Follow Sportsmail’s live blog for updates as Women’s Euro 2022 kicks off with England v Austria at Old Trafford.
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England 1-0 Austria
HALF TIME: England 1-0 Austria
45+1min: It should be 2-0! This time White turns the provider in front of goal as she heads for Hamp who with only Manuela Zinsberger to beat is thwarted at her feet by the Arsenal keeper.
I really hope England don’t regret some of the chances they missed early on.
44 mins: White has looked a little out of sorts in front of goal so far. Hamp cuts back onto her left foot to cross centrally from the right, but the City striker can only head it again. She seems a bit confused by this. I’d say it can’t continue to be missing. She was deadly at the last World Cup.
43 mins: Just a little warning for England. Austria find space down the right and this leads to a dangerous cross into the six-yard box – one Mile Bright heads but only to an Austrian striker who fails to divert a shot on target.
40 mins: An interesting little change at the end of the first half. Hamp and Mead have swapped flanks, with the former now on the right.
She is arguably England’s best player so far and while she uses her strong pace to attack down the flank, she is still unable to prevent the ball going out for a goal kick.
From OptaJoe on Twitter:
37 mins: Some rare possession by Austria but (dare I say it) not really going anywhere. England look as comfortable in defense as they do in attack.
34 mins: Austria are now trying to hit England on the counter attack, but they seem to have quite heavy feet there. They just can’t break through quickly enough and the home nation find it so easy to get the ball back.
England captain Leah Williamson featured for her team in the first half at Old Trafford.
32 mins: It might be the pink home nation specs talking, but England are looking so, so good so far. The passes were slick, the players looked confident. They would really be good value for a 2-0 lead here.
29 mins: Meade is the last to attempt a tackle on White in the box, but her ball into the box is well handled by a defender who does enough to parry the England forward with her attempted header.
26 min: Brilliant chance for England! Hamp has been so dangerous down the left so far and she proves she’s a creator again as the Manchester City star crosses perfectly for team-mate Ellen White, who somehow glances a header wide of the target. She is usually so deadly from this position at just 10 yards.
23 mins: Sarina Wiegmann must be delighted with the way the Lionesses have started here. They are busy all over the pitch, with Austria now dropping deep to try and keep the hosts at bay.
20 mins: Only one team in this now. England dominated the game after a slow start as they now chase a second goal. Here’s proof that the first goal did cross the line.
16 min.: GOAL! ENGLAND 1-0 Austria
Euro 2022 is now underway! A broken ball finds Beth Mead about eight yards out and she does brilliantly to lift the ball over the keeper and just over the line despite a defender trying to clear it.
There’s a curious VAR check to see if the ball has crossed the line – but there’s no doubt and England start perfectly.
13 mins: Lucy Bronze is also starting to find her gear. A lovely cross from the right found Hemp at the back post but she was unable to get her header on target – though not before being nudged by an Austrian defender.
11 min: England are getting into it a bit now. Lauren Hamp crosses the center from the left but it’s at an awkward angle for Ellen White, whose header fails to trouble the keeper.
9 mins: Austria are just seeing more of the ball in these early moments. By the way, the English band is here and it takes less than 10 minutes for Sweet Caroline to start touring…
Austria goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger collects the ball as Lucy Bronze of England closes.
6 mins: Austria win first corner, England counter but soon snuffed out. Several locals in the stands tonight, including Manchester United men’s stars Harry Maguire and David de Gea.
Manchester United’s David de Gea and Harry Maguire are seen in the stands before the match
3 mins: No early chances for either side. The hosts win a free-kick inside 70 seconds, but a ball that flies into the box is easily dealt with by Austria.
START: Austria kicks off Euro 2022 at Old Trafford.
7.58pm: But can England take advantage of the home support tonight and this month?
We will find out very soon – next is the launch!
19.55: What a mood as the players make their way to Old Trafford.
Don’t forget it’s sold out with over 75,000 tickets sold and the atmosphere is amazing. Enough to give you goosebumps actually – it’s that good..
19.49: Here’s a close match ball…
It’s the same Nike Flight ball that the Stars use in the men’s game, but it has a new paint job this month. It looks pretty impressive.
