Hosts England started the European Women’s Football Championship with a well-deserved victory. The team of Dutch coach Sarina Wiegman defeated Austria 1-0 (1-0) in the first game of Group A on Wednesday evening. 68,671 spectators at Manchester’s sold-out Old Trafford stadium celebrated the Lionesses (lionesses) at the end, but otherwise remained surprisingly calm.
The goal of the day was scored by Arsenal’s Beth Mead in the 17th minute. England confirmed their position as tournament favorites and are now unbeaten in 15 games. When the two European Championship semi-finalists from 2017 met, the Austrians quickly faced the onslaught of the English. Carina Wenninger initially saved on the goal line at the opening goal. But VAR technology showed the ball was in.
England’s left winger Lauren Hemp from Manchester City in particular put a lot of pressure on, but there were few clear chances to score. The Austria team with seven Bundesliga professionals in the starting eleven had to compete without Lisa Kolb from SC Freiburg (corona disease) and Maria Plattner from Turbine Potsdam (broken collarbone). Jerseys with the names of the two showed their teammates at the national anthem.
