Head coach Mark Sampson complained England were let down by the match officials after defender Laura Bassett was elbowed in the face during the 1-0 defeat to France.
There might have been a different end story to the World Cup group game had referee Thalia Mitsi spotted what looked an intentional jab from Camille Abily on Bassett with 20 minutes to go in Moncton.
Abily was not even booked, but Sampson said Bassett had been left in a sorry way.
When asked if he thought France should have been reduced to 10 players, Sampson said: "If you look at Laura Bassett now, I think that'll answer your question.
"We're disappointed with that.
"We were told before the tournament that we'd be protected if we abided within the rules, and I think we've been let down by that one and so has Laura Bassett."
While the 31-year-old Notts County defender felt a sharp shock, for England as a team there was the pain of an opening loss to take.
Eugenie Le Sommer rifled a 29th-minute winner from 25 yards for France after England conceded possession in midfield.
"We've been punished with a great finish. She still had some work to do and it showed the class of the player we were up against," said Sampson.
Welshman Sampson promised England would " find more rhythm" for their later Group F games against Mexico, on Saturday, and Colombia, next Wednesday.
England pushed for an equaliser in the final 30 minutes, after taking an increasingly positive approach and switching formation from 4-5-1 to 4-3-3, but chances were at a premium as France held firm.
"It was a high quality international game. It's a platform for us and we'll certainly build from that," Sampson said.
"(To lose by) two or three would have been a completely unfair scoreline."
France beat England on penalties at the 2011 World Cup and were resounding 3-0 winners against the Lionesses at Euro 2013, in what proved to be Hope Powell's final match in charge.
Rated the sixth best team in the world by FIFA, England knew the game against third-ranked opponents was sure to be a tough opener.
Now Sampson will train his focus on Mexico, and he said: "We'll be ready for that game."
Speaking in a press conference, shown on FIFA's YouTube channel, Sampson said: " I've got some hungry players on the bench who are keen to get involved."
One of those is Fran Kirby, the 21-year-old Reading striker who came on for the late stages against France and has a talent that Sampson knows could punish defences.
"Fran Kirby is a special talent and she needed minutes in that game to feel the atmosphere, feel the the tournament, and she will get better and better throughout this tournament," Sampson said.
""She's a player who takes things in her stride. She'll move forward and produce big performances and be a big player for us."
A 1-1 draw between Mexico and Colombia followed England's match at the same stadium, and meant the Lionesses stood at the foot of the group after the first round of games.
However, the draw may prove a result that favours England in the long term, with Mexico and Colombia both likely to lose against France, in which case Sampson's team would be firmly in charge of their own destiny.
Source: PA
