By Hannah Pinnock England’s hopes of qualifying for next summer’s European Championship in Switzerland suffered a major blow as they were beaten 2-1 by France on a frustrating night at St James’ Park. A win would have seen the Lionesses leapfrog France in the standings, but instead they have dropped to third after Sweden comfortably beat the Republic of Ireland 3-0 elsewhere. Beth Mead gave England the lead in the first-half, but two set-piece goals from Elisa De Almeida and Marie-Antoinette Katoto turned the game on its head and firmly in France’s favour. The Lionesses do have an opportunity …