on

It’s not a disaster, yet, but a 2-1 defeat to France dealt a hefty blow to England’s hopes of avoiding the Euro 2025 playoffs, after Élisa de Almeida and Marie-Antoinette Katoto capitalised from corners to cancel out Beth Mead’s opener.

The loss means Sarina Wiegman’s side slipped to third in qualifying group A3, with tricky games in France and Sweden as well as a home tie against the Republic of Ireland to come. Only the top two sides will qualify automatically for next summer’s European Championship in Switzerland.

Games against France are in north-east, where journey started, and near Lyon, where defender won three Champions Leagues

Less than 48 hours after Lucy Bronze had lifted her fifth Champions League trophy, she was reporting to St George’s Park to prepare for the Lionesses’ two Euro 2025 qualifiers against France.

Bronze stepped out of her taxi at England’s training base with dark glasses on and smiles aplenty. The 32-year-old starred in Barcelona’s 2-0 defeat of her former side Lyon, but her presence was a haunting reminder of the words she penned for the global players’ union, Fifpro, two weeks earlier.

• Sarina Wiegman confirms Chelsea striker has foot problem
• Jess Naz called up as replacement for back-to-back matches

The Chelsea forward Lauren James has a foot problem and will not be available for England’s back-to-back Euro 2025 qualifiers against France, Sarina Wiegman has confirmed.

“No, not everyone is available for selection,” said Wiegman. “Lauren James didn’t make it so will not be selected. Jess Naz will be eligible. She had foot problems at club and we hoped she could build up for tomorrow [but she could not].”

Replacing the US-bound Emma Hayes is a huge ask, but the new manager has the necessary experience and credentials

Emma Hayes has not left alone for the United States. Joining the former Chelsea manager in the US women’s national team set-up are her assistant coach Denise Reddy, goalkeeper coach Stuart Searle, head of performance Bart Caubergh, performance analyst Ferdia O’Hanrahan and opposition scout Cameron Meighan. Camille Abily and Théo Rivrin are joining Sonia Bompastor to resume their assistant manager and assistant coach roles with the former Lyon manager, but Bompastor has a big job ahead in replacing so many highly regarded staff, in particular Searle. Fortunately for Bompastor, the general manager, Paul Green, who was Hayes’s right-hand man, remains in post and has been leading that process and helping to ensure a smooth introduction to life at the club.

Faye Carruthers and Suzanne Wrack are joined by Sophie Downey and Ceylon Andi Hickman to review Barcelona’s 2-0 over Lyon in Bilbao

In today’s episode, the panel discuss the impact of Jonatan Giráldez as the Barça manager bows out on a high, beating Lyon in a fantastic display in Spain at the weekend and Ceylon Andi Hickman talks about how it felt to clinch promotion with her Dulwich Hamlet side last week.

Despite the club season only just ending, the panel look ahead to the Lionesses’ European qualifiers against France and the Republic of Ireland ahead of next summer’s tournament. And finally, away from European football, it is the start of a new era as Emma Hayes takes charge of the USA for the first time against the Korea Republic. The panel try and foresee how she will get on.

Bilbao is used to being decorated in stripes, the flags of their beloved Athletic Club hang from every other window, but on Saturday the city found itself swamped in less familiar colours, Barcelona’s red and blue filling every bar and populating every square as travelling fans celebrated beating Lyon in a Champions League final at the third time of asking.

It was their talismanic duo, the playmaker Aitana Bonmatí and their superstar Alexia Putellas, who delivered in front of 50,827 fans. Bonmatí’s effort took a deflection off Vanessa Gilles to take it past Christiane Endler shortly after the hour mark, before Putellas added the second three minutes after coming on deep into added time. It was deserved, the French champions were unable to handle the guile of the world’s best passers of the ball who secured a historic quadruple.

Coach linked with Chelsea takes on Barcelona, having beaten them in 2022 final, knowing this could be her last Lyon game

Few teams have thwarted Barcelona in their ruthless prime, but the Champions League is Lyon’s playground. Although the Catalan club have provided the bulk of the Spain World Cup winners who have swept up individual awards in recent years and lifted domestic silverware aplenty, the French giants maintain bragging rights in Europe.

Lyon have beaten Barcelona in two Champions League finals, have never lost to them in the competition and hope to complete a hat-trick of final victories against them at San Mamés in Bilbao on Saturday.

• Some 90% of fans surveyed agree with a regular kick-off time
• Carney review advises exemption from Saturday 3pm blackout

There is a huge clamour for a dedicated TV slot for women’s football, according to a survey of thousands of fans carried out by the Football Supporters’ Association.

Backing the recommendation made in the 2023 review of women’s football, led by Karen Carney, 90.7% of fans surveyed by the FSA believe that the Premier League, English Football League and broadcasters should come together to create a specific, set time for the showing of such matches.

