Women’s Euro 2022: Hosts England start the season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Austria


Beth Mead’s delicate lob after 15 minutes was all that separated the sides in a tense 1-0 win for England at the raucous Old Trafford, while Sarina Wiegman’s side secured a hard-earned three points that will no doubt ease early tournament nerves.

England certainly improved as the game progressed and perhaps could have extended their lead, but a lack of care and cohesion in the final third saw some good opportunities wasted.

Austria posed enough threat to ensure the game was never comfortable and Wiegman will know how much their team needs to improve to live up to the pre-tournament favorites hype.

When the final whistle blew, there was little celebration from England’s Netherlands head coach, but her players stayed on the pitch to enjoy the admiration of the home crowd on a historic night. A total of 68,871 fans turned out at Old Trafford to see the game, setting a new attendance record for a game at the Women’s Championship.

With the final set to take place at Wembley Stadium on July 31, that record is likely to be broken again. After Wednesday night’s performance, however, the most important question is whether England will be among the teams that make it there.

“The atmosphere speaks for itself,” player of the game Georgia Stanway told reporters after the game. “The occasion is huge and of course there will be a bit of nervousness.

“The noise [was the best thing about tonight], and while it was difficult to hear information, the sound only shows where we are. That’s the standard the fans have set – bring the noise and we can stir up the opposition.

Stanway’s admission that her teammates had a hard time listening to Wiegman’s debrief in the post-game conversation provides a clue to the noise levels at Old Trafford on Wednesday, when the players broke away early to sing along.

“Next time we’ll have to postpone ‘Sweet Caroline.’ [after the final whistle],” She laughed.

Neil Diamond’s classic became the theme tune for England’s men’s run to the final of Euro 2020 last summer, and the women’s side are also hoping to hear it a few more times during this tournament.

excitement and tension

Walking the four or so miles from Manchester’s Northern Quarter to Old Trafford on the outskirts, there was little sign that the city would be hosting the opening game of a major international competition within hours.

Aside from a handful of fans in England shirts, it’s unlikely anyone who was visiting would have known a game was even taking place.

The organizers of the 2019 World Cup in France have been criticized for what some saw as a lack of promotion of the tournament and for all the palpable excitement leading up to Euro 2022, the same issues still seem to persist here.

However, as we approached Old Trafford, there was certainly no lack of enthusiasm from the fans, thousands of whom had gathered on the pitch more than three hours before kick-off.

They too were confident. “Four-O-England!” shouted a group, most of them wearing shirts with the name of Leah Williamson, the Lionesses’ new captain.

Their confidence is certainly not misplaced as there is no doubt that England have world-class talent all over the place. The only concern that arose in this tournament was whether the players could handle the weight of being the favorite on home soil.

Ahead of the game, some players spoke about the confidence playing in front of their home crowd would give them, but the nervousness was palpable early on.

More than one false pass gave Austria possession in dangerous areas of the pitch, although a lack of finishes meant England’s mistakes went unpunished.

Leah Williamson has been named England captain for Euro 2022.

“Football is coming home”?

It didn’t take England long to gain traction, however, as wingers Lauren Hemp and Mead pumped up the decibels at Old Trafford.

This was England’s first period of sustained pressure and it was enough to break Austria’s defense as Fran Kirby’s through ball found Mead, who coolly collected the ball on her chest and lobbed the ball over the oncoming Manuela Zinsberger.

After it initially looked as if Austria defender Carina Wenninger had cleared the ball off the line, there was a belated celebration in the stadium, but a look at the referee’s watch and her whistle sent the theater of dreams into delirium.

Many famous sevens have graced the pitch at Old Trafford – David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and Eric Cantona to name but three – and Mead’s finish was fitting for the biggest games played here.

The noise in the stadium had gradually increased since the national anthems had ended, but Mead’s goal made it truly deafening.

Beth Mead's skillful finish ensured England got the campaign off to a flying start.

It wasn’t long before the first performance of “Football’s Coming Home” was playing in a small part of the stadium, though it didn’t spread further across the grounds; Perhaps fans were afraid of getting too self-important after last year’s heartbreaking men’s final against Italy.

In the second half, Hemp began to show why she got into Euro 2022, widely touted as one of the star players to watch and with considerable expectations on her shoulders.

The 21-year-old has been outstanding for club and country this season and her combination of speed, good control and an eye for goal has made her one of the most feared players at the tournament.

Hanf gave Laura Wienroither a hot time on the right side of the Austrian defense but an uncharacteristic lack of end product meant her twists and turns went nowhere.

With just over 10 minutes to go, Austria created their best chance of the game and England thanked goalkeeper Mary Earps for leveling the score as she staved off Barbara Dunst’s long-range effort.

That would be best for the visitors who will no doubt receive a huge boost in confidence after playing head-to-head with this heavily favored English side.

If the Lionesses are to have a good run at this tournament, Wiegman knows the team will need more of the support they received at Old Trafford.

“Unbelievable [noise]. It’s just amazing,” she said. “We know where we’re coming from and we’re playing here at Old Trafford in front of 70,000 people and we’re bringing that noise. We hope they do that at other games, we know we have sold out stadiums.”

Wiegman acknowledges the team has plenty of room for improvement, but for now she’s letting her players revel in a historic night.