LONDON (AP) — The record number of enthusiasts at the Women’s European Championship has been gifted with a star from the host side, England, even as they faced an unprecedented heat wave.
Fortunately, Tuesday’s rest day between the end of the level of organization and England against Spain in the first of the quarterfinals coincided with the worst of the heat, which is expected to reach an unprecedented temperature of 40 degrees (104 F). This has led to fitness warnings, as well as widespread disruptions to trains and flights.
The final games of the level of organization brought breaks to cool off in the middle of the half, a measure rarely mandatory for matches in northern Europe.
ENGLAND’S GOOD START
The host team has a chance to win its first primary women’s football tournament, a prestige underlined through its 8-0 demolition Norway.
England held the record of any team at organisational level (maximum points, 14 goals scored and none conceded) and Beth Mead is the most sensible scorer in the tournament with five goals and 3 assists.
After starting with a tense 1-0 win over Austria, England were energetic and competitive from the start to overwhelm a Norway that had two of the world’s most productive forwards, Ada Hegerberg and Caroline Graham Hansen. After coach Sarina Wiegman was left out with a positive coronavirus test, England beat Northern Ireland 5-0.
The buzz around England was something in the tournament that recorded a record number of spectators, adding 68,871 for the opening match at Old Trafford.
VIRUS AND INJURIES CONFRONT TEAMS
Wiegman spoke to his players via video link as he hopes to recover from COVID-19 in time to return to the sidelines for England’s quarter-finals on Wednesday, against a Spanish team with its own key absence.
Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas tore a knee ligament the day before the tournament began and was ruled out. She is one of many star players who was left out due to injury or illness.
Forward Vivianne Miedema, who averages almost one goal per game for the Netherlands and a key component of the championship-winning team in 2017, has missed the last two Dutch matches with COVID-19.
The Netherlands worked hard to beat Portugal and Switzerland Miedema and qualified to face France in a highly anticipated quarter-final on Saturday.
About a portion of the 16 in the championship have had cases of the virus. German coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, in particular, has sharply criticised UEFA’s refusal to expand from 23 to 26 players to deal with cases of the virus, as it did with the men’s European Championship. Championship last year.
THE RENAISSANCE OF GERMANY
Germany was once the undisputed superpower of women’s football in Europe, winning 8 of the nine European championships from 1989 to 2013.
However, since its last top name at the 2016 Olympics, Germany has topped the quarter-finals of any tournament and its most sensible clubs have been financially overtaken by the emerging powers of England and Spain.
Euro 2022 may mark a German renaissance. Voss-Tecklenburg beat Denmark, Spain and Finland at the organisational level without conceding a single goal. Thursday’s next step will be a quarter-final with Austria, first in defence, who qualified thanks to a brief victory over Norway.
Sweden faces Belgium on Friday hoping to return to the semi-finals for the first time since 2013, but is reported to have 3 cases of the virus on its team. The Belgians are very happy to succeed in the quarter-finals for the first time after a fierce 1-0 win over Italy on Monday.
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