Women's Football - France v England Match of the Day Live

Hair and a warm welcome of live coverage of the England women's

football final against France. We are following Hape Powell's team as

they bring their -- begin their build-up to the Euro 2013 finals in

Sweden. The England squad are in fine form and on an impressive run.

Aluko scores the goal that surely seals England's place at the

European Championships. Now Hope Powell is planning for the finals

next summer and build-up matches do not come harder than France in

Paris. They've finished 4th in the 2011 World Cup and in the same

position in the London Olympics, only losing narrowly to Japan. The

French have potency and flair to spare. Casey Stoney knows England

will have to be at their best. will be a really good test. They

Our regular expert partnership of Sue Smith and Faye White are with

me to look ahead to what will be a pretty good litmus test to where

England women currently stand in the higher tier of European

competition. It is fantastic to see back so soon after giving birth to

little Lucas. It is a good excuse for you to get out of your pyjamas

and have a makeover! To matters of football, France, you have got some

history with them, your first and last cap where against them and

remember the penalty in the 2011 World Cup we will not talk too much

about but England have not beaten them crucially in all 11 meetings.

What do you reckon will be different tonight? I think their

experience in the last two major tournaments, they have got to 4th,

they have gone all the way to the bronze medal match. They have a lot

of players as well who played in one team, Olympic Liam, so they get

a lot of experience of playing week in, week out. They have from 62 at

170 caps. They have been together a long time, as have England. They

have had a manager in post for a long time as well. They have Nick

Pitt in the big games when we have been close with them. Hopefully

today we can get a win. Not too much between the two sides. Do you

think they're close to winning a major tournament a times in? Yes,

they are improving each year. There have been 4th twice and attacking

wise they are fantastic. From defence, midfield to the centre

forward, you do not know who to mark. They do not seem to concede

too many girls. In the build-up to the Euros, they did not concede

many goals. I think we have fantastic attacking players who can

potentially do that. OK, let's get the thoughts now of the England

head coach. Our reporter made the trip across the Channel to meet up

with Hope Powell as the England team arrived at the ground. Thank

you. Welcome to Charlety Stadium in Paris where I am afraid it has been

raining pretty much all day but nowhere near as much as it did in

Poland for the England men's match earlier this week. The England

women's manager, Hope Powell will be pleased to hear that. You have

just arrived in the stadium, thank you very much for joining me.

Obviously, we know that England have qualified for Euro 2013, does

that mean you can experiment with your tea more not really? It gives

us the opportunity to play some top-quality opposition. We are

looking ahead to 2013, preparation starts now. We will see how the

game progresses and hopefully we can use a number of players.

Hopefully it will be a good fixtures. We do know a few players

are missing including one of your top strikers, Kelly Smith. Can you

tell us more about who is playing today? Karen Bardsley is in goal,

Steph, Sophie and Casey. My brain has gone, sorry, I have not been

very well, so you will have to excuse me. Karen Carney will play

in midfield. Rachel Yankey, Ellen White and Eniola Aluko on the right.

It is a tough test against France, they are a challenging opposition.

Yes, they are the calibre that we want. It will give us a bit of a

barometer to see where we are and see what we need to achieve over

the next eight months. Thank you. I will be back in a little while.

Both I'm sure Hope Powell did not mean to forget Alex Scott. How can

you, she is such a regular. Just the one change for England from the

Croatia game we saw on the BBC from Walsall. That is Ellen White coming

I think Ellen White will want to prove the point. She missed out on

the last game through suspension. She will want to come in and make

that game her own. I think the three in midfield will be vital

today. The way France play with the one and the two, you think how well

It is an attacking line-up against a good side away from home. Rachel

has the experience, she has played quite well in the last few games

and had player of the match. She deserves to keep her place. Likes

to said, Alan had a back injury, she missed out during the Olympics,

not playing a lot of football and the WS sell says she will be happy

to come back in. -- W S Al. Fara Williams is not in the team at the

moment. They will be looking to Karen Carney to make that happen

and thread the ball through to Ellen. Familiar names in the

England starting line-up. Previously, some of our focus has

fallen on the most experienced players in the squad. Rachel Yankey

is one of them. She has passed Gillian Cooke tub's 119 cap record.

What about the future of at the England women's team? Do we have

exciting talent coming through? You always look up to the senior

players, the likes of see you and Casey. I look up to them. They can

definitely improve me as a player. When I was younger I used to watch

them play. You are going to learn from them and it is only going to

help me as well for the future of. I always wanted to be Fay when I

was playing. A just being around the players helps me improve. I

want to learn from the best. Ever since I was a little girl, that was

my dream to play for England. I got picked when I was 13, I started in

the under fifteens and I have now progressed and am playing for the

seniors. It is an amazing achievement and something I always

wanted to do. I remember sitting in the room with the 15th and they

said two people will make it. I remember looking around the room

thinking, how will I get there? have always known that the talent

in England is huge and it is very hard to get that challenge. It is

something where you have had to work a bit harder. Toni Duggan, her

first appearance at full international level. I was just

delighted to get out there. I was nervous, of course, like you would

be but I loved every minute of it. It was great to see her get on the

pitch. Hopefully one day I can do the same. I came on and sobbed for

Fe. Then I got injured. And then I finally got picked. Playing

alongside Casey was really good. was in partnership with her for

over a season. She is fantastic, reliable, dependable, it shows you

how far she has come at such a young age. She is very mature and

her decision making is brilliant. Another bright star. Hope has

brought in a few younger players recently. By are chomping at the

bit to get a starting place. They can learn from the more experienced

players and we can learn from them with their hyper energy they have

brought to the squad. On my first trip I remember hope introducing

herself and I was a bit taken aback. She said just be yourself. They all

help each other reached -- they all help each other out. The senior

players will with come up to the younger ones and introduce

themselves and they just be themselves, that is how they got

here. I think it is important that the senior players in part their

knowledge with the younger players and try and help them. Don't get me

wrong, not all the younger players need it. Some of them are fantastic.

Sometimes they might not make the right decisions. They have come

into a set-up where there are more experienced players than them but

they hold their own. They are chomping at the bit and trying to

prove a point to Hope and the other players that they need to be here -

- deserve to be here and rightly so. You cannot take that away from them,

we all aspire to be like that but it will be a pretty difficult task.

I would like to think in time to come I will get 100 caps myself.

I take my chances, what could come of it? Of all the players that the

international team get to pick from, it is getting better. These

youngsters are coming in and fighting to be part of the England

set-up and that is a big headache for Hope to have. I'm glad I will

be retiring in a few years because they are getting better and better

and I will be looking over my shoulder!

So unlovely interviews there with the -- some lovely interviews there

with the next generation. Plays you know really well, the likes of

Saviour Bradley a and a fellow Scouser Toni Duggan, are they good

enough to replace the old guard? They are fantastic. The attitudes

of the young players coming through now, because they have been from

the under fifteens right through to the senior squad, they want to

learn and they want to learn from the experienced players and they

will go a long way. It would be nice to seek Toni Duggan come on

today and make an impact. They do seem to have a fantastic attitude,

as somebody from the outside looking in, it is important that

they have the right mentality, isn't it? Their attitude is really

good. They come into the squad and they know what is expected of them.

