England under-23 women secure European semifinal

England women’s under-23s defeated France 1-0 at Clairefontaine to secure a place in the European competition’s semifinals. Lauren Smith’s side began their 2026 match programme with a demanding away victory, keeping the French hosts scoreless despite sustained second-half pressure.

Lexi Lloyd-Smith scored shortly before halftime after Erica Meg Parkinson’s run and shot hit the inside of the post. England recovered possession and the Bristol City attacker finished into the top corner. Megan Collett later struck the post on her first under-23 start.

The victory set up a semifinal against the Netherlands in Murcia on 13 April, with Sweden or Norway awaiting the winner. England also had a separate home international against the Dutch scheduled at Shrewsbury Town during the same March window.