41
21:44
The game is now splashing towards the break whistle. The English play very structured and wait patiently, but Austria is not allowing much at the moment either.
38
21:42
Towards the end of the first half, the lead is more than deserved. The Austrians are now very deep and mostly with all players in their own half. This makes it difficult for the hostesses to create opportunities. However, once in a while they find the gap and are then immediately dangerous.
36
21:40
Bronze is served on the right side and brings a great pass to Kirby in the middle. The pushes back through the defense to bronze, which is actually in a good shooting position in the sixteen 14 meters in front of the goal. But she chooses the cross and gets stuck on Schnaderbeck. The Englishwoman could have pulled it off herself.
34
21:37
The hosts’ second goal is clearly in the air. Austria is no longer intervening and England has the game firmly under control.
31
21:34
Hemp is very active on the left. The winger is always playable, gets through in the dribbles and then usually tries crosses to striker White. The guests have found it difficult to defend so far.
29
21:32
But the cross from the left remains harmless and can be cleared by England’s defence.
28
21:32
In the last third, the guests have difficulties getting into the game. Zadrazil tries a cross from the left halffield. But Bright can clear the center with his head to a corner. Maybe the Austrians will have a chance with a corner kick.
26
21:30
The next big opportunity belongs to the English women. Again they come over the left side. Kirby serves Hemp on the wing in the sixteen, which brings a pinpoint cross from the baseline to the center. White is nine yards from goal and ready to head the ball and hits it perfectly. She just missed the box by half a meter.
24
21:27
Control of the game now belongs to the English women, who repeatedly attack on the wings. The full-backs often also step in in order to achieve a majority on the outside. The central defenders often serve the wings with wide passes. The Lionesses’ concept is now working much better than in the initial phase.
22
21:25
After the goal, England continue to put pressure on. The Lionesses want to expand the lead here as quickly as possible. Austria has to get back on its feet first.
20
21:23
The goal was checked longer by the video assistant, but now the ball is rolling again. The pictures also show that the goal could not have been closer. Perhaps that will now relieve the initial tension of the English women.
16
21:19
Tooor for England, 1-0 by Beth Mead
The first goal of the EM 2022 has fallen and it is a curious goal! Mead is sent into the box with a superb pass from Kirby and finds himself one-on-one with Zinsberger. The Englishwoman stays cool from eleven meters and lifts the ball right over the keeper. Schnaderbeck can clear just behind the line, but the ball seems to have been a hair’s breadth behind the line. It is also checked by the VAR, but the hit stands.
15
21:18
Things have calmed down a bit at Old Trafford. So far it’s not the game the host country was expecting. The Austrians bravely countered and acted snappy. It’s an open game so far.
13.
21:15
The hostesses are now calmer in the game structure and thus create significantly more space. Austria is very deep and tries to prevent fast play on the wings. They’re letting the English women start now.
11.
21:14
Ellen White comes to a first half close. Millie Bright once again puts in a wide ball down the left wing, which this time finds her target, Lauren Hemp. The Englishwoman brings a cross in the middle to Ellen White. However, the cross is a little too high and White can’t put any pressure behind the ball. The conclusion from six meters is easy prey for Manuela Zinsberger.
9.
21:11
The Austrians showed courageous pressing in the first ten minutes. They often put their opponents under pressure in pairs and often fight for the ball in midfield. However, there are no significant goal opportunities for the guests either.
7.
21:10
Leah Williamson tries to serve Lauren Hemp on the left in the sixteen with a wide pass from the center line. But the pass is a bit too steep and therefore not accessible for the left winger. So far, the Lionesses have not found a way to stage themselves offensively.
5.
21:08
So far, the English have been struggling in the early stages and seem a bit nervous. They often lose the ball in the build-up movement and thus make the guests dangerous.
3.
21:06
The guests want to bring security into their own game with a lot of ball possession. But they are definitely looking for passes to the top. So far it has been a brave start for the Austrians.
2.
21:05
The Austrians try it offensively. Zadrazil is played in the half field and is actually in a promising shooting position in the second row. But the midfielder hesitates and is separated from the ball.
1.
21:04
The ball rolls in Old Trafford and the Austrian national team, dressed all in black, gets to toast. England play all white from left to right.
21:01
The largest European championship ever will be heralded with an opening ceremony worth seeing. The protagonists step onto the lawn of the theater of dreams and the reception from the fans is outstanding. The national anthems sound and when the English anthem is played, the whole stadium stands and sings along. An absolute goosebump moment. Referee Marta Huerta de Aza from Spain will start the game at any moment. The opening match for Euro 2022 is about to start.
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.