They know the routine and the demands of training. They have such

a professionalism. When we didn't - - when we were at their we did not

because the game has changed so much. It is important to be that

confident. England certainly need to be careful of the threat posed

from a very dangerous looking French side. We are just about

ready to head over to Paris but remember, you can get in touch with

us via the usual Facebook and Twitter channels. It is now time to

see England begin their build-up to evening everybody. The build-up

begins in Paris. France finished 4th in both the World Cup and the

London Olympics and should give England a very good idea of where

they currently are in European football's pecking order and what

they need to do to be truly competitive in Sweden next year.

Outside of the big two, the USA and Germany, the French are pretty much

on back and a full? Yes, they have proved in the last couple of

tournaments that they are the ones to watch out for. They have shown

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and come through as a group from or we will now have the French

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Sandrine Soubeyrand, winning her 186 two age -- 186th cap for the

French tonight. Their goalkeeper Sarah Bouhaddi coming in alongside

at Laura Georges. They experienced goalkeeper not involved in the side

Williams. Eniola Aluko will try to offer some width down the right

Williams, alongside Siobhan Chamberlain for England, and Elodie

Thomis has often been a dangerous player, coming off the bench, as

she was in that World Cup quarter- many familiar names for these

England players, looking back to that horrible day back in at 2011.

They can't settle any real scores are here today, but it would set

down a marker before next week. France are doing really well, an

emerging nation. When you get beaten like that, it's a bit to

spill -- a poll to swallow. You now want to show they are at your love

for and there should be a competitive match. There is no such

thing as a friendly and I think England will be out there to prove

they are the same as France. There will be plenty of build up games

before the European Championships in Sweden next year. Hope Powell

has chosen one of the toughest possible opponents to kick-off,

when you look at some of the names there, Eugenie Le Sommer, near us

to the camera, and the England players have plenty of smiles, but

know they are playing for their places as well. If you take out

Holland, it was a relatively routine group for the qualification.

Now the hard work really starts. Yes, like Hope said before, this

will be an indicator of where they are. It's not just a friendly, but

it's looking towards next summer. All the players now want their

place in the squad because younger players are coming through and they

don't want to give up their spot easily. Here are some young players

coming onto the pitch for the French, members of their under 17

squad, who won the World Championship in Azerbaijan recently.

That shows this French team, below this level, have some very talented

youngsters coming through. Yes, they move through in groups. If you

get that, then you get a real momentum going forward as they move

up to senior football. The French coach has a firm grip on at the

French football system. After our celebrity kick-off involving the

under 17 players, we will finally get the real action under way and

the hard work really starting for England now. Its the build up to

important here in Paris tonight, but a good England performance

against one of the best teams in the world at the moment would give

them real confidence as the build- up to that major tournament begins.

You look at the players not involved, it shows the strength and

depth they have at the moment. it does. Both players have had

playing system. Just like England. We saw many of their players

involved in the London Olympics when they came so close to beating

the world champions, Japan, and also the United States of America.

Karen Bardsley has to do with a long-range shot from Celine Deville,

who will be their major striker this evening. They had some good

attacking this evening. A very fluid formation, as well. Here is

Alex Scott. And now Eniola Aluko, who was the player of the game

England's last performance against Croatia, which sealed their place

at the European Championship. Sophie Bradley, one of the

youngsters we heard from before the game, it's a tribute to her that

they White retired and she has not been missed. I played with save the

Bradley when she was 16 at Leeds and she was exactly the same now as

she was them. She was mature. As a centre half, it's important. You

have got to make the right decisions in the centre halves.

Sophie has slotted in really well into the England senior set-up.

Karen Carney was a bit loose. The her back four. The ball into the

penalty area. Shepherded the back to Karen Bardsley. The French have

got a lot of pace. It frightens defenders and the team and all of

their players have that. They are surface after a heady days rain in

Paris. A prolific story, her 50th cap. She already has 40

Karen Carney is muscled off the ball again. Karen Bardsley has to

make a routine save from the ball which was eventually fired back in.

You can see the strength of the French, winning the ball back

easily in midfield at the moment. A couple of opportunities. Nothing to

worry Karen Bardsley, but she will think they need to get closer to

midfield more. More discipline from Jill Scott and Anita Asante needed

there. There is Sarah Bouhaddi, the French goalkeeper. She plays for

Lyon. The champions of Europe. She is very much a stand in here.

Celine Deville was first choice goalkeeper for some time and played

against England and Germany in that striker receiving but has had to do

most of the work in the opening five minutes deep in her own half.

England need to go deeper to compact the midfield a little bit.

Just put it against those French two midfielders. Two very good

players. England need to wrestle the initiative off France, away

from home. And the French have become a bogey side for England

over the years. The English have not been victorious since a 2-0

victory at Wimbledon is owned cloud Lane back in November 1974. The

French move forward again. Celine Deville bursts into the area.

could see the pace and the defending ability of Sophie Bradley

are to make sure they got a shot on Karen badly. Laura Georges

challenging for the ball in the air and England still have some work to

do here. Sandrine Soubeyrand with the header down the line. They have

been relative sanctuary of a throw- in. I would expect England to

whether a bit of a storm, being in Paris. The French will want to put

a show on for the supporters. The first 20 minutes or so is meant to

be as safe as possible, they need Sandrine Soubeyrand. Rachel Yankey

could not exploit the possession. Good defending from Alex Scott in

the end, to drive her out at the vital moment. A little stumble

there. She was out of position coming back but speed gets her back

in there, enough to put off Eugenie Le Sommer, her first shot on goal.

Quality going forward, three players, one on either side,

difficult for a defence to deal with. The French coach has such a

wealth of attacking talent available to him. Marie-Laure Delie

scored in Cyprus, a comprehensive 3-0 victory for France on that

been able to pick up some the end and that is good defending

by Laura Georges. Good play by Ellen White there. Played the ball

into Karen Carney. The flag stayed down. She is allowed to continue.

Marie-Laure Delie. England almost presented the opportunity but in

the end, it scrambled away again. The a few seconds difference

between the England attack and the opportunity on goal. It looked

offside to me but not the way the assistant referee looks at that.

Again, just attacking with speed and most of the England defenders

missed that. Luckily, the long legs of Jill Scott got rid of it. Good

play by her. She created a good chance but what if France had

attacked properly on that occasion? Hope Powell wanted a difficult test

for her side and from the evidence of the opening nine minutes or so,

she will certainly get one here in Sandrine Soubeyrand and Casey

Stoney, and England have the throw- in. A rare Casey Stoney goal, only

her 5th at international level, in scoresheet. Ellen White, suspended

for that game. In the absence of Kelly Smith, who was injured again,

I think Ellen White was always likely to come back into the side

but we you surprised Fara Williams had to make way? A little bit. Fara

has had an up-and-down season. You can't play in a position she wants

but it is where she fits into this side. Hope likes to play Aluko,

Karen Carney and Rachel Yankey. Fara Williams may be missed tonight

but it is up to others to take forward. On to the head of Houghton.

