After defeating the defending champions England on the first matchday, a confident French team needed only eight minutes to open the scoring through Clara Mateo.
The Paris FC forward skillfully controlled a flicked-on corner before striking a volley past goalkeeperSafia Middleton-Patel.
ToWales’ credit, they quickly responded with a memorable moment in Welsh football history.
After being initially dispossessed,Ceri Holland kept the play alive for Wales' all-time top scorer, Jess Fishlock, who scored her country’s first-ever goal in a women’s major tournament, leading to two celebrations after the goal was initially disallowed for offside before VAR intervened.
The determined Dragons seemed poised to hold on until halftime, only for the referee to award a penalty following Holland’s reckless challenge on Mateo.
Middleton-Patel came agonizingly close to savingKadidiatou Diani’s penalty with her foot, but her efforts ultimately failed as Wales conceded just before halftime for the second consecutive game.
Unfortunately for the tournament newcomers, their chances of securing a positive result took a significant hit when they allowedFrance to score a third goal after the restart.
Middleton-Patel took far too long to clear the ball, allowing Mateo to seize possession and set upAmel Majri to curl a shot into the far bottom corner.
With Wales’ spirit broken, the disparity in quality between the two teams became evident, as Grace Geyoro finished off Diani’s low cross to add a fourth goal with just under thirty minutes remaining in St. Gallen.
Laurent Bonadei’s team threatened to increase their score in the remaining time, with Middleton-Patel forced to make crucial saves from Mateo andSakina Karchaoui.
France ultimately secured a victory by a three-goal margin, placing them three points ahead of England and theNetherlands, while Wales remains without points and needs a miraculous turnaround to advance.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Clara Mateo(France)
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