Winger Beth Mead has given the English national team a perfect start to the European Football Championship on home soil. The 27-year-old from Arsenal FC scored the goal of the day against Austria after just fifteen minutes for a 1-0 win.
68,000 spectators watched the match at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester. The hosts are hoping to win the first major tournament for a women’s national team at home.
And the chances are good. England is now undefeated in 15 matches, while Austria is already struggling to reach the quarter-finals. The statistics show that the success of the “Lionesses” (“Löwinnen”) was deserved, among other things because of significantly more possession (59.8% to 40.2%) and almost twice as many shots on goal as Team Austria.
A solid display in the opening game Lionesses | @GoogleCloud_UKI pic. twitter.com/TYIJc7qjvV
– Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 6, 2022
England captain Leah Williamson gushed about the atmosphere in the stadium after the match. Speaking on the BBC microphone, she said, “What an event. It was really special. “
A positive start. pic.twitter.com/yKL1B7hJrt
– Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 6, 2022
In fact, never before have so many spectators watched a Women’s World Cup match as on Wednesday night at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s home stadium. Germany play for the first time on Friday – against Denmark at Brentford in west London.