England give the ball away rather cheaply again. That was a decent

looked like a foul there but a great little turn, lovely feet.

Karen Bardsley obviously thought that was going to go in the top

corner and dived appropriately. That shows a striker with

confidence. She is a striker full of confidence and you would expect

to see her on the scoresheet of these international games as she

has been recently. She is one of seven Leon players playing this

evening. They are the team to beat easier said than done. As soon as

he put a ball in that space, the French try just attacking in

numbers. If it means turning France around for a few minutes, that is

what you need to do. The French have such an impressive home record.

They have won their last 12 games here and not conceded a goal in

their last six. Anything England can get here tonight would be a

real achievement. They want to be measured against the best in Europe,

heading towards the European Championships. It is games like

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this they need to play and also to The French have been fairly direct

surely it! The way the game is going, you have to earn the right

to play and England cannot just played the way they want to

straightaway, they have to learn the way -- the right to play

against a strong French team away from home. Part of that is not

giving away the ball. They are just giving the ball away in a bit too

much at the moment. It is a very attacking line-up for England.

There is real responsibility on Anita Asante. I would imagine

against the better teams in major tournaments, she may have a major

job to do in there. It will be more Franco. Aluko managed to beat her

second time around. England need to keep the ball up here as much as

possible. If you can get Alex got forward and staff Houghton Ford, it

will get the French under pressure. It is a bit cat-and-mouse at the

moment. It is at which fullback can get the upper hand? At the moment,

it is the French. I do expect the momentum to change. England do have

hold onto the ball inside the carries herself well. She is 39,

attack, they look a bit out of shape defending. It is always a

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reach to defend it but doing all strikers and the midfielders which

is causing England problem so far. People talk about playing between

the lines of the defence, midfield and attack and it is key that when

you do that you actually arrive in the space, you are not stood in it.

She kicks the ball and it is really Just giving a bit too much time for

me. Excellent play by Karren Bardsley. A really strong player.

One of the strongest players in the corner. Necib takes a. It cleared

the near post. The French have it back again but this time it was too

bit quicker than that. 20 minutes gone and it is 0-0. That is what

Hope Powell would have wanted. Goals may be at a premium here

tonight because the French conceded only two goals in their qualifying

campaign. Their won or eight games scoring 32 goals in the process,

including heavy wins over Wales, Scotland and the Republic of

Ireland. England only conceded two goals in their opening game and

that was it for them. You could argue that apart from the

Netherlands they were in a slightly easier group. They do have

confidence. That is White Hope Powell has not tinkered too much

with the goalkeeper and the back four. The more they play together,

the more experience they will have. This is a big game tonight. It may

be a friendly but it is still a big game. A lot of the women's football

world will be looking at this to see where England are. Bono France

are doing well but how do England Bardsley. That was a great recovery

away. They spent much of the opening 20 minutes also on the

Bardsley by Delie. That was a great tackle. If Yankey had got a touch

too that, she would have been in full flow. An opportunity for the

French to line up their sights on goal. Can Neil Abily he made the

challenge, is one of a number of centurions in at the French team. -

England when they get inside the French half. There is much for Hope

Powell to ponder here. Yes, but I expect what is happening is what

she expect it to happen. She just wants a little bit more going

forward, I would expect. Front have to be aware of the threat that

England have. Otherwise they will just have more players forward.

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laboured at the moment. -- England's possession is all a bit

laboured at the moment. Saviour Bradley has had a very busy start

to this game. I don't know she was caught the wrong side but she is

causing problems for the two centre halves. England cannot get into any

corner count so far without any real reward. That ball clearly went

behind. A goal kick has been given. When you look at the calibre of the

teams who have managed to beat the French in recent times, the USA,

the Olympic champions, Japan, the world champions, and Canada who

picked up a bronze medal at the London Olympics, it gives you an

idea of the task facing the England side tonight. Their coach is not

afraid to make some awkward decisions as well. Sunnier

Bompastor is considered one of the best left-backs but she has been

left out for reasons of squad harmony, according to the coach.

There are great stories about that. I think he has chosen some of this

got instead of power because she does not get on with them,

allegedly. Bid team have to get on. As a coach, you have to make big

decisions like that if players don't get on. That is what he has

done because he has got rid of a player who is a very good player

and has a lot of experience. She is a world-class player. It must have

another shot on goal, this time from Louisa Necib. She gets the

ball into some great positions. She scooped the ball. You saw the

position that she picks the ball up in. It was too far from the centre

half for them to pick up the ball whole 90 minutes in the last game,

but were clinging on grimly to a Jill Scott goal, but the French

equalised with two minutes to play. And eventually won the game on

penalties, on the way to finishing art have to take at the time, when

you play the year after that, those experiences really help. You are

able to actually deal with games like this a lot better, games in

the championships, from those bad experiences. You tend to learn more

from the bad experiences than the good. England have now qualified

for the 5th successive major tournament, so a number of these

players are used to playing at the sharp end of women's international

the area. There she is! And, again! A great clearance from Alex Scott

and England somehow scrambled the ball away. She played on the

shoulders of the defenders and tried to get in, try to be clever,

and a great defending from Alex Scott on the line. England escape.

You have got to put the ball in there. Unless you can do that

really, really well, and because she did that, she didn't get it in.

It looks good if you can get it in. penalty area and that one does not

player here, Alex Scott, a real up Rolls-Royce for England, playing it

England do not make the most of the opportunity. They are finding it

difficult to get the balls in the right area for the likes of Rachel

Yankey and Eniola Aluko to get on the end of. It's not like they have

played badly. England, still 0-0 after half an hour. If they get to

this at half-time, I'm sure Hope Powell will make some tweaks to the

formation or personnel. If they get the scoreline at the half-time Mark,

right-hand side. It's a great pass. Alex Scott again. But nobody coming

the French defenders to get a touch sits in front of the back four and

tries to dictate the play but England, there, snapping at her

ball in play but England have to the challenge but Eniola Aluko was

there again. Much better by England. You can't see the pace of Eniola

Aluko on the left-hand side, she managed to get away. This is what

England need to do because they have the players to do it, put

pressure on the French back four. They are thinking about defending

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rather than going forward. England Aluko will chase just for a second

there. It did appear Sarah Bouhaddi carried the ball outside the

penalty area. She did. What will the referee do here? I don't know

why she did not kick about. It was obvious she was going to handle

outside the area. I think, had that been a competitive game, Sarah

Bouhaddi would be shown the red card because it was deliberate

handball. You have got to go by the rules of football. If it's outside

embarrassed. Why didn't she header it? She was a foot and a half of

from a Eniola Aluko. We saw Steph Houghton score from this range from

this eerie air in the Olympics. She and she has done it here for

England in Paris. The brilliant. England have hardly had an

opportunity but you see the importance of set pieces and then

you have players like Steph Houghton who can really strike a

ball. She gets the ball through the wall and the goalkeeper has no

chance. You can see the intent in her eyes. She is technically

unbelievable so when she gets a ball in a set piece like that, a

dead-ball situation. The speed on that. She will not stop that. I bet

you verses she got sent off now. What a fantastic kick that was

against the run of play. England will not be too concerned because

soaking up pressure and striking decisively is what you need to do

in games like this. The French need to learn you do not get a goal for

10 passes. You need to get pressure. This is what this level of football

is all about. England have been lucky not to concede. But also the

way they have defended it... Steph Houghton has such a purple patch

for Team GB. Three goals in the Group Stage at the London Olympics.

