England opened UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 with a 1-0 win over Austria in front of a record crowd of 68,781 at Old Trafford.
Beth Mead scored the first goal of the tournament on 16 minutes, taking down the ball from Fran Kirby, dinking it over keeper Manuela Zinsberger and just across the line before being belatedly cleared.
The record crowd for a UEFA Women’s Championship had to wait for a VAR check to confirm the goal.
Ellen White’s header from a Lauren Hemp cross drifted wide, while Hemp’s late first-half chance was turned over the bar by Zinsberger.
Verena Hanshaw put the ball over the crossbar and Mary Earps made a second-half save do deny Barbara Dunst, as the single goal proved sufficient for a winning start.