England vs Austria LIVE: Euro 2022 result, final score and reaction as Beth Mead wins it for Lionesses

Follow all the reaction as the Lionesses begin tournament with win at Old Trafford

England aim to launch women's Euro 2022 in style

Hosts England made a winning start to their Euro 2022 campaign by beating Austria 1-0 in front of a tournament record crowd of 68,871 at Old Trafford.

Beth Mead grabbed the decisive goal in the 16th minute for the Lionesses and although Sarina Wiegman’s team struggled to create clear-cut chances, they will be delighted with the three points.

Austria were on the back foot for much of the game but came close to a leveller in the 78th as England goalkeeper Mary Earps did well to keep out a curling effort from Barbara Dunst.

England’s other Group A rivals, Northern Ireland and Norway will face each other on Thursday in Southampton.

Follow all the reaction from the opening match of Euro 2022 with our live blog below:

Euro 2022 build-up

• FULL-TIME! England 1-0 Austria - Lionesses get Euro 2022 off to winning start
• 16’ - GOAL! Mead dinks the ball home to put Lionesses in front (1-0)
• England XI: Earps, Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Daly, Stanway, Walsh, Mead, Kirby, Hemp, White
• England ready to harness ‘exciting moment’ as Lionesses go in search of Euro 2022 glory

[6 July 2022 16:51 · Luke Baker]

Is England vs Austria on TV? Kick-off time and channel info for Euro 2022 opener

England will kick off their Euro 2022 campaign against Austria on Wednesday evening.

The Lionesses are hoping three points will lay down an early marker in Group A, which features Norway and Northern Ireland as well as tonight’s opponents.

Austria are ranked 21st in Fifa’s world rankings and come into the fixture in good form after an impressive 1-0 victory over Belgium in their final warm-up match last week.

Sarina Wiegman’s side won all three of their warm-up games and enter the tournament as second-favourites behind Spain.

Here’s everything you need to know:

[6 July 2022 16:42 · Luke Baker]

Latest odds for Euro 2022

So what do the bookmakers reckon about England’s chances against Austria this evening - and for Euro 2022 as a whole?

The Lionesses are unsurprisingly heavy favourites to defeat the 21st-ranked side in the world and are currently second favourites - behind Spain - for the tournament as a whole.

England all-time record women’s goalscorer Ellen White is also the favourite to win the Golden Boot, although there has to be value in Dutch superstar Vivianne Miedema as joint second favourite.

All odds available via Betfair at the time of publication

Betfair: England vs Austria

England: 1/7

Draw: 13/2

Austria: 18/1

Betfair: Women’s European Championship 2022 winner

Spain: 3/1

England: 4/1

France: 5/1

Netherlands: 5/1

Sweden: 6/1

Germany: 7/1

Norway: 16/1

Denmark: 33/1

Betfair: Women’s European Championship Golden Boot winner 2022

Ellen White (England): 4/1

Marie-Antoinette Katoto (France): 6/1

Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands): 6/1

Beth Mead (England): 9/1

[6 July 2022 16:34 · Luke Baker]

Nikita Parris aims to use Euro 2022 to show ‘pathway’ for ‘representation’ open at elite level

Nikita Parris is determined to impress at Euro 2022 this summer, for more than just the obvious reasons.

Of course, with England one of the favourites, there will be huge expectation on the side’s biggest players to perform and secure glory on home soil.

But Parris, 28, also wants to show younger girls and women that they can achieve their dreams no matter their background or the challenges facing them.

The 65-cap attacker has spoken about a relative lack of representation of Black athletes within the Women’s Super League at present, despite clear strides made on that front compared to when she was a youngster herself. And that’s where she feels being on the big stage can play a meaningful role in helping to show the “pathway” remains available and open to those who want to follow her career trajectory.

[6 July 2022 16:26 · Luke Baker]

England vs Austria: Five talking points as Euro 2022 gets underway

In the dug-out

Having reached the Euros final twice before, in 1984 and 2009, the Lionesses will be hoping to go one better this time under the guidance of Wiegman, who guided her native Netherlands to European Championship glory in 2017 and the World Cup final two years later. Under Wiegman, England are unbeaten in 14 matches, winning 12 and scoring 84 goals to just three conceded. Austria manager Irene Fuhrmann has been involved in the national set-up since retiring from playing in 2008, taking the top job in 2020. She is the first woman to hold the position.

