So here we are. After a week of glorious football, we have now seen every team in action in the Women’s Euro. There’s been plenty of shocks, surprises, and supreme moments of skill that have left us begging for more. The goals have been flowing, the records have been tumbling, and many fans’ predictions have been left in tatters. With two more rounds of Group Stage fixtures to come, plus the knockout rounds, can the Women’s Euro 2022 sustain this incredible momentum of pure, footballing entertainment? We shall see. In the meantime, here is a quick summary of what we has happened thus far.
Group A
First up, Group A. Naturally, the focus has primarily been on England, and so far, out of all the games that have been played, their game has been the least fluent, the least entertaining and had the least goals (just the 1 from Beth Mead, by the barest of margins). In front of a record crowd of 68,871 at Old Trafford, nerves seemed to get the better of England, and they only just got over the line against a stubborn Austria, who will be fancying their chances after demonstrating such grit and determination. England will be relieved that this loaded fixture is past them, and hopefully now will be able to relax and play the quality football we know they are capable of.
Norway, on the other hand, had no such stage fright issues. Against a plucky, though ultimately out of their depth Northern Ireland side, they ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. Northern Ireland will be disappointed in the manner at which they conceded, as Norway’s high press generated defensive mistakes and allowed them to rack up a 3-0 lead with relative ease before half time. It is to Northern Ireland’s credit therefore, that they never gave up and kept fighting, and were rewarded for their endeavour when Julie Nelson made history by heading in their first ever tournament goal. Sadly, it wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide, and Norway capped off the win with a fine curling free-kick from Chelsea star Guro Reiten.
⚽️ One for the history books ✨
Moment of the Day belongs to @JulesNelson5 – the scorer of @NorthernIreland's first goal at a major tournament! 😍#WEUROmoments | @Lays_football | #WEURO2022 pic.twitter.com/VRZKoKaz5I
— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 7, 2022
The game ended with two disappointments. Ada Hegeberg was unable find a goal on her return to tournament football, seeing her effort chalked off for offside. For Northern Ireland, tragedy struck when their star forward Simone Magill limped off with 10 minutes to go with an ACL injury. Sadly, her tournament is now over, and we all wish her a speedy recovery.
Group B
When the draw was made, Group B was designated the ‘Group of Death’, with one of the tournament favourites (Spain), the historical winners (Germany) and the runners up from the last Euros (Denmark) all competing for two tickets to the knockout rounds.
Amongst the three were Finland, who many will see as the cannon fodder of the group. Though in fairness, they gave Spain a huge scare by taking a first minute lead through Linda Sällström, exploiting some gaping holes in the back of the Spanish defence and slotting the ball past Paños with great accuracy. Unfortunately, that was as good as it got for the Fins, as despite the occasional moment on the break, Spain seized control for the remainder of the game. The loss of Hermoso and Putellas on the eve of the competition did not seem to affect them, though the source of their goals came as a surprise to many. Three headers and a late penalty was enough to clock a comfortable 4-1 win.
It was then up to Germany to follow suit, and under the lights in South London, they delivered. The shocking thing about the 4-0 defeat of Denmark is that it could have been more. They hit the woodwork 3 times in the first half, before an error at the back allowed Lina Magull to stroll in and smash the ball past Christensen. Denmark were abject, unable to compete with the German press and intensity, and their attempts to play long towards Pernille Harder and Signe Bruun to escape were picked off time and time again. In the second half, they folded, shipping a further 3 goals, the last getting the biggest cheer of the night. With Denmark fans heading for the exits, Alexandra Popp finally, finally, opened her Euro account with a late diving header to round off a relentless, ruthless, rip-roaring result for Germany.
Group C
If Group B was the Group of Death, then Group C has become the Group of Intrigue. After the end of play on Saturday, all four teams found themselves level on points, all able to make a decent case for feeling confident for qualification. Switzerland and Portugal opened proceedings with a thrilling 2-2 draw. The Swiss raced into a 2-0 lead within the first 5 minutes, benefitting from a rocket from Coumba Sow (though Pereira will not want to look back at her attempt to deal with it), and a thumping header from Kiwic. It should have been the trigger for a Switzerland masterclass, and yet, in the second half, it was Portugal who ran the show. A Gomes header and a near post flick from Jessica Silva drew them level. Both teams hit the woodwork late on chasing a valuable winner to put them top of the table before the evening showdown, but it wasn’t to be.
