Women's Euro 2022 kicks off with record attendance as England secure a nervous win

How about kicking off the Women's football EURO 2022 with a record attendance?

68,871 of them ascended on Old Trafford to witness England start their campaign with a 1-0 (1-0) win against Austria.

The attendance at the packed Theatre of Dreams set a record for a game at any women's Euros competition.

Beth Mead's first half goal was the difference in the end, despite Austria's resilient efforts to find an equaliser.

Given the way fans backed England in the opener, it may not be the only record that is broken this month.

The top things you need to know going forward, including how to watch the Euros, can be found here.

Old Trafford booms in nervy opener

The atmosphere at Old Trafford was electric from spectators packed into the fan park right until the final whistle and beyond.

England head coach, Sarina Wiegman, described it as 'incredible'.

As well as fans, hundreds of local kids joined in the opening ceremony, waving flags as the sound of fireworks signalled the start of this highly-anticipated tournament.

And the tiny football car, who stole the show at Euro 2020, also got in on the action - much to the delight of fans at the stadium.

Stripped in pride colours, it drove onto the pitch to deliver the match ball.

But despite the crowd rallying behind them, it was an evidently nervous display from England.

2017 semi-finalists, Austria, started the game on the front foot, but failed to make the most of early jitters from the hosts.

Fran Kirby and Beth Mead combined for the opening - and only - goal of the game, with the latter lofting the ball over Manuela Zinsberger in the Austrian goal.

In the second half, England seemed to relinquish control over the game and Austria were able to play their way back into the game, but couldn't get the goal to go with.

But in the end, one goal was enough for England to get off to a winning start.

Wienroither, Walsh impress

Austrian defender Laura Wienroither was one of, if not the, standout performer of the opening night.

Coming into the tournament, England winger Lauren Hemp has been highly regarded as one of the players to watch, touted as someone who can have a significant impact.

But she struggled to get going at Old Trafford, and that was largely due to the defensive shift put in by Wienroither.

So much so, at points in the game Hemp and Mead were swapping wings in order to find a breakthrough beyond a solid Austrian backline.

Wienroither made seven recoveries, two interceptions and completed 100% of her tackles across the 90 minutes to minimise the threat of the opposition wingers.

For England, it was Keira Walsh who dictated things in the middle of the park.

The Manchester City midfielder made eight recoveries, won 100% of her arial duals and was only dribbled past just once.

A trio of Walsh, just in front of defensive duo Millie Bright and Leah Williamson, gave the hosts their platform to play out from the back - and both centre-backs distributed a handful of exquisite passes throughout the 90.

Looking ahead

A record-breaking crowd on the opening night of the Euros has set the precedent for the tournament going forward.

And with over 500,000 tickets sold across games so far, fans are expected to continue showing out.

Northern Ireland are set to make their tournament debut on 7 July against Norway.

Then attention turns to a huge clash between Germany v Denmark as their group gets underway on 8 July.

On the same day, Spain will take on Finland with many eagle-eyed fans waiting to see how they line-up without the injured Alexia Putellas.

By the end of the weekend, every team will have played their first group game.

The top things you need to know going forward, including how to watch the Euros, can be found here.