[6 July 2022 16:20 · Luke Baker]

England vs Austria: Five talking points as Euro 2022 gets underway

England firepower

The form of Ellen White up front will be key to Sarina Wiegman’s side’s hopes of progressing far in the tournament. The Lionesses’ record scorer with 50 goals had a disrupted build-up after contracting coronavirus but has recovered in time for Wednesday’s match and will be out to add to her international tally.

[6 July 2022 16:14 · Luke Baker]

England vs Austria: Five talking points as Euro 2022 gets underway

Dark horses?

Austria made their debut at the 2017 Euros in the Netherlands and surprised many by reaching the semi-finals. But they will face a tough challenge to get out of their group which also features Norway this time round. Austria’s squad boasts Women’s Super League experience in the form of Arsenal goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger and club-mate Laura Wienroither, as well as captain Viktoria Schnaderbeck, who left the Gunners this summer after spending the second half of last season on loan at Tottenham.

[6 July 2022 16:06 · Luke Baker]

England vs Austria: Five talking points as Euro 2022 gets underway

Familiar foes

England played Austria in a World Cup qualifier last November, running out 1-0 winners thanks to an Ellen White goal at the Stadium of Light. The home side will be hoping to kickstart their tournament with another victory at a packed Old Trafford.

[6 July 2022 15:59 · Luke Baker]

England vs Austria: Five talking points as Euro 2022 gets underway

England take on Austria in the first match of Euro 2022 at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Here the PA News Agency take a look at some of the talking points ahead of the Lionesses’ opening fixture:

Beginning with a bang

A capacity 74,120 crowd is expected on Wednesday, just over a year after the stadium hosted its first-ever women’s football match. It will be a flagship moment for the sport in England, as the 2005 edition of the tournament – the last to be held in the country – boasted a highest crowd of less than 30,000. Expectations of big crowds are high, with over 500,000 tickets sold, more than double the 2017 edition.

[6 July 2022 15:48 · Luke Baker]

Opinion: As the Lionesses kick off the Euros today, there’s tons to celebrate in women’s football

51 years after the Football Association lifted its absurd ban on women playing football on FA grounds – between 1921 and 1971 – the game’s resurgence is well underway, writes Shadow Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the United Kingdom, Lucy Powell MP for our Voices section.

WSL and the England team draw in record crowds and sponsorships. The Women’s Euros and World Cup have finally been granted listed event status, and a welcome announcement from UEFA and the FA on prize money are slowly bringing some parity with the men’s game.

Women’s tennis, Formula 1 and sports across the board and going from strength to strength. Amid the excitement, this is a key moment to capitalise on the momentum behind women’s football, and ensure that young girls who are inspired to pick up a ball today can be the next Lionesses.

In the vacuum left by the government on school sports, there’s some great work going on to open opportunities for girls to access football in schools. But despite the push, they still trail well behind boys in participation. When girls are talented, there isn’t the same infrastructure of academies and scholarships to boost them into the top-flight.

Read the rest of Lucy Powell MP’s thoughts here:

[6 July 2022 15:36 · Luke Baker]

It’s all about the squad: Rachel Yankey knows Sarina Wiegman has Euro 2022 options

Rachel Yankey has joked she would not want to be England boss Sarina Wiegman given the selection decisions she has to make heading into the home European Championship.

The Lionesses’ three warm-up matches ahead of the tournament, victories against Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland, saw substitutes and players that came in among starting line-up changes make significant contributions.

The opening fixture of their Euros campaign is on Wednesday when they face Austria at a sold-out Old Trafford.

And former England winger Yankey told the PA news agency: “I think the beauty of this England team is that it will be a squad. It’s all about the squad and I think the Switzerland game proved that, and pretty much all the warm-up games.

“I think it’s really hard to see who would be either starting or coming off (the bench) and making a big impact.”