⏰ 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧 ⏰
What a game! Portugal fight back from a two-goal deficit to draw 🔥
Who should be happier with that result?#WEURO2022
— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 9, 2022
At Bramall Lane, it was a repeat of the 2019 World Cup Semi Final and the Women’s Euro 2017 Quarter Final, as the Netherlands and Sweden faced off against one another once again. Earmarked as the game of the group, it had all the makings of a classic. The build-up was dominated by the fans, with Swedish and Dutch supporters flooding into Sheffield. The fan park was awash with orange, blue and yellow, with the Dutch DJ stirring the crowd into a fever. It all culminated with the notorious ‘fan walk’, as the bus to the ground was surrounded by Dutch fans signing along, spreading the good vibes, and hoping this would be the start of another successful Women’s Euro.
From kick-off however, this looked unlikely. Sweden were the better side, nullifying the Dutch with their defensive shape and exploiting them on the wings. Asslani left Nouwen stranded with a gorgeous nutmeg, and her low cross found Jonna Andersson criminally unmarked at the back post. She was afforded enough time to take a touch, steady herself, and then smash the ball home. The Netherlands were struggling all over the pitch, and their problems were exacerbated further when they lost Sari van Veenendaal and Nouwen in the first half to injury. Sari’s injury has also seen her tournament end prematurely, but her replacement, Daphne van Domselaar, looks up to the task for replacing her, with a string of fine saves crucial in keeping the Swedes at bay. Early in the second half, a superb dummy and turn on the halfway line from Vivianne Miedema proved to be the genesis of the Dutch equaliser. The Oranje Leeuwinnen stormed forward in numbers, and a deflection off a Swede defender gifted Jill Roord the chance to place the shot past Hedvig Lindhal. Both sides struggled to find any fluency after that, with Jackie Groenen’s drag and roll on the touchline the main highlight. The final whistle raised more questions than answers. Were the Dutch better than we thought? Are the Swedes not as good as we thought?
As for Portugal, a team who until just a few months ago weren’t even set to be here, they will be left rueing not taking all 3 points, as they could have ended the day top of the group with a clear margin, rather than just on disciplinary points and goals scored. Plenty of intrigue, excitement, and final day drama to come here.
Group D
Lastly, Group D. The group that has had the most controversy surrounding it. Firstly, from Iceland, who have made their feelings known (justified, it must be said) over the stadiums planned to be used for their group games. Only around 4,000 fans maximum can attend Manchester City’s Academy Stadium, due the standing areas being unusable according to UEFA regulations. Despite this, the Icelandic fans that did attend were still able to make their voices, and their famous thunder-clap, heard throughout the stadium, generating a cracking atmosphere. On the pitch however, they were left rueing what might have been after an opening draw with Belgium. A saved first half penalty robbed them of the chance to take an early lead, though Thorvaldsdottir was able to shrug off her miss with a second half header. It was a lead they could not hold onto however, as Vanhaevermaet equalised for Belgium with a penalty of their own. It could have been even worse, as a second Belgium penalty was only chalked off by a late offside call. The honours ended even, but with France still to come, this was an opportunity missed by both sides to claim 3 crucial points.
As for France, they had arrived under a storm of controversy, with Corinne Diacre generating fury by opting to leave star players Le Sommer and Henry at home. They didn’t allow this to affect them however, roaring ahead with one of the finest first half performances we’ve seen at the tournament so far. After 45 minutes, France were 5-0 to the good, with a Geyoro hat-trick supplemented by a tap-in from Katoto and a drive from Cascarino.
🇫🇷 France are the first team to score 5️⃣ in the first half in the history of the competition! ✅#WEURO2022 | #FRA pic.twitter.com/TuQtYR5sBt
— UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (@WEURO2022) July 10, 2022
The only disappointment of the game was their decision to stop playing at that level in the second half, though Italy were probably counting it as a blessing. They had been hopeless defensively in that first half, though were at least able to claw a goal back late on via a Piemonte header. The damage had already been done though, and France ended the evening having maybe silenced some of the critics who doubted them and their manager.
Now the first round of Women’s Euro games are over. Time for the rest of the group stages.
Written by Adam Salter
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