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MANCHESTER, England—It was a sellout crowd at Old Trafford on Wednesday for the opening game of the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championships.
Host nation England, who are seeking its first title in team history, took on Austria.
It was the first time the two nations met since November of 2021. England defeated Austria 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.
While Wednesday’s contest was played in a different city, the score remained the same. England picked up its first win of the 2022 European Championships with a 1-0 score line.
Sweet 16th
The first few minutes of the match saw a tight, conservative style of play from England. Austria was able to move the ball around early and showed why they were a semifinalist in the last Euro competition in 2017.
Beth Mead broke the deadlock for the home side in the 16th minute. Midfielder Fran Kirby delivered a terrific through ball that Mead was able to control with her chest. She then chipped the ball over Austria goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger.
It looked like Austria’s defense cleared the ball out of harm’s way. But goal line technology proved useful, as it showed the ball crossing over the goal line. The goal stood and England took a 1-0 lead.
Mead became the first English player since 1995 to score the opening goal of a Women’s European Championship.
That goal was exactly what the English needed. They started to control possession and create opportunities at a more consistent rate.
England can’t capitalize on subsequent chances
Despite dominating in the final third of the field and owning 61% of the possession, the Lionesses were unable to build on their early lead.
Just 10 minutes after Mead’s chip shot, Lauren Hemp got in behind the Austrian back line to service in a cross directed towards forward Ellen White. But her attempt sailed wide right.
England were on the attack again in the closing moments of the first half. This time, Hemp tried to go for goal herself. It was a similar play that led to Mead’s earlier goal—a through ball passed across from the air and to an incoming forward.
Hemp’s right-footed attempt was parried away by Zinsberger for a corner kick.
England came up with no real threat off the ensuing corner and the halftime whistle blew soon after.
They finished with seven shots at goal in the first half. With that many shots on goal, many fans expected the team to be up more than 1-0 at the intermission.
That was not the case.
Second half slugfest
Austria head coach Irene Fuhrmann forced her team play a similar game to England in the second half—controlling more possession to create opportunities. That led to them shooting three times as many shots in the second half than the first.
Austria’s attacking style led to a more physical contest. As a result, England head coach Sarina Wiegman brought in three substitutes—forwards Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, and midfielder Ella Toone.
One of the positives of Weigman bringing in two forwards and a midfielder was that it provided England’s offense with three fresh pairs of legs to counter-attack Austria’s fatigued defense.
And that’s exactly what they did.
England found itself in a four-on-three fastbreak in the 76th minute with Kelly leading the charge. It was a tremendous chance for the host nation to double their lead. But Kelly went for goal herself, shooting a sluggish ground ball that rolled wide left of Austria’s goal.
That was England’s best chance to score in the second half.
Weigman’s squad staved off any chances Austria created and fans across Old Trafford blew a massive sigh of relief when the final whistle blew.
A win is a win
Although it was not the performance most fans in Manchester had hoped for, England could still gain three points in Group A.
A few key takeaways from England’s victory includes how the team was able to consistently create chances at goal. The team finished with 15 shots after 90 minutes of play. Mead’s goal in the 16th minute gave England supporters a glimpse of what this offense can look like at its best.
England controlling 60% of the possession also gives Wiegman hope that her team will always be a threat if they take care of the ball.
“There were some challenging moments in that game. But we got the ball over the white line, so that’s all that matters,” midfielder Georgia Stanway said after the win. “Obviously, it wasn’t at the standard that we want to be at, but there’s room for improvement.”
However, things do not get any easier for England as the team takes on Norway in their next game of the tournament. Norway heads into the 2022 European Championships with five straight wins.
Upcoming Schedule
Austria faces off with Northern Ireland on Monday at Satin Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, England. Kickoff is set for noon EST.
Sarina Wiegman and her squad’s tournament run also continues Monday. The Lionesses’ game against Norway is in Brighton, England. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. EST.