She has come up here for her first international goal for England,

alongside those goals for Great Karen Bardsley. Eugenie Le Sommer

was isolated. Sophie Bradley in the end let her turn. In these

conditions, the ball dipped before the goalkeeper, always difficult to

deal with it but Karen Bardsley gets a body behind it and makes no

mistake. The French have carved out, virtually, all the opportunities

here, but, for England, one goal so far. Rachel Yankey not able to

conceding a goal at home has now challenges but the French have the

Corine Franco still has the ball. Casey Stoney just taking the sting

out of that header. The French build up play in the first half has

been pretty good, but that last little bit. Karen Bardsley has been

equal to it. The English have defended well. Not quite the

quality they have in the middle the closest player to her, there

was nobody in the penalty area. England, all of a sudden, have the

belief they can do this. Bradley was there again, and she has coped

pretty well with the French maned goal threat so far. More players

want to get on the ball now, and the way they are knocking at around

now, is what they needed. More against Eugenie Le Sommer but

Celine Deville was onside. The Italian referee getting away. Will

that help out England? Here is Karen Carney. Jill Scott! Fantastic

goal! What a classic breakaway! And England have doubled their lead.

Great play on the left-hand side. I know England have been working on

moving the ball and cross in early. That was the first opportunity they

have had. Jill Scott went for it and got her head on it. What a

great finish that was. She finishes it superbly well. 2-0. I would

never have said that. England were lucky they do not want to concede

before the break. Scoring two is a double bonus. I would have said

that two minutes ago. What a terrific header from Jill Scott.

The fact she was forward, they have obviously worked on that. Get the

ball in the box. They had the opportunity to do it but Rachel

Yankey did it and Jill Scott goes beyond the strikers and scores a

goal. Marie-Laure Delie, trying to get something going now for the

French, the look absolutely stunned. They controlled the opening half-

an-hour but the deliberate handball from their goalkeeper gave them the

opportunity and, from that moment on, England have been in charge.

Here is a chance for Laure Boulleau. That deflection not helping the

the pressure and taking your chances and England have certainly

heavier and heavier here has the rain tumbles down. Camille Abily

wins the free kick. Gil Scott scored that goal in the World Cup

quarter-final and she scored the it, right that it. -- right that it.

But was routine for Bardsley again. Routine that difficult when you

know you have got players coming and attacking you afterwards. In

these conditions, all bounces in front of the keeper are difficult

to deal with. The next one could be the key goal. If France get it, if

England get it back or be enough to destroy France's confidence. There

is another free kick. Casey Stoney this time with the challenge.

is not the best place to give one of those free kicks. Casey Stoney

moment, like expect the coach will have a few words to say to his team

had a superb first-half. There have. Both of them have positioned

themselves extremely well, her and Casey Stoney. She has worked really

hard, she is a great centre forward. I don't know if they will do

something different in the second half, the French, but if they keep

doing what they're doing, they will keep a clean sheet. England have

had two a tense and two goals so far. Looking for more just before

half-time. Bradley back to her goalkeeper. She made a number of

have an assured goalkeeper. When you know your goalkeeper is strong

it really does help the back four. If it gets passed them, they know

they have a goalkeeper behind who again and there she is. England

will take the corner. They are getting more bodies forward now.

England are aware of the threat of the attack. Ellen White went flying.

There will be one additional minute at the end of the first half. I

think Asante was a bit unlucky there. That was not a foul. There

to negotiate and it will be a corner. It is key for England now

decisive fist this time. The danger was not cleared but it was a good

block inside the area. England get to half-time leading by two goals

to zero. That flurry at the end of the first half really summed up

much of what we have seen. England then responded with two goals

within five minutes from Steph Houghton and Jill Scott. It is a

very impressive half-time scoreline Well, we all expected that and it

was a thoroughly fair reflection of the first half. All right, we are

completely stunned! Sue Smith and Faye White watching in the studio.

What did you make of that? We were watching the first half and we

thought France were playing really well. They kept the ball really

well and they were attacking. We thought how many will this be? And

suddenly come from nowhere, we managed to scored two goals. We

managed to build up the pressure. Do you think that was the tactic,

to be completely outplayed at first? Not really. France are so

good, their attacking players all interchange. Eugenie Le Sommer and

Gaetane Thiney play really now road to get their full-backs on. Eugenie

Le Sommer looked really threatening for them. Necib was floating around.

She is like that. She manages to be in the right place at the right

time for France. It is quite hard to keep an eye on her really. They

completely controlled it. But to go, normally our problem is clinical

finishing so today it has worked for us. They have definitely been

practising finishing, haven't they? There have. Steph Houghton has. We

will see her goal in a minute. Let's just have a look. We have

just been talking about how the goalkeeper, Sarah Bouhaddi, cost

them a couple of times in the Olympics. That is exactly what

happened here. She carried the ball outside the area. Steph Houghton,

what a fantastic strike force of three goals in Great Britain's

first three games in the Olympics, she made a name for herself.

has just carried on from the Olympics. As soon as there was the

free kick we said, let Steph Houghton have it. Be keeper can be

quite inconsistent. She can be fantastic or she makes mistakes and

that mistake was the catalyst for us to start playing. After staff's

goal I thought we started to play better and better. The that was a

weakness in the squad. She is not the biggest in the frame. She does

like to come out of her area and she has given us that free kick

there. I don't think any person wants to get their head on

something like that. We expected a reaction from France but then

England went and scored a second goal. It was a very good goal. I

tell you what, Sue Smith, England have been crying out for a decent

left wing of for years. We have got Rachel Yankey, fabulous ball into

Jill Scott. She has passed it out to Rachel. Gill made a good forward

run, two defenders and Ellen is up there with her. They are both good

headers of the ball. Gill scored against them in the World Cup in

2011. I think because France are playing so compact in the midfield,

we need to get the ball out wide to the likes of Richard Yankey and

Eniola Aluko. Ellen White can head the ball -- Rachel Yankey. To do

for those two goals, there was a That was a vital clearance. Alex

did not track and a summer's run there. She has gone back and

protected the goal. She had been so keep, Eugenie Le Sommer. We thought

she might have scored. She was very lively. She seems to get just a

little yard of space and Take That were shot here. A fantastic touch.

You can see the players do not know whether to come to her or to back

off. The good thing about terror as well as from a defensive point of

view, she likes to join in and come in narrow. As a centre half, if you

have got three players to mark, it is hard. She is in a central role

here as well. That shows a confident striker when they shoot

outside the box like that with a left or right foot. I think we have

to mention Karen Bardsley. She has kept us in the game with some

punches and vital saves. As many of u-net -- as many of you know, St

George's Park is the new England national football centre. The

centre was officially opened this month and is now the state of the

art base for 24 teams including England's female squads. Earlier,

Casey Stoney was invited back to Burton to take a look at the

impressive facilities. It is a fantastic facility,

everything is here, everything you could possibly need. It could take

the country to a whole new level. This is our rehabilitation gin-

soaked people who come here to stay for a few days or even a few weeks

for residential rehabilitation of an injury or operation can come and

use this facility and then we can use it. We keep them busy all day

and working on various bits of equipment. This Is Our anti-gravity

treadmill. If you did not want to put your full body weight through

your joints as you are running, you can run on this treadmill. You can

run from anything from 100 % to 20 % of your body weight. I will give

it a go! I like it. I have had an ongoing problem for two years with

Mike Achilles so to be able to run pain free with no weight is

fantastic. For medical science is incredible. Some of the machines, I

did not even know what they were four. There have been explained to

us. A lot of it is injury prevention or post rehab. I am

hoping to stay out of that room. It inspires you to want to train here

and do well here. This is the elite pitch here at St

George's Park. All of them are fantastic. The pitch dimensions,

the grass laying, it is like Wembley so when the guys play there

and the girls play there again it is exactly the same. For the first

time, we have probably got the same equality of the men, we trained on

the same pictures and have access to the same facilities, so to be

able to train here is fantastic. It bodes well for good football and

good training. I think it is about making that difference. We always

look for the extra age that we can gain so coming to a facility like

this and training prior to a major tournament, it can make that 2%

difference, it could mean us getting to the semis aura final

rather than the quarter-final and Participation is important and

keeping girls involved in sport is very important. Having something

like this for them to come to will only inspire them further. For me,

this has been the best year of my life, without a shadow of a doubt,

captaining England, the Olympics, playing in front of 70,000 at

Wembley. It doesn't get better than that, but I'm still not happy where

I am. I'm not going to sit back and be satisfied, because we have a

major tournament next year, and this year has given me more

determination than ever to go out there and do something special.

A fantastic facility there. I bet you would love to have had that

facility when you are coming into the game, not that I'm suggesting

your towards the latter stages of your career. Especially with your

injuries. Fabulous facilities. Without a doubt, and it's great

that we have parity with the men. We are training in the same place

they are. Sometimes it's better for us, the fact the men have their

clubs where they had those facilities, so it's nice that we

can use those treadmills and weights, and they are the best

facilities in the world. It's great for us, I think. Do you think it

can make a real difference in terms of actual fitness levels and

recovery of injuries and performance levels in terms of

major tournaments? Definitely, if you have a good lead-up to the

major tournaments, and the squad can be together at it facility like

that, it's amazing, but it's also important for players to access

that when they are injured, as well, because it does vary different

league, the care the players get at their clubs. If the girls can use

that facility more often, rather than five days before again, I

think it would be beneficial. it make them feel more professional,

as well? Because the women's game is more of a semi-professional

thing? Yes, injury prevention is a massive thing. It could help you

and get you back playing a lot quicker. Of course, you want to

feel professional. The more training you can do, the better the

game will become. OK. Well, a great facility for that future of England

international football, but let's talk about Scotland now because

there was another important international happening north of

the border today at Hampden Park, in fact, as Scotland finished

second to France in the qualifying group and this was a first leg

from a Little. You would never have expected her to miss that. That was

in the 24th minute. Then Martin, from Chelsea, equalised after a

mistake. It was 1-1, it finished, despite the fact Spain had a

once again a step up to take the penalty. A superb double save by

sue Smith's former Leeds United team-mate. So, confirmation of that

A pretty typical draw for Scotland to be drawn again Spain. Do you see

1-1 going to Spain next Wednesday? Is it enough? Judging by the

expression on your face, I think... It will be difficult for them to go

to Spain. Anybody expects Spain to get a result but Scotland put up a

fantastic performance. And Gemma, despite a mistake, had a really,

really good game. Hopefully, fingers crossed, they can go to

Spain and get a result because there would be nice to see Scotland

go through, as well. It would be superb to have a two home nations.

Men's or women's. You know Kim Little, who we saw at the Olympics

and Jenifer Beattie, quality players. Scotland are an emerging

nation, getting better. France won their group for the qualifying

easier, and Wales, Scotland and Ireland were in that group as well

so it was a tough one. So they are the next best team in that group so

it was a harder draw for them to get Spain rather than a Ukraine or

Iceland. They would have been easier for them. They would have

gone through them up, I think. Spain are a strong team and you

would expect them to be favourites. The second half now of this

enthralling match in Paris, which England are leading by 2-0, despite

the fact that France outplayed them for the first half. What are you

expecting now? I don't think she will make any substitutions to

begin with and then hopefully we will see Jordan Nobbs and Toni

Duggan come on. They have had good seasons for their Super League

teams. Do you think Hope is thinking it's a chance by heard to

blood some of those youngsters? -- it's a chance for Hope drew blood

some of those youngsters? She will tell them to do their best. Elodie

Thomis is coming out in the second half. That will be interesting.

she's a great player. Back to the Thomis will give people in the

quarter-final some bad memories because she came on and helped to

change that game and Hope Powell had to make changes to combat that.

It didn't really work on that day. It's an indication that the French

coach wants to win this game or get something out of it, because he

will be bitterly disappointed to see his team that dominate the game

so much and then fall two goals behind just before half-time.

team dominated and then they were sucker-punch to at the end of the

first half. Williams has come on, as well. England also make no

change at half-time as well. Fara Williams made way to allow for

Ellen White and there is one of the youngsters we were talking about,

Toni Duggan, given her opportunity. 45 minutes. Against one of the best

teams in the world. Even though Hope Powell is on the verge of what

would be a notable result here, she is experimenting, which, in many

has gone off, along with Gaetane Thiney, so the French are making a

couple of changes. Camille Catala is the other player to come on for

the second half. Her 14th cap, and all of them have come off the bench,

so she must be something of an impact player. It is England who

start here in the second half than they did for much of the first.

What is your view on a changes? It's obvious Hope was going to make

changes. She probably planned it all the way through perhaps. Toni

Duggan is a young player. Fara Williams things she should be

playing as well, an England international, so I don't think we

will see that much of a change because the effort and motivation

will be there to win this match. The two wide players, Rachel Yankey

and Eniola Aluko are the ones to make way, so it's possible there

will be chains in shape here as well. It looks like Jill Scott has

been pushed forward and Karen Carney has gone to the right. I

suspect how that is, with Toni Duggan going on the other side.

England are looking to build an attack. The shot driven towards

goal from Anita Asante and that is the first effort from England which

has not resulted in a goal. Yes, opportunities in the Olympics to

score. But you still did not score. It's not one of their strengths.

England supporters her enjoying what they are seeing. Here is Ellen

White, holding up on a heavy pitch again. Toni Duggan. She eventually

comes in with the challenge. Toni Duggan is an exciting player, a

quick-play up. She is strong and she hassles defenders and will not

Beaten to it by Fara Williams who, as Lucy was saying, believes she

has a point to prove here having start the match on the bench.

she is a quality player, Fara. She's always on the ball. Some of

our passes are something other players cannot produce, so she is a

positive change for England. Toni Duggan does well to get on the

wrong side of Laure Boulleau but the ball runs out for a goal kick

but already Toni Duggan showing she is going to give the French some

problems here. Yes, she is a young player who wants to show she is

good enough to be in this team, which she is. She is a real threat

on goal, as well. I expect to see her with some opportunities.

had a few moments against Croatia and almost scored a goal, as well.

