England Women’s players have thanked the record number of fans for their opening Euro 2022 match against Austria.
The Three Lionesses started the tournament with a 1-0 win over Austriawith 68,871 people creating a rough atmosphere at Old Trafford and breaking the record attendance for a women’s Euro match.
Although it wasn’t England’s best performance, the noise level in Manchester never dropped and players showed their gratitude after full-time with a lap of honor around the stadium.
‘Speechless. What a great night to start the tournament with a win,” Beth Mead, who scored the decisive goal, told BBC Sport.
“I am very happy to have scored a goal for the team. ‘I was pretty sure’ [it was across the line] but you always doubt yourself when some time passes.
‘Listen to the atmosphere, unbelievable. I would like to tell you that we could hear what they [manager Sarina Wiegman] said, but it’s so loud we couldn’t hear it!
“We all loved Sweet Caroline. She will probably hold the debriefing in the locker room.”
Unfortunately, this will be the only time Old Trafford will be used for the tournament, with the rest of the matches being played in stadiums of much smaller capacity.
The rest of the English group matches will be held at Amex Stadium in Brighton, but the final is at Wembley, and given the capacity of 90,000 players, the record could be broken again.
Regardless, England captain Leah Williamson was grateful for the support on Wednesday night and hopes it can continue into the next month.
She said, “It was pretty special. I had no idea what to expect. We have embraced it very well.
‘During the national anthem, I kept my eyes closed. If I’d looked at Mama, I’d have cried, if I’d been too busy. I kept it at bay.
‘What an opportunity. The fans came out and we had good contact. It was a good start to the tournament.
“It’s loud. Communication becomes more difficult. Sometimes it gets in the way, but I would take that every day. Pleasant ambience.’
LAKE : England kicks off European Championship 2022 with narrow victory over Austria
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