Austria’s women’s national hockey team started the European Indoor Championships in Hamburg on Wednesday with two clear defeats. First, the effective Dutch women lived up to their role as favorites with a 7:0 (3:0), then the ÖHV selection had to bow to host Germany clearly with 0:8 (0:3).
Other group opponents selected by coach Corinna Zerbs are the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Turkey. After two games, Germany, the Netherlands and Ukraine lead the table with two wins each. In the case of the “Red Foxes”, the dream of a medal lives on despite the two bankruptcies once morest the top favorites.
“The girls are motivated. The goal is, of course, