Aaron Wan-Bissaka own goal breaks England under-21 hearts after Phil Foden wondergoal and two France missed penalties

England 1 France 2

There are many ways that the England Under-21s have conspired to blow European championships over the years but having scored one of the summer’s great goals and withstood two missed France penalties - and a sending off - somehow it all fell part in the 95th minute.

This was an epic game that turned slowly into an epic defeat in which England were authors of their own downfall in the game’s critical moments, starting with a challenge from Hamza Choudhury that he will regret for some time. It ended with a stupendously late own goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka, way off the pace on this occasion, and in a tournament that is short, sweet and often brutal, England’s chances of reaching the semi-finals hang in the balance.

Before all the late drama was one of the greatest Under-21s goal from Phil Foden, up there with David Dunn’s against Holland in 2001, a weaving, jinking run and an ice-in-the-veins finish witnessed in person by Gareth Southgate. If anyone was unaware, it was a goal that announced the Manchester City teenager as one of the great young talents of the European game although he might not see the knockout stage of the competition.

Boothroyd said later that Choudhury had apologised to his team-mates for a wild challenge on the France striker Jonathan Bamba that resulted in France’s second penalty of the night and the second that they squandered. Choudhury was originally booked by Srdjan Jovanovic in the immediate aftermath, but the Serbian referee was invited by his video assistant to review the decision and offered an upgrade to red.

Bad for England and even worse for Bamba, of Lille, who never got to his feet again. He was carried off and out the small stadium in Cesena and then taken straight to hospital. The England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd said that ultimately the sending off had changed the game. “He [Choudhury] is devastated in there. There is no malice in him, he's a good guy who thinks he has hurt a fellow professional and let his team-mates down. It was just his enthusiasm to want to block the ball. We are all very disappointed but we have no time for sulking.”

Remarkably, France missed that penalty too, the Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar striking the post. In the first half Dean Henderson, the young Manchester United goalkeeper who had been on loan at Sheffield United, saved well from Moussa Dembele who took France’s first spot-kick. That was one of three chances that the former Celtic and Fulham striker had passed up and one of many times when it felt like it was to be England’s night.

They could not hold out. Boothroyd took risks with just ten men on the pitch, bringing on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tammy Abraham to try to stretch the game, which had the consequence of them being well outnumbered in the critical stages. Even so, it was hard to know what Wan-Bissaka was doing for the France winning goal. First there was the equaliser from the France winger Jonathan Ikone, of Lille, and then the sight of a £40 million-rated defender slicing the ball into his own goal.

On Friday, England return to Cesena to play Romania who lead the group after their win over Croatia. Only the three group winners will qualify for the semi-finals and the single best runner-up. England will have to win on Friday and then against Croatia on Monday to stand any chance of a semi-final place. In 2017, the winners Germany went through the group stages in second place with six points so perhaps it can be done.

It had not started this way. England began confidently with Choudhury among their best players. They looked a well-drilled team who kept the ball away from France for long periods but ultimately failed to take their chances before the break. When France pushed up, England looked for the ball in behind, Foden in particular.

The first penalty came as a blow: England punished on France’s first meaningful attack when a stray arm thrust out by captain Jake Clarke-Salter struck the ball. Henderson saved well from Dembele. At the other end they were simply not taking their chances. Dominic Solanke missed a couple. Demarai Gray looked the most dangerous of the attackers and had two opportunities, but he failed to take them.

Having struggled to find space all night, on 54 minutes, Foden shuffled and then accelerated into what turned out to be one of the goals of his young career. His feet were too quick, his awareness of the space unfolding in front of him just too cute for the French players that came lunging in, and when he had beaten four men in blue he rolled his shot past the goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni’s glove. This was Foden’s moment.

England might have killed the game in the next few minutes, and then came Choudhury’s grave misjudgement, an unthinking charge back into his own penalty area to try to block a shot from Bamba, a striker from Lille. Aouar’s penalty clattered the post. England fell back and finally came the France goals. First, Ikone finding the space for a shot and then Wan-Bissaka's inexplicable error as Henderson came to gather the ball. They had authored their own defeat this time, as Boothroyd agreed, and now must fight to stay in this championship.

England(4-3-3): Henderson (Manchester United); Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace), Tomori (Chelsea), Clarke-Salter (Chelsea), Da Silva (Chelsea); Maddison (Leicester City), Choudhury (Leicester City), Foden (Manchester City); Gray (Leicester City), Solanke (Bournemouth), Sessegnon (Fulham).

Subs: Mount (Chelsea) for Solanke 70, Calvert-Lewin (Everton) for Sessegnon 77, Abraham (Chelsea) for Gray 77

France (4-4-2): Bernardoni (Nimes); Dagba (PSG), Konate (RB Leipzig), Upamecano (RB Leipzig), Ballo-Toure (Monaco); Reine-Adelaide (Angers), Tousart (Lyon), Aouar (Lyon), Ikone (Lille); Dembele (Lyon), Bamba (Lille).

Subs: Ntcham (Celtic) for Bamba 66, Mateta (Mainz) for Tousart 71, Thuram(Guingamp) for Aouar 83.

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