analysis
France and Germany delighted fans and pundits on matchday one. The English hosts, defending champions the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden are also expected to continue. A review of the first EM games – and an outlook on the further course of the tournament.
16 teams are taking part in the European Football Championship in England – and six of them were counted among the favorites before the start of the tournament. Four of them victoriously solved their opening tasks – but not all of them were completely convincing. With the Netherlands and Sweden, two top teams met directly at the start. That this game ended in a draw is no surprise. So who has – as of now – what it takes to win the title?
France plays very well against Italy
If the French repeat their dominant and impressive performance from the first 45 minutes against Italy in the next few games, then the first title win should be within reach. So far, “Les Bleues” have never gotten further than the quarter-finals at a European championship.
Coach Corinne Diacre has strong, world-class individuals in her squad, who impressed as a team in Group D in the 5-1 win over Italy. At the back central defender and captain Wendie Renard is the calming influence and a bench, at the front Marie-Antoinette Katoto and the “three-pack” shooter Grace Geyoro – supported by a strong wing pincer – cause unrest in the opposing defense.
The next games: France – Belgium (07/14/22 / 9 p.m. CEST / live in the first and on sportschau.de) / Iceland – France (07/18/22 / 9 p.m. CEST)
Germany already with four exclamation marks
Before the first European Championship game in Group B against the Danes, the uncertainty in the DFB camp was great, the disappointment after the quarter-finals at the European Championship 2017 and the World Cup 2019 was too great. Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg and Co. did not know where they stand in terms of performance in a European comparison. 90 minutes and four goals later, one thing is clear: the German internationals are to be expected.
With a mixture of experienced and young players, with aggressive pressing football and playful class, the DFB team had the EM finalists from 2017 completely under control. The performance gave a lot of confidence. The motto was given by national coach Voss-Tecklenburg: “First someone has to beat us.” However, a more precise determination of where they stand will only be possible after the second group game against the highly regarded Spaniards.
The next games: Germany – Spain (07/12/22 / 9 p.m. CEST / live in the first and on sportschau.de) / Finland – Germany (07/16/22 / 9 p.m. CEST)
Above all, England have to deal with the pressure
“Football is coming home” – in the motherland of football, the English women are organizing a superlative European Championship: with almost 70,000 fans at the opening game in Manchester and the grand final in Wembley on July 31st. The general conditions are great, but they also put the hosts under a lot of pressure.
The “Lionesses” have never won a European title – and now they want to change that with all their might. In the opening game against Austria (1-0), the team of national coach Sarina Wiegman didn’t quite convince, but in the end only the first three points counted. As Group A progresses, however, England will need to do better to build the confidence they will need to hold their own in the tight knockout stages against the other title favourites.
Further victories in the preliminary round could give England the necessary push for the “mission to win the title”.
The next games: England – Norway (07/11/22 / 9 p.m. CEST) / Northern Ireland – England (07/15/22 / 9 p.m. CEST / live on the first and on sportschau.de)
Netherlands with one point and lots of bad news
The 2017 European champions and 2019 vice world champions from the Netherlands are automatically among the favorites to win the continental title again. But it won’t be a sure-fire success – that was made clear in the first 90 minutes in Group C, when the game against Sweden was “only” 1-1. But this game also offered an advantage compared to the other title aspirants: Unlike Spain or England, the Dutch women have already passed a real test against the Olympic and world ranking second.
But now it’s getting complicated – although the next two opponents in the preliminary round should at least be easier to defeat: For first-choice goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal, the European Championship has already ended due to a shoulder injury, central defender Aniek Nouwen is suffering from an ankle injury and midfielder Jackie Groenen is due to a positive corona virus Tests currently not operational. So national coach Mark Parsons has to improvise and use the full breadth of his squad early on. Will that be a disadvantage for “Oranje Leuwinnen” on the way to defending their title? Wait!
The next games: Netherlands – Portugal (07/13/22 / 9 p.m. CEST) / Switzerland – Netherlands (07/17/22 / 6 p.m. CEST)
Spaniards still have a lot of room for improvement
After France (5-1 against Italy) and Germany (4-0 against Denmark), the Spaniards recorded the third-highest eg with a 4-1 win against Finland on the first day of the game. But as much applause as “Les Bleues” and the German team got the Iberians for their success not. The Spaniards, who were so accurate in qualifying for the European Championship, found it very, very difficult for a long time against the northern Europeans, who were ranked 29th in the world. However, the fact that they still scored a befitting victory in the final phase speaks for Jorge Villa’s team.
The national coach has the problem that he has to replace the injured world footballer Alexia Putellas (cruciate ligament rupture) in his team at short notice – if that’s possible at all. The loss of the attacking midfielder from FC Barcelona and the mistake of record goalscorer Jennifer Hermoso must be absorbed by the team. This could have a negative impact as the tournament progresses.
Irene Paredes (centre) and her teammates have to make up for Alexia Putellas’ loss.
The next games: Germany – Spain (07/12/22 / 9 p.m. CEST / live on the first and on sportschau.de) / Denmark – Spain (07/16/22 / 9 p.m. CEST)
For Sweden, the “under the radar” role comes in handy
Sweden’s coach Peter Gerhardsson, who hasn’t lost a game with his team in two years, was a bit dissatisfied after the opening game against the Netherlands (1-1): Despite a temporary lead, it wasn’t enough for the hoped-for victory. But the “Damlandslaget” shouldn’t be annoyed about it for too long. After all, the Swedes started the tournament with a point win against the defending champions.
After Olympic silver last year in Tokyo and third place at the 2019 World Cup, the European title win – it would be the second after 1984 – would of course be just right for the northern Europeans. For this, however, everything has to fit. Above all, in addition to the top stars like Stina Blackstenius or Fridolina Rolfö, the experienced players like captain Caroline Seger or Kosovare Asllani have to perform at their best. That didn’t work at the start. The tableau could be a big handicap for the Swedes: if they finish second in Group C, they would most likely face France in the quarter-finals. As things stand now, that would probably be an insurmountable hurdle, but the outsider role has already come in handy for other teams in football…
The next games: Sweden – Switzerland (07/13/22 / 6 p.m. CEST) / Sweden – Portugal (07/17/22 / 6 p.m. CEST)