20:40
If we look at the line-ups of both teams, the Austrians compete with a compact 4-1-4-1. The only tip is Nicole Billa from TSG Hoffenheim. Meanwhile, the English women are playing with offensive power. On paper it’s a 4-2-3-1 with a total of five offensive players. The English women want to play in one direction from the start.
20:31
In the statistics, however, the English women are clearly superior. So far there have been seven encounters between the two teams, all of which the Lionesses have won. The hosts of the European Championship only had their difficulties in the last encounter and were only able to win 1-0 with a goal from Ellen White. But also in this encounter, the English showed a clear dominance, which can also be expected from them today.
20:25
The Austrians, on the other hand, will not hide. After they surprisingly reached the semi-finals in the last tournament and only failed on penalties against Denmark, the Austrians can do anything. With Irene Fuhrmann as trainer, the guests continue to rely on their attacking pressing and have also become more variable than five years ago. The Austrians have nothing to lose at Old Trafford and will try to screw up the English women’s start to measure.
20:11
The Lionesses’ coach, Sarina Wegman, is very familiar with the European Championship. In 2017 she won the European Championships in her own country with the Dutch national team. The Dutch women were not even favoured. The English, on the other hand, have some trump cards in their hands with their experienced players such as Jill Scott (157 caps), who is on the bench for the first time today, and Lucy Bronze (world player 2020). In addition, the hosts have not lost any of their last 14 games and clearly beat the Netherlands 5:1 in preparation for the European Championship. The dress rehearsal was more than a success and the players can start this European Championship with a lot of self-confidence.
20:07
The wait is finally over! The European Women’s Championship is traded as the summer football event. The rush for tickets was huge and today’s opening game at Old Trafford is sold out with 74,000 spectators. The attendance record was broken early on. The hostesses are one of the big favorites for the title. England may not have won a major title at international level, but they are in excellent form. In addition, the Lionesses will receive the greatest possible support and will do everything in their power to reach the final in front of their home crowd at Wembley Stadium.
19:28
Hello and welcome to the start of the European Championship 2022 for women! The opening game between hosts England and the Austrian national team starts at 9 p.m. The live ticker for this game starts right before kick-off.