Pride of the Lionesses: England’s road to Euro 2022 glory – in pictures

Over little more than three weeks in July, from Manchester via Brighton, Southampton and Sheffield to Wembley, Guardian writers have followed every step of England’s journey through Women’s Euro 2022. Under Sarina Wiegman, who coached the Netherlands to success in the same tournament in 2018, the Lionesses showed they were winners.

A packed Old Trafford watches England defeat Austria in the first game of Euro 2022. Photograph: Alex Livesey/Uefa/Getty Images

Trailblazers. Pioneers. Game-changers. History-makers. Yes: England scored a first-half goal and began a major tournament without looking flustered or getting booed off the pitch at full time. It was comfortable rather than easy, composed rather than fluent. But as England completed their lap of honour in front of 69,000 cheering fans, the sense was of a team that were simply relieved to be off and running, determined to ride this wave of noise all the way to the end.

For all England’s busyness, their 15 shots on goal, perhaps the moment that best encapsulated them came just seconds from the end. Leah Williamson received the ball in defence, with Austrian shirts flooding forward in an attempt to hunt her down. If ever there was a time for getting rid, it was here. Instead Williamson looked up and pinged a precise 40-yard pass all along the ground to Georgia Stanway. On a night of peak pressure and peak expectation, England kept their heads, and somehow this felt like the most crucial victory of all.

This is not how England teams are meant to start tournaments. The rules are very clear on this. Instead England never really felt threatened after Beth Mead’s opening goal. Talk about a break with the past. Jonathan Liew

England supporters outside Old Trafford before the