Fortified minutes here against opponents are a far higher calibre.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

lightning start to the second half, as she came in from the left on her

stronger right foot, but could not get a clean strike away. You can

see the confidence from this girl. She knows she is capable of scoring.

They have started the second half well, England. Given away. England

will be well aware of her pace. Good challenge of from a Casey

Stoney. Marie-Laure Delie. Another fantastic block in the area, Anita

Asante, this time. Her speed, she just misjudged the bounce of the

ball. Delayed the opportunity. Again, Scott gets in the way. If

she can't get herself in front of that, it would have been a goal. A

tremendous strike. Second important clearance from Alex got inside the

area. The French are still looking dangerous here. Karen Carney with

deep again. But the French are finding it much harder at the

moment to get in between the English lines. Yes, they seem to

have pushed the game on five yards inside the area. My first look, I

would have said that was a penalty. A let-off for Casey Stoney. That is

what you do, you protest your innocence. They get away with it.

It could have been a penalty for the hold. They are riding their

luck so far in this game. The side to make this match a contest

even though they conceded the corner. They were rather fortunate

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

chances. That was goodbye Thomis, she opened up a little bit of a

space but the shot was not on target. England are getting

threat going forwards in the second half. If you have just joined us,

they were largely outplayed in the opening 45 minutes but scored two

goals in five minutes. Steph Houghton with a thunderous free

kick and Jill Scott with an equally It is their style to always try and

here does remain rather sticky. This stadium is usually used for

rugby union. Stade Francais were using it as their home ground while

a new stadium is being built. It was double-booked. Because this

game is being played, at the rugby game has moved north. You must have

found on your career, when you play on a rugby pitch it makes a

difference? It does. It is a bit heavy and with all this rain, it

will be a lot heavier. There will be a few tired legs out there in

the next 20 minutes also. There will be few more changes. Hope is

happy with what her team has done. She has introduced new players at

half-time and England have looked her team forward and they win the

free kick -- Hope Powell is in the background. Jill Scott is so strong

and athletic. If you give it a bit more freedom and let Fara Williams

and Anita Asante sit, it gives a little bit extra going forward.

tends to match up the French playing with the poise they had for

The inexperience of Toni Duggan giving the French a gulp. -- giving

the French a goal. Just when it seemed England were in control, the

French have made it 2-1. The pitch just held it up. As a keeper you

have got to go through strong and take the ball. She will not score

an easy one than that. It is a shame because they have done really

well this half, England. Under any normal circumstances, that back-

pass would have reached but it has not and it has put England under

Delie's goals. She has got to keep going, Toni Duggan, it is one of

those things. When it left her foot, it was going but the pitch put paid

the balls of target. England have got a lot better at this at recent

times. If you do concede at international level, you have just

got to keep going. In the second half they are a lot better in terms

of possession. They just have to keep doing what they are doing.

is ironic that the goal came at a time when England were playing

their best spell of football in the match, in terms of controlled

equaliser. I think I said in the first half, the third goal in this

game was important. The French get it and put England under pressure.

Sophie Bradley. This could be a long second half for England.

Rather than building on their lead, they may be looking to hold on to

was a good save from Karen Bardsley. England are all over the place.

England could not get rid of the ball. Casey Stoney trite, Sophie

Bradley tried, great save from Karen Bardsley. She was expecting

the ball to go the other way. There was so difficult for them to get on

the end of it. The French bench knew how close they were 20

these girls need and have had in the past, been put under pressure

in a big game and going to having 0 up and having to soak up the

pressure of the first half. All of these are good experiences.

Hopefully we might see Jordan Nobbs forward and Ellen White with the

game has resumed the pattern whistle for the first half. England

are on the back for it. -- the pattern that we saw for the first

is given away but England get the free kick. That was not a good ball

played into Fara Williams in the first place. It meant she had to

step on to one leg. That was not a big challenge. Bent her ankle in a

little bit. She seems to be all right. Given a ball like that,

sometimes it is a challenge you end up with. That was reckless which is

why the free kick was given. service like this enables players

who want to slide tackle to do it so you have to be careful which all

you give to your team-mates. weather conditions are worsening

England rather than playing somebody Bay could whack four or

five Neil and are learning much about playing in adversity. That

White could not get away from the French defender. Everybody slipping

over. The ground is so soft and heavy to run in at the moment. A

bit wide from Toni Duggan in the end. Better for England going

for the first half although the flag is up for offside against

Franco. They have done well, the French, the possession they have

had but it has taken an estate from England to school that goal.

England defending quite well. Just limited the French, to their good

play in that. That is not of sight, beginning to lose their footing

looking to support their attack. This time it is played back to

Karen Bardsley with a degree of when your passing has to be really

precise here. Put a little bit more on it. It's all just getting stuck

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

his Elodie Thomis. -- here is Barnsley. Louisa Necib with the

shot this time. Bardsley unable to turn the rebound in. And England

goalkeeper adds to what is now becoming a large collection of fine

saves here. An error here to give the French more possession. A real

will come on to replace her. Rachel Brown, usual goalkeeper, has not

troubled because of injury. So, these days, its of relative a rare

outing for the Bristol goalkeeper. Rachel Brown would be the number

one choice at the moment. Siobhan Chamberlain, I have seen her play a

couple of times in the W S L. I nothing they come on in a game as

Scott doing her best to make a number one and number two. Jill

Scott hits the deck and wins the free kick. She's not impressed.

Camille Abily. The so awkward to play against, Jill Scott. Need

control from Toni Duggan, coming inside. -- need control. That would

have been her first international goal. She's done it a few times now,

Toni Duggan, getting her sights on goal now. To come in from opposite

side and strike like that, as she She has worked hard in the centre

of the England midfield. She is released now by Fara Williams. She

great set of four patches to produce that ball over the top to

performance, making the most of what they have. They will be

disappointed that the man of the French goal. -- they will be

disappointed with the manner of the centre. The challenge comes in from

Bradley and Steph Houghton appears to be hurt. A risky challenge. She

was so quick, Elodie Thomis. She went for it. Her left knee. Safety

Bradley. She winced as soon as she bad luck -- Sophie Bradley. She had

a broken leg and her to her knee. - you are recovering. She missed out

on the 2007 World Cup and the 2,009 euros due to injury. She only

played a few minutes against the French in the last World Cup. Let's

hope it's not too serious. Good to see her at least on her feet.

