The opening party, like English football, was measured, stylish and free of unnecessary fireworks.
Some plumes of red, white, and blue, a few flames, and then a young side that has so much they say they want to prove, went ahead.
They are being asked to help embed women’s football in the national consciousness. No small task, but they started as they intended to continue.
England sealed a 1-0 win over Austria in their Euro 2022 opener at Old Trafford
Arsenal star Beth Mead (pictured) scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute
The promotional dimension was a masterpiece in itself. The artwork featuring English players blasted over the White Cliffs of Dover this week reading ‘You’ve never seen England like this’ graced the side of Gary Neville’s Hotel Football, next to the stadium.
It was one of the first sights for many approaching.
There was more of the same on each flight path, and the blue chip brands in the perimeter commercials underlined the call to be associated with this tournament and team.
The Lionesses are asked to help anchor women’s football in the national consciousness
“If more of us play, we all win,” says one of the most prominent.
The fan zone filled with fans chanting “Football’s coming at home” at 7pm was not a football support environment, as those steeped in a lifetime of men’s play have come to know.
This ancient spot has also never before bounced back to Whitney Huston’s rendition before kickoff.
But it felt like a less raw, less alcohol-driven environment. A safer one, it must be said.
There were more parents with children. There was no misuse of anthems in a stadium with a capacity of 74,500. It was a different kind of football field.
Old Trafford was filled with parents and children and there was no misuse of folk songs
However, the spirit of the celebration had its limits as this England team has deadly intent.
You only had to observe the relentless look of manager Sarina Wiegman to sense that.
She is not a screamer and rarely sets foot in the technical room, so in that sense she also does not conform to the game that is expected of it.
Her philosophy is that after she transfers the knowledge, her players have the intelligence to use it.
It was fitting that Chelsea’s Fran Kirby played such a key role in how England got off to such a strong start, leading to the high-pitched cheers from the significant number of young supporters.
Chelsea and England star Fran Kirby (pictured) singled out Beth Mead to score a goal
Kirby’s engineering genius may have made her the player of her generation, but illness and injury have kept her from having her best days in an England shirt.
It was she who had the vision to seek out and find Beth Mead with the 15-yard diagonal pass that scored the first goal.
And it was fitting that Mead scored. Those who can’t accept the emergence of a lively female play like to declare that the male equivalent is “better,” although Mead’s vision, intuition and quick feet deconstruct that idea.
Her aim – to control the ball with her chest and clip it over Manuela Zinsberger in the split second at her disposal – suited the kind of football England hopes to inspire over the next 25 days.
Kirby’s flat pass across the area for Lauren Hemp just before half-time was slightly over-hit, leaving the 21-year-old struggling to make contact.
But it was a night when Hemp and her young contemporaries, Chloe Kelly and Georgia Stanway, emerged as fearless players.
Lauren Hemp (pictured) and fellow youngsters Chloe Kelly and Georgia Stanway were impressed
Time will tell if the team delivers the women’s game at the level that the United States, the flag bearers, have long known.
For some here it was a very formative introduction to the game. They were holding up white cards with the word “target” when Mead’s vital attack occurred. Mexican waves hit periodically.
Wiegman certainly shows audacity that can take them far. Unhappy with the intensity of the team on the hour, she changed three of hers from four at a time.
They didn’t set the stadium on fire as the game progressed and Mary Earps was called in to rescue a vital fingertip, leading Wiegman to state late last night that she thinks her team can do better than this.
‘More can be done’, to quote one of the perimeter slogans. But this was the beginning England had wanted and needed.