(Football news) Germany had a flying start to their Euro 2022 campaign with an emphatic 4-0 win over Denmark at a sold-out Brentford Community Stadium. Bayern Munich players Lina Magull and Lea Schuller were on the scoresheet while Wolfsburg's Lena Lattwein also found the back of the net. Denmark finished the match with 10 players as substitute Kathrine Kuhl received a second yellow card towards the end of the match. Despite Spain defeating Finland 4-1, Germany are now on top of Group B before the two European powerhouses meet on Tuesday.

Speaking after the match, Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg said “We played an outstanding game. We were at it right away and created plenty of scoring chances that we didn't really take advantage of in the first half. We were incredibly dominant and aggressive. It was a great team effort by everyone involved." Forward Lina Magull added: "It was brutally intense for us for 90 minutes. We won an awful lot of duels and played with a lot of heart. I'm really quite proud of the team. It was a very, very good start to the Euros." 

Meanwhile, Spain defeated Finland 4-1 in the opening match of Group B in Milton Keynes. La Roja were left stunned after conceding a goal when Linda Sallstrom scored after just 50 seconds from kick off but got back into the game thanks to captain Irene Paredes  while Aitana Bonmati gave her country a narrow advantage heading into half-time. Lucia Garcia gave them a two goal cushion in the 75th minute while Mariona Caldentey scored a penalty deep into injury time to wrap up the victory. 

With Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas injured, Spain’s Aitana Bonmati said “She was in the dressing room with us, motivated us with what she said and pushed us on. I think Alexia wanted to enjoy the Euros. She has been really unlucky, she wanted to support us and be part of this moment. We prepared for this tournament over many years and sometimes things happen that you don't expect. It was important for us to have her here. Of course they are two big losses (Jennifer Hermoso and Alexia Putellas) and we're going to miss them as they are two of the best players in the world. They have lots of international experience but sometimes when you're faced with difficulty there are opportunities for others. It's an opportunity to become more of a team than ever so we can go forward. When there are difficulties you become stronger and better players as you have to take more responsibility." 

Spain head coach Jorge Vilda said “We had to turn the game around and I can't remember the last time we had to stage a comeback after conceding such an early goal. We fell behind and managed to score four goals. The goals were dedicated to Alexia – that [team spirit] is a big strength of ours." Finland head coach Anna Signuel was impressed by Spain’s performance and said “I think we played a really good game but Spain, as we were expecting, were fantastic. Compared to the Spain of five years ago, they've improved a lot and they have so many quality players. Of course they will miss Putellas and Hermoso but did well with the players that came on. It was a fantastic atmosphere, the players were on the verge of crying when they came out and saw all the fans, it was amazing."

Also read: How will Alexia Putellas’ absence impact the Spain team at Euro 2022?