Euro 2022: England lift the weight with nervy win over Austria in opener

England have had to get used to waiting. It’s been 1,311 days since they were named Euros hosts and 364 days since the tournament was supposed to begin. After all that, the minute spent waiting for a VAR check to confirm the legitimacy of Beth Mead’s clever opener felt like an hour to them.

The Arsenal forward dinked a tidy finish over Manuela Zinsberger in the 16th minute, after Fran Kirby lofted a bouncing ball into the Austrian box, quelling the anxiety that gripped England in the opening exchanges. Once everyone was sure it had crossed the line, that is. 

As she turned away, more certain than anyone that the ball was in, Mead span and pumped up the tournament record-breaking crowd of 68,871, whose first chorus of ‘England’ had come at the start of the passage of play that led to the goal. 

They responded with Mexican waves, mobile phone torch displays and a gentle buzz of excitement that ebbed and flowed with the play. Touches became surer, passes crisper, movement sharper, the weight of the wait had been lifted. 

Can’t convert

But not yet removed. Sarina Wiegman’s side probed through Kirby, whose nous and class offered her more space than most, and down the flanks. But, short of an Ellen White header that flashed past the post, England struggled to turn dominance of possession and territory into real opportunities. And while Austria failed to test England keeper Mary Earps until late on, Bundesliga pair Nicole Billa (Hoffenheim) and Sarah Zadrazil (Bayern Munich) threatened sporadically from the margins of the game.

Just after the hour mark, England’s Dutch coach had seen enough, making a triple substitution. Senior figures Kirby, Mead and White were replaced by members of the younger generation as another weight, this one comprised of expectation and history, made its presence felt again.

Wiegman, who won the tournament with the Netherlands in 2017 and replaced Phil Neville last year, told DW ahead of the tournament that England would need their fans to “help us through hard times.” They’d done it after the difficult opening and as the last quarter of the match approached, flurries of volume increased as England won corners in quick succession and penned the Austrians in.

“That’s the standard the fans have set,” said player of the match Georigia Stanway in the postmatch press conference. “We need that at every game. Bring the noise and it can rattle oppositions.”

But this time, the noise fizzled out along with England’s brief surge of momentum following the changes. They soon needed Earps to bail them out after Barbara Dunst arrowed Austria’s first shot on target towards the corner with just over ten minutes remaining.

Job done, just

As the PA announcer told those in attendance that they’d made history as the largest Euros crowd ever, Wiegman barely seemed to notice. She first assessed the scene silently, then called Rachel Daly over for a vital briefing. It surely won’t be the last she’ll deliver in the coming days.

Sarina Wiegman knows England must improve to win the tournament

“This start is so important. It gives such a boost to the team and the crowd,” she said afterwards, before striking a mix of caution and optimism. “We had also some hard moments in the game and we got through, and this is really good I think.”

If Wiegman is to repeat the trick and win a first major trophy for England, there will doubtless be even tougher times ahead, perhaps as soon as on Monday against Norway in Brighton. Regardless of how it came, a win over the 2017 semifinalists gives the hosts, and accordingly the tournament, the start they, and it, badly needed.

Though tickets sales have been brisk across the board, there’s a sense that — just as in 2017 — the hosts need to deliver in order for the tournament to really capture public attention. England may not have convinced, but neither did the Netherlands in their 1-0 win to open Euro 2017. As Stanway had it in the postmatch press conference, England “got the ball over the line”, both literally and metaphorically.

Another England win in front of another record-breaking crowd at Wembley on July 31 feels a long way off. For now England must improve, analyze and, of course, wait.

Edited by: Dave Braneck

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  Germany

  Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s squad is packed with players from Europe’s elite clubs. Germany will count on the combination between young and experienced women, with the DFB’s target being the semifinals at least. Sara Däbritz, who recently joined European champions Lyon, will look to win Germany’s first big title since 2013. But the record title winners will miss Dzsenifer Marozsan, due to injury.

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  Norway

  After the disappointment of getting knocked out in the group stages of Euro 2017, Norway will look to restore their good record in the competition, having won it twice and reached the final in 2013. Ada Hegerberg, the winner of the first ever Ballon d’Or to be awarded to a female player in 2018, has returned to the setup after a five year absence in protest at inequality in the Norwegian FA.

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  France

  After underwhelming at their home World Cup in 2019, Corinne Diacre’s side will want to reassert themselves. This might be difficult due to the absence of influential players such as Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer, who have been left out of the squad. Experienced defender Wendie Renard, of reigning Champions League winners Lyon, leads a side with plenty of winning experience at club level.

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  Netherlands

  The reigning European champions will look to defend their title in England, this time with Englishman Mark Parsons at the helm. Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema, the star attacker who is the Dutch national team’s most prolific goalscorer ever, is expected to lead the side into the latter stages of the competition.

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  England

  The tournament’s hosts see themselves as being among the top contenders. The squad is built largely from players from the rapidly growing Women’s Super League, as well as a smattering of Europe’s top clubs. Attacking fullback Lucy Bronze has played for several of the elite, and will be looking to secure a first major title for England after agreeing a deal to play for Barcelona next term.

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  Spain

  With a squad made almost entirely of La Liga talent, Jorge Vilda’s players will look to secure the country’s first ever European title. However, Spain suffered a major blow on the eve of the tournament, when Barcelona’s Alexia Putellas (left), considered by many as the best player in the world, suffered a knee injury in training that has ruled her out of Euro 2022.

• Euro 2022: The favorites

  Sweden

  With many of their players decorating Europe’s top clubs and a strong history, Sweden is one of the teams to watch at the Euros. The silver medalists from the Beijing Olympics will look to win a major trophy for their country for the first time since winning the 1984 Euros. Fridolina Rolfö’s good form from Barcelona could help them in achieving their goal.

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/euro-2022-england-lift-the-weight-with-nervy-win-over-austria-in-opener/a-62389003?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf