Two of the favourites have struggled and the greater competitiveness reflects the doubling of investment in women’s football across Europe since 2013
Germany, seeking to win the European championship for a seventh time in a row, have surprisingly stuttered into their title defence. In 2013 the start of the story was similar – they finished second in their group with one win, a draw and a loss. However, they went on to clinch their sixth title with trademark efficiency, three 1-0 wins paving the way.
Although not as all-conquering in Europe as they were before Euro 2013, Germany contain a huge amount of quality and have more experience than any other side when it comes to handling the pressures of major tournaments. In the Netherlands, in one of the stronger groups, the tournament has perhaps proved more competitive than they expected.
Related: Euro 2017: Holland beat Belgium to qualify as Norway crash out to Denmark
Related: Euro 2017 fixtures and results: interactive wallchart
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