Faye Carruthers and Suzanne Wrack are joined by Marva Kreel and Rachel Brown-Finnis to discuss how Chelsea pipped Manchester City to the title after their rout of Manchester United

In today’s episode, the panel pay a fond farewell to the 2023-24 season as Emma Hayes’ Chelsea side secure another WSL trophy on her final game in charge of the club. Faye Carruthers and Suzy Wrack are joined by guests Marva Kreel and Rachel Brown-Finnis to discuss Chelea’s rout of Manchester United at Old Trafford, along with Manchester City’s anti-climactic victory over Aston Villa.

The panel also discuss Vivienne Miedema and Fran Kirby’s fairytale endings, hand out some of their end-of-season awards as well as waxing lyrical about the Lionesses’ under-17s side.

To sign up for our bi-weekly women’s football newsletter – all you need to do is search ‘Moving the Goalposts sign up’ or follow that link.Here’s an extract from the latest edition.

Final-day humbling followed FA Cup win and the goalkeeper wants to know Manchester United’s ambitions before signing a new deal

Mary Earps is upbeat, she is always upbeat, but she is also tired. You can feel it and you can see it. The season has been a long and gruelling one, ending with the highest of highs – lifting a first FA Cup with Manchester United at Wembley – and the lowest of lows: losing 6-0 on the final day of the Women’s Super League season to allow Chelsea to be crowned champions at Old Trafford. “There’s been a lot going on, a lot that I haven’t spoken about, and now I just need to take some time for myself,” Earps says. “That’s kind of where I’m at.”

The season also had a difficult beginning, with Earps’s future at United in doubt and speculation swirling following defeat by Spain in the World Cup final, both only ending when she signed a one‑year extension. Now the speculation is beginning again. Earps knows the question is coming. She sighs and gives a knowing smile, but she also wants to be honest.

Once again Chelsea won the league and once again on the final day of the season. That is no accident

There comes a time when you’ve written about the same scenario so many times that you begin to think that, eventually, you will run out of words. Chelsea’s stunning fifth consecutive league title – delivered in some style, via a 6-0 humiliation of Manchester United at Old Trafford to ensure they finished level with Manchester City but with a superior goal difference – is, strangely, not one of those times.

Yes, it is Chelsea’s eighth title of the past 10 (if you include the mini Spring Series of 2017) and the fourth year running that the title has been decided on the final day, but there is still so much to say.

The best players, most thrilling games and finest signings – plus the biggest flops and greatest gripes of the eventful season

It has to be Khadija Shaw. Bunny’s output speaks for itself with 21 goals in 18 games, including a run of three hat-tricks in four games at the turn of the year. For a moment it seemed as though Lauren James would match Shaw’s goal tally but the Manchester City striker’s commanding presence has set her apart from anyone else in the WSL this season. Xaymaca Awoyungbo

• Exhausted Chelsea manager signs off with fifth successive title
• ‘I felt we deserved title,’ says Manchester City’s Gareth Taylor

Emma Hayes said she doesn’t “have another drop to give” after bowing out as Chelsea manager with a fifth Women’s Super League title in a row, while Manchester City’s Gareth Taylor felt his team would have deserved to be champions.

Hayes spoke passionately and emotionally after her side won the league on goal difference with a 6-0 win at Manchester United, her final game before she leaves to take over the US women’s national team in time for the Olympics. “I’d say it’s taken its toll, rather than changed me,” she said of her 12 years at the club. “I categorically cannot carry on. So, I am absolutely leaving at the right time. I don’t have another drop to give it.”

The screams of delight from the departing Emma Hayes in her technical area, the roar and chest-thumping of the injured Sam Kerr sat high above the dugout, and the chaotic flailing arms from the jubilant corner of fans in blue. Chelsea are Women’s Super League champions for a fifth time in a row having thrashed the FA Cup winners Manchester United 6-0 at Old Trafford.

Those scenes came within 10 minutes. That’s all it took. In the end it was all a little anticlimactic, Chelsea’s two goals inside those eight minutes enough to give them an almost insurmountable four-goal advantage on goal difference over Manchester City. By half-time, despite City leading 1-0 at Aston Villa, Chelsea had doubled their tally and extended their advantage, going in four up – Sjoeke Nüsken and the utterly unplayable Mayra Ramírez adding to the latter’s opener and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s goal. Melanie Leupolz added a fifth after the break as they ran up the numbers and there was an emotional sixth from the departing record goalscorer Fran Kirby, but it wasn’t needed, with City only limping to a 2-1 win.

Manager determined to depart on a high while Manchester City aim to spoil leaving party on what could be a dramatic final day

Emma Hayes is not having to work hard to keep emotions in check as she prepares for her final game as Chelsea manager – Saturday’s mouthwatering match-up with Manchester United at Old Trafford – because she is used to doing it.

The last drive into work, the last coaching session, the final away trip with the team, watching her family mourn the end of her working relationship with Chelsea as much as she does – there is time to take in the poignancy of these moments properly later.