And then there were eight. After nearly two weeks of action, the group stages of the 2022 UEFA Women's EURO competition is now done, and eight teams will be featuring in the quarter-finals. Hosts England will be among six other teams, including Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, and Belgium hoping to deny reigning champs the Netherlands a chance to successfully defend their title. The quarter-finals will kick off soon, with England locking horns with Spain on Wednesday, July 20th, but for now, the players and fans will have a short break.
So, with all that in mind, and as we await the quarter-finals here are five key observations we gleaned after a very interesting group stages concluded on Monday, July 18th.
1. Goals, goals, and more goals
Women's football has received a rather unfair rap from some quarters, with some calling it "boring" due to the perceived lack of overall action. Well, so far, this edition of the EURO competition certainly has been far from that, especially when it comes to goals being scored. England, with 14 goals, set a competition record. Eight of those were scored during their demolition of Norway on matchday two, and the Three Lionesses completed the group stages sans conceding a goal.
Germany also added nine goals of their own as they also completed a perfect group stage campaign, with wins over Denmark, Finland, and Spain. Die Nationalelf also maintained a clean sheet throughout. No team completed the group stages without scoring; even debutants Northern Ireland, who endured a baptism by fire as they shipped 11 goals, at least scored once, along with fellow strugglers Finland and Denmark, who also netted once during a very disappointing group stage campaign.
All in all, a total of 78 goals was scored over the course of 24 games, or an average of over three goals per game.
2. Norway surprisingly fail to fire and set unwanted records in the process
Whether it be the men's or women's game, football is truly unpredictable, and this summer has certainly proved that. Norway, who were featuring in their 12th EURO, are one of the most experienced sides in this competition, but shockingly are heading home early after two catastrophic losses. All seemed to be going well for them as they eased to a 4-1 win over debutants Northern Ireland, but one would be forgiven for thinking that Norway had turned into an entirely different team on matchday two when they faced England.
All sorts of records were set in that match. Whether they are unwanted or wanted depending on which team one was supporting, but from Norway's perspective, it was an utterly shocking humiliation. By the time the final whistle sounded, they had conceded a whopping eight goals, which is the worst loss sustained during a EURO tournament proper in competition history.
3. Could Austria end up becoming a dark horse contender this summer?
It may seem like a long shot, especially as Austria's "reward" for finishing second in their group is a much unwanted quarter-finals clash with neighboring nation Germany. However, do not forget that Austria did beat a heavily-favored Norway side to book their spot at this juncture. Additionally, Irene Furhmann's side, who are featuring in their second EURO competition, did surprise most during their debut in 2017. Five years ago, Austria made a run to the semi-finals, and while they were beaten by Denmark, it was only after penalties after neither side could find a way past each other.
Furthermore, Germany, while naturally a heavy favorite, are not infallible, and were knocked out five years ago by Denmark during the quarter-finals - so really, anything is possible.
4. Will it finally come home for England?
Quite akin to the men's side, England are playing all of their games at home this summer. However, the Three Lionesses will hope to avoid the heartbreak the Three Lions suffered last summer, during which they were beaten on penalties by Italy after a grueling 120 minutes of action. So far, things have gone pretty swimmingly for Sarina Wiegman's side, who cruised through their group stage campaign with three wins out of three and kept three clean sheets in the process.
England have long hoped to end their decades-long drought in international football, and it just may be the Lionesses who help them win a much sought-after trophy, 12 months after the Three Lions painfully came up short at Wembley. Time will tell if this time, the slogan "It's coming home" will finally ring true, because England's path to the final will be far from simple. They will first face Spain in the quarter-finals, and provided they progress, will have two more games to win before clinching the coveted prize.
5. Age ain't nothing but a number
Although Northern Ireland endured a disappointing EUROs as the debutants crashed out without picking up a single point, they did manage to set a record. Defender Julie Nelson not only became the first player to score for Northern Ireland at a EURO competition, but her goal, which ended up being a mere consolation as the Green Army slumped to a 4-1 loss to Norway, makes her the oldest player to score in this competition (she was 37 years and 33 days old at the time).
