In the 16th minute, Fran Kirby played wonderfully with Beth Mead, who lifted it over Austrian star goalkeeper Manuela Zinnsberger.
Fullback Karina Fenninger tried to kick the ball off the goal line, but then it turned out it was already in the goal.
It took a while for the England supporters to celebrate, but the goal was eventually disallowed after a video review.
– It wasn't our best effort, but the three points were the most important thing. “We kept a clean sheet and defended very well,” Bronze says.
At the end of the first half, Lauren Hemp had a great chance, but Zinsberger saved it well.
The second half was relatively quiet, although it was England who controlled the pace of the match. The match ended 1-0 and leaders England got the start they wanted in the tournament.
– We knew we had players to persevere. “It was disappointing that we didn't score more goals, but we knew we could stop them from scoring,” Bronze said.
The premiere also meant a new EC audience record on the women's side. The official crowd figure was 68,871, the old record having been set at the Friends Arena in Stockholm when Germany and Norway met in the final in 2013.
-I got goosebumps when we came out and the audience screamed. And the first ten minutes. “Then it dawned on me that the dream had indeed come true,” Bruns says.
Tomorrow, the other two teams in Group A will meet, with Norway and Northern Ireland facing off.
Excerpts from EC's premiere
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