England got off to a winning start in the first game of the 2022 Women's Euros with a 1-0 victory against Austria and now they face what is arguably going to be their toughest group game against Norway.
A first-half strike from Beth Mead was enough to get past Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday in what was a frenzied atmosphere at a packed stadium.
The Lionesses did not play at their fluent best, but had more than enough in defence to stop Austria, who reached the semi-finals of the last Euros five years ago.
Norway are up next and they could prove to be tricky opponents - certainly they have plenty of pedigree in major tournaments - having won the Euros in 1987 and 1993 and the World Cup in 1995.
England are looking for their first-ever tournament win and can be backed at 7/2 to break their duck, with Norway 12/1.
What | England v Norway, Women's Euro 2022 Group A |
Where | Old Amex Stadium, Brighton |
When | 20:00, Monday 11th July 2022 |
How to watch | BBC1 and BBC iPlayer |
Much was expected of England when they took to the field against Austria at Old Trafford on Thursday and they did make a good start.
Beth Mead's neat lobbed finish, following a terrific pass from Fran Kirby, just about crept over the line and was given following a check with goal-line technology.
Coach Sarina Wiegman has instilled a clinical edge in the England team since she took over from Phil Neville last autumn with goalscoring big part of their identity.
With that in mind, she may have been slightly underwhelmed at what was to follow as England couldn't add to their tally.
The best chance came just before half-time when Ellen White won the ball high up the field, fed it to Kirby whose pass to Lauren Hemp was slightly overhit and she couldn't get her strike away instantly.
However, defensively, England were very good with Millie Bright and captain Leah Williamson looking particularly dominant at the back when Austria posed a threat.
However, in six games before the start of the Euros, England scored 30 goals, so they would have been targeted more than a 1-0 win.
One of the reasons why England chose Wiegman as their new manager was because of her ability to win as well as her progressive style of football.
In 2017 she guided her homeland of the Netherlands to women's Euro success as the Dutch lifted their first-ever women's major international trophy.
They improved steadily as the tournament went on which will give Wiegman inspiration, as they managed to end with 13 goals in six games.
The Netherlands actually began their campaign with a narrow 1-0 win against Norway, so Wiegman knows what it takes to get a win versus the Scandinavians.
The Dutch were hugely impressive when it mattered five years ago - they comfortably defeated England 3-0 in the semi-finals last time out, before defeating Denmark 4-2 in the final.
England have a huge amount of talent spread through their squad and that strength in depth is one of the reasons why the Lionesses are so heavily fancied for the tournament.
However, Wiegman is one of their biggest assets and she certainly has the nous to guide England to a win against Norway.
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At the time of writing, Norway haven't played their opening game against Northern Ireland, though they are wildly heavy favourites to defeat the Irish, who are playing in a European Championship for the first time.
Consequently, this is probably going to be the most significant game in Group A, as England face a team who have won major international tournaments three times in the past - albeit some years ago.
Norway are ranked 11th in the world and arrived into the tournament in good form, winning each of their last five games.
They will also have Ada Hegerberg in action after she finally ended her dispute with the Norwegian FA. The 26-year-old Lyon forward is a former Ballon d'Or winner and will add extra stardust to Martin Sjogren's attack.
She has scored 42 goals in 70 internationals and arrives into the tournament on the back of a Champions League final triumph against Barcelona.
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