Dean Henderson starred but 10-man England suffered a dramatic late defeat to France in their European Under-21 Championship opener.
The Cumbrian saved Moussa Dembele’s spot-kick in the 25th minute after Jake Clarke-Salter’s handball.
France hit the post with a second penalty, through Houssem Aouar, after Hamza Choudhury was sent off for a pour foul on Jonathan Bamba.
Whitehaven-born Henderson, the former Carlisle academy keeper, made further excellent saves to deny Dembele and Jonathan Ikone in the Group C clash.
But Aidy Boothroyd’s side, who led through Manchester City star Phil Foden’s 54th-minute strike, were finally pegged back by Ikone’s 88th-minute leveller.
And France, who applied heavy pressure in the second half, claimed a 2-1 win through Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s 94th-minute own-goal.
England hit the post early on, with Dominic Solanke and Demarai Gray also missing chances. Ryan Sessegnon had a goal ruled out for offside.
They next face Romania on Friday, also in Cesena, kick-off 5.30pm.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here