England will kick off Euro 2022 on Wednesday evening when they take on Austria.
The Lionesses are strong contenders ahead of a tournament on home soil. Their final preparations included a 4-0 win over Switzerland that followed a 3-0 late show against Belgium and most convincing of all, a 5- 1 triumph over the Netherlands.
Sarina Wiegman is hoping to guide England to a first final since 2009, when they lost 6-2 to perennial winners Germany.
Here’s how you can watch their opening fixture.
When is England vs Austria?
England and Austria are opening the tournament at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with kick-off at 8pm.
Their second game will be on Monday 11 June at 8pm, when they play Norway at Brighton’s Falmer Stadium.
They will face Northern Ireland in their final group game on Friday 15 June, also at 8pm, at St Mary’s in Southampton.
How can I watch live?
England vs Austria will be shown live on BBC One, with coverage starting at 7pm.
You can also live stream the match via BBC iPlayer.
The whole tournament will be broadcast on the BBC.
What should we expect from England’s group?
By Adam Millington
With a tournament on home turf played in front of capacity crowds, Sarina Wiegman will have the difficult task of trying to secure a first-ever major international tournament triumph for England.
It is one that she is well-positioned to accomplish, though, given her success with the Netherlands in 2017 and the squad has proven itself to be serious contenders since the Dutchwoman took the reins.
While there was a good run in the 2019 World Cup and a victory in the SheBelieves Cup in the same year under Phil Neville, there always seemed to be an innate sense of shakiness which beset England. On paper, the squad has always been strong, but the tournament experience and respective strength of others has seen them fall.
Yet during Wiegman’s tenure, the quality has undoubtedly improved. Lauren Hemp, the enigmatic Manchester City winger who is still only 21-years-old, has cemented herself as one of Europe’s best footballers. On the other flank, Beth Mead has been in spectacular form and new captain Leah Williamson has excelled at the base of the midfield.
There is still some shakiness in defence, but when England get going they’re a tough nut to crack. The 5-1 drubbing of the Netherlands in a pre-tournament friendly proved their might and now they’ll be looking to replicate that form at the Euros.
The group is, quite frankly, England’s to lose, but Norway will be the main riders hoping to either unseat England at the top or else finish as runners-up.
With 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Ada Hegerberg returning to the fold for her first major tournament since Euro 2017, Norway will have one of the world’s best forwards back at their disposal. Hegerberg ruled herself out of international contention for five years due to a dispute with the Norwegian FA over its treatment of the women’s game.
After spending 21 months on the sidelines due to injury, she returned to football in 2021 and has been firing on all cylinders ever since – scoring a goal and providing an assist for Lyon in the Champions League final.
They are far from a one-woman team; Hegerberg merely brings the killer edge. Chelsea’s Guro Reiten is one of the WSL’s brightest and provides for her nation and Barcelona’s Caroline Graham Hansen is another world-class footballer.
There’s quality throughout the side and they have the ability to hold their own against any nation if things go to plan.
Austria will be challengers, the dark horses hoping to forge a path through to the knockouts. In the Netherlands, they reached the semis as debutants, but that was a shock feat which will be difficult to repeat.
Hoffenheim’s Nicolle Billa continually impresses in the Frauen-Bundesliga and has the capacity to trouble defences while Arsenal’s Manuela Zinsberger is a top-class goalkeeper who secured the WSL’s golden glove this season, but they’re in a group alongside two greats of the game.
In World Cup qualifying they fell victim to a solitary Ellen White goal in November yet England were by far the better of the two teams.
Irene Fuhrmann, the only woman in Austria with a Uefa Pro Licence, will be hoping to cause upsets and her side have the feel of one that could come out of the blue to make an impact at the tournament.
Northern Ireland, on the other hand, are a team for whom simply being at the tournament is enough of an achievement in itself.
It is the first time they will have ever played at a major championship and their home-based players – who are mostly part-time – have participated in a seven-month training camp to prepare for the Euros.
Their opening game against Norway at St Mary’s will be a history-making moment for the whole country, a historic achievement for the tournament’s lowest-ranked side.
There is little in the way of expectation for the only other home nation at the tournament and finding a way out of the group would require a herculean effort. Merely getting to this stage is a great positive.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/nzgLYcq
Post a Comment