It’s not Adidas Tango territory, but it’s also not that damn Jabulani from the Men’s World Cup 12 years ago that still scares me to this day.
19.46: A few early touches on the ball before kick-off…
England’s Lauren Hamp warms up on the pitch before the match
England striker Ellen White warms up before the Euro 2022 Women’s Group A match
Chloe Kelly looks on during the warm-up before the clash at Old Trafford.
7.42pm: England coach Sarina Wigman gives reasons for not featuring at Greenwood in her surprise call for the evening
‘I can imagine [there was surprise at Alex Greenwood not starting]. We had very good matches. She played well, other players too,” she told the BBC before the match.
‘[On Fran Kirby recovering from fatigue] We said you have to play well and recover well and take it day by day. We have been taking it day by day and she is doing very well. She feels she can begin. I hope he can show up tonight.
7.39pm: England men’s record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has also sent his best wishes to the women’s team tonight
7.33pm: Four balls, 35 minute halves, quagmire, no TV coverage and back to work the next day! Women’s football has come a long way since the first Euros in 1984 when England conceded a penalty against Sweden
ADAM SHERGOLD: They played a half time of just 35 minutes, used a smaller football and got away on a pitch that can only be described as a quagmire. The next day, most of the players returned to their day jobs.
Women’s football certainly looked very different in 1984 when England and Sweden contested their first European Championship final.
19.30: Austria no rollovers by the way…
19.27: The English came out to warm up
Whimsical warm-up kits are all the rage in the men’s and women’s game these days – I liked them from England, but back then I loved anything that looked like it was using fashion tips from the 90s.
7.24pm: Former England star Farrah Williams believes starting Fran Kirby is crucial for England at the expense of Alex Greenwood
If Fran Kirby is fit, Fran Kirby starts. If he wasn’t fit, Leah Williamson would start in central midfield instead [with Greenwood in defence].
19.21: Austria’s footballers warm up and also acknowledge their fans here
19.18: Women’s football has been playing catch-up since the first official international match was played 50 years ago… but with attendances increasing, tournaments growing and players becoming stars, there is still plenty to happen after Euro 2022
Women’s football has come a long, long way in the last 50 years – it was still banned from football grounds in England until the 1970s. I’ve been watching its rise across the continent from the link above.
19.10: Supporters from both sides begin to fill Old Trafford as the kick-off approaches
19.04: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge send their luck to England’s women’s team
It should not be underestimated. They arrived on Court 1 yesterday evening and in doing so looked set to help Cameron Norrie reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. Well, that’s how I remember it anyway.
Good luck to @Lionesses as Women’s Euro 2022 kicks off today. You are already making the nation proud and we will be cheering you on throughout the tournament! W https://t.co/LD3SHtBkUM
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 6, 2022
18.59: This is a very defensive outfit by Austria, by the way
And I don’t blame them too much. England scored 84 goals in their 14 games under Wigman!
They line up with what looks like a 4-1-4-1 formation, so I suspect they may be on the defensive from the start.
18.56: Austria starting XI:
Zinsberger, Hanshaw, Schneiderbeck, Wenninger, Wienreuter, Puntigam, Naschenweng, Feuerzinger, Zadrazil, Dunst, Billa.
6.48pm: Dressed in gray tracksuits, the England stars enjoy the atmosphere at Old Trafford on the pre-match pitch as they wave to supporters
England’s Ella Toon, Georgia Stanway and Lucy Bronze inspect the pitch before the match
England’s Millie Bright (right) and Rachel Daly inspect the pitch before the match
England’s Millie Bright greets supporters
England’s Bethany England and Jess Carter on the field share a discussion
6.42pm: There is no Alex Greenwood in England’s starting line-up
This is a little surprising to me and indicates that captain Leah Williamson will come into defense to fill that gap.
Fran Kirby will play in midfield and I suspect he will play right next to Ellen White in attack.
6.38pm: And there you have England starting XI
18.34: And here comes England!
The girls arrived at Old Trafford as team boss Sarina Wigman and Manchester United…
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