has turned herself into a key player at international level. A

But Miss control allows Toni Duggan to get the ball clear. That's good

to see because whenever Steph Houghton goes down, with her

previous record, your heart is always in your mouth. You don't

like to see that of anybody but particularly somebody who has had

such bad luck in football. She has made up for it since, though. She

has had a fantastic year. Obama Sylla half-time, 2012 has been the

best year Indies players careers, with the Olympics. -- In these

players' careers. It's a chance next year to reduce something in an

England shirt at the European Championships. -- really do

something. The best chance England have had, building up their

experience, getting the players used to playing at this level. They

have been so close in recent times. Louisa Necib trying to thread the

ball through. Conditions are getting ever trickier. I think with

Elodie Thomis there, we talk about whether players should go down,

diving, and had she gone down for Steph Houghton's Challenge, she

would probably have got a penalty. Sometimes you would prefer the

Marie-Laure Delie, this time, unable to find the target. She is a

tall striker. That was a little bit too high for her, and she could not

get the change in direction and the power on the ball as she came

across. She has had critics and the pass as a wide player who used his

pace, who uses the white lines to stop her from keeping on going, but

she has recently added more to her for the European Championships

alongside the hosts, Sweden. Italy tournaments. Norway, the French,

the English and Finland other current qualifiers. Of course, we

hope Scotland can beat Spain in midweek and join them in the second

Park earlier on today. It would be good to have more home nations in

the championship. It would be footballer and has in Nailstone,

waterproof mascara on, and looks fantastic as well. That some feet.

Just like you. You never saw me play, obviously! The England making

more changes here. Safety Bradley replaced by Laura Bassett. --

Sophie Bradley. Dunia Susi was also there, as well and Ellen White, who

has worked really hard all over the pitch, get a breather to be

replaced by the Chelsea player. has not had much of the ball but

has worked hard, but in the centre halves under pressure. A thankless

and Jill Scott's clearance only finds a French book. She could have

led the breakaway there. Turning who always seemed to be at the

sharp end of major tournaments at club level, the European champions

of the last year. Arsenal are still involved in the competition. Elodie

Thomis, goal side of Steph Houghton for a moment but that was very,

result for them in the build-up to best to take the sting out of the

Susi and it goes through to Sarah a throw-in from below. She could

slot into the right-back position. Scott pushed forward. Alex Scott

and Arsenal team-mates are still involved in the Champions League.

They have got a tie against the German club coming up next month in

look as though they have the same impetus they had before but, having

said that, they scored the equaliser. That's another strange

goal which looked at the rentable from England's point of view.

look at that. All the work the French have done. We have gifted

than two goals and they have brought themselves back into it. It

is good communication between the centre halves and the goalkeeper

and, in the end, it just beats Siobhan Chamberlain. She will not

be happy with that. One or other of the goalkeeper is needed to go for

that and it's a shame, because the French deserved the balance of play,

to be equal, but, in terms of the chances they created, not at all

and England have gifted them two goals. And that was the

commentators curse, but it was such a simple goal. Marie-Laure Delie

has brought them back into the game and now England must try and hold

on to try to get at least a draw Chamberlain. She is arguably the

best goalkeeper in the WSL this season. You make mistakes between

the sort of games. It is also about ironing out the lack of

communication and those sort of errors. Absolutely. Hope Powell

will be happy that she has got the players from the substitute's bench

onto the pitch that she has and that is what she's using this game

for. We hope the players will learn the game when it seemed like

England were in control and they give the ball away again. Delie is

far could a striker to turn down England are playing that the French

were reduced to a simple long ball down the you middle. They have done

well to defend against what the French have had to offer tonight.

You cannot afford to give teams like this a couple of goals.

England will be relieved that pass was behind Thomis. The French's

long unbeaten stretch against England looks set to be continued

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 47 seconds

winning goal. Again in which they was stroking the ball around with

real confidence here. Use of the armed there By Jill Scott,

eventually penalised by the referee. It was her shoulder, wasn't it?

the goal-kick. You might change of three points out that. Obviously,

it is a friendly, but if you get November 9th for the European

Championship finals. Meilleroux goes tumbling. I think Alex Scott's

body language says it all. I do not think that was quite as bad. He was

not as bad as three roles would result for England, they also know

they have been up against them in terms of possession for much of the

against Germany or Italy in the finals, they need to learn from

occasions such as tonight. Yes, they do, and I think they well as

well. The substitutes may have made a difference, I'm not sure. I do

think overall tonight, England have put on a really good performance.

There are still pits which Hope will be really pleased. They can

look back on to really good goals. But I'm sure they will also look at

to win this game. Chamberlain had the opportunity to catch and went

They are ending the game as they started it here. There was nobody

inside the penalty area to capitalise for the French. Is there

to be a sting in the tail for England here? Duggan had Alex got

ahead of her but can provide the past. -- Shahak Alex Scott ahead of

There may be one final chance here been substituted. -- the substitute

has been substituted. She must have planned move, I'm not too sure what

it was. Now they have to try and combined there. Both teams are

tiring. Possibly because of the conditions but it has been a high-

intensity game. They are making time to take it. England will leave

Paris with a draw in the end. Honour is satisfied between the two

coaches. It looked so good for England in the first half. The two

first-half goals from Steph Houghton and Jill Scott but errors

in the second half allowed Marie- Laure Delie to equalise, the second

goal coming with eight minutes to play. England start their build-up

to Euro 2013 with a result which will look very good around the

world of women's football. They may leave here believing it could have

been better. Full-time, France, too, England might have been delighted

with the prospect of a 2-all draw in France. But it was 2-0 up.

like we are destined never to beat France. We went 2-0 up and I

thought, this could be our time. In the second half, France at times

dominated but we played some nice football as well. It just seems to

be we cannot get that result. I think they have got a lot of

positives to take from the game today and I think they can move

that onto the Euros next year and things like that. You cannot help

thinking, Faye, that what might have been if the changes hadn't

been made but friendlies are there to give players minutes on the

pitch and experience for the major tournaments? Yes, it is obviously

balancing what she wants to get out of the game. It seems like the

first 45 minutes is the strongest available and then looked to give

experience. You could go into a major tournament with the likes of

Karen Bardsley or Kelly Smith and other players not available. Those

players who often on the bench need have time in big games and

competitive games like that. It is unfortunate because we wanted

England to beat France, I certainly did, my history with France! I

think they did control the game a lot more than we did. Obviously, we

were away from home anyway. To go two girls up was really positive.

You have to make the chances and take them when you do. We did that

in the first half. It is just areas and changes of substitutes. Sloppy

errors and not making the right decisions that we needed to do.

think when you make the substitutions, it does change the

dynamics of the team. It can affect the way that you play a little bit.

Let's have a look at the two France goals in the second half.

Substitute Toni Duggan will not want to see this again that she

the ball. Shoe can turn and maybe face Ford when Anita Asante is

right next to her but Sheikh elect to play back not realising that

Delie was in that position. Delie is a predator. She has scored 41

goals in 49 matches. You do not give her chances like this. Here,

Laura Bassett needed to go and attack the ball. She was running

back to have a goal but she allows Delie to nip in front and then

Siobhan Chamberlain in his in no- man's land because it was not

coming forward to have. Delie is a predatory striker. She is someone

who will make things happen and that is what she did on both of

those. She made it difficult for the defender. To make it 2-2, we

were thinking, can we get a third and change that? We have never beat

There was some fantastic defending. at using her body to make a bit of

space. She is a strong player and she gets shoved off the ball but

Alex saw the danger and got in the way again. Talking about defending,

Captain Casey Stoney may have had their heart a them out at one point

when Marie-Laure Delie got on the wrong side of her. Was there is a

penalty? Yes, I think we spoke about how well the French do this.

She is holding her a little bit. I know we are sticking up for Casey

Stoney here but I think she will admit it was a penalty. We were

lucky. Usually you can tell by the players' reaction, can't you?

don't think Karen Bardsley, substituted, we don't think there

was an injury. She was very solid for England all evening, pulling

off some very good saves. Eugenie Le Sommer had some efforts on goal.

How much does that breed confidence in defence? Hugely. She has a good

frame. She can reach those areas high up which has often been a

problem for women goalkeepers because of her size. She is so

agile. She can really spread her frame across the goal and has made

some good saves to keep us with a More analysis to, but our reporter

is now here with Hope Powell. were talking before the match about

how much of a challenge this was going to be. Are you disappointed

they gave away the lead? Yes, somewhat. Two goals in front at

half-time, we didn't play particularly well in the first half

and in the second half, we played better but gave it the two goals,

to be honest. So, in that respect, disappointed. We made some changes

and the team still jailed in patches so it gave me an

opportunity to look at some players are so, a good contest. There were

defensive errors which led to the two goals. Those mistakes are

costly, aren't they? Lessons learned. It's the start of the Euro

2013 build up. It would have been good to go into the break over

Christmas with a victory. The good thing is we did not lose. We played

well particularly in the second half and came out with more

confidence. I have a very good side. They only made two changes and we

made several. More positive than negative, to be honest. You have

learned more about the team for next year? Absolutely, you have got

to try different things, players in different positions. Most players

made a good account of themselves. A really good contest the season.

Thank you. Plenty of positive Hope Powell is taking out of that. No

win in a 12 against France but this is about the build-up to Euro 2013

in the Sweden next summer so what other positives specifically were

there from an England point of view? I think our team are good

enough and we have more strength and depth now. Toni Duggan, she did

very well and did not let her head drop after the mistake for the

first goal. She still tried to take players on which is her strength.

with her right foot, she's done that a lot. She shouldn't be too

downhearted. As a young player, you do make mistakes. I made plenty. In

games like that, it's not so much of a big problem. It was nice to

see the mental strength. Despite the mistake early on, she still

created things going for it. That was a fantastic shot. She does it

for Everton week in week out and it to bring that internationally, it's

great to see. Let's hear more from Paris with the captain Casey Stoney

Thanks. I have got Casey Stoney and Alex Scott with me. A shame that

those defensive errors caused a draw rather than a victory. Yes, I

think so. We have given them two goals when it was unneccesary,

really. They wear a good side and I thought we did well in all areas of

the pitch up until those two goals and you can't do that in

international football because you will get punished. The first goal

speaks for itself and I know Toni will be disappointed but she should

be proud of herself tonight. It's a learning curve of for all of us.

was particularly tough in defence, wasn't it? Yes, and there's lessons

we need to learn. If we can keep the ball better, we will do well.

It's been a great year, qualifying for the Euros and we have got a lot

to look forward to. You've already qualified, along with France for

next year, but you seem to have a problem with the beating France.

Yes, a stumbling block, but going in at half-time 2-0, we have never

done that before and we know we gave them two goals today. They did

not earn them. The girls should be proud. They defended well. It was

great to see the younger players getting a chance to play. The last

game internationally this year. It would have been good to go in with

a victory to end the year. Definitely, but this of the kind of

opposition we want to play. When you get to the late stages in

tournaments, this is what you come up against. We have got to take the

positive. For the players to get on the pitch and for Hope to look at

them, it's great. Thank you very much. Casey Stoney, very harsh on

herself and blaming herself a little bit too much. Is that

something you do, defenders? As a defender, you always think what

part did I play? My job is to stop goals. Karen Bardsley as well will

be disappointed she left one end, even though it was not her fault.

Many players will Self criticise themselves and that's the way you

learn. You look at feed back of your own game and also as a team,

as well. It's important to do that but not be too hard on yourself.

It's the only way you learn by taking positive criticism from the

coaches. That is something we have learned a lot from. We watch

ourselves back on video and we see what we could do better and that

helps us in the next game, so Casey Stoney is so hard on herself but

had a fantastic game today so should be proud but it's nice to

see she's learning those lessons. England where booked their place in

Sweden for the finals in 2013 but Scotland are involved in a

difficult play-off against Spain, the first leg taking plays at

Hampden Park this afternoon. Here's chance, well saved by the

goalkeeper but Scotland had a penalty which was scored by Arsenal,

Scotland and Great Britain's Kim Little. Never in doubt after this

handball for Spain. It was free empty -- entry today. A crowd of

over 4,000 when there was that full programme of Scottish football.

Then the ball got put away by the Chelsea striker, Adrianna. She had

the chance to win the match for the visitors, Spain. If that was a

mistake, then there was a penalty for handball Adriano took herself.

Gemma Fay, a double save, in fact, as Scotland drew 1-1 at the end of

that match going into next Wednesday's second leg in Madrid.

It would be fantastic to have two home nations that Sweden next

summer. Plenty of work for them to What would it mean for the

development of Scottish football for them to make a major

tournament? That's exactly what they are aiming for. They are

developing, getting better, and we have played them a few times in

friendly tournaments, and you can see the development from them. A

lot of them play in the Superleague with us and we see them week-in,

week-out, and playing with Arsenal and Everton, you can see they are

getting better and you can see by the results today against Spain,

you would never have thought they would have a draw with them at six

years ago. Hopefully they can qualify. Briefly, they have a

couple of very good players in the Great Britain squad in the summer.

She had an amazing first few games. You don't like to see anybody

injured. She was calm and composed and has the experience from playing

in America, as well. Herself and Kim Little are the main bulk of the

team right now. They have got a good future and hopefully they can

do it. A good future but you want them to be at the Euros next summer.

You can't make up that experience anywhere else other than by playing.

Not just in qualifiers. The of course, the big teams come out of

themselves, Germany, maybe they will have a dodgy few games but, as

soon as it's a big tournament, they step up to the challenge and they

always up there. France can do it as well. That's what the likes of

England and Scotland need to do in the big tournaments. 1-1 going into

the second leg on Wednesday night. This being the first Saturday after

the international break in the men's game, the Premier League is

back in business and has plenty more football to enjoy here on the

BBC. We had a superb Match Of The Day for you tonight. Eight exciting

games with bundles of goals, real theatre and a sprinkling of

controversy. Much to discuss for Harry Redknapp and Alan Shearer.

Joiners on BBC One at 10:30pm. You will not regret it. I might be home

in time. Final thoughts? I think we have got to take the positive from

tonight. We have got a good result in the end, a few errors let them

back in unfortunately. Knowing how far a Hope Powell is, she would go

through those DVDs with a fine- tooth comb. Tonight was always

going to be a pretty severe test against one of the world's very top

nations. And so it proved. England were 2-0 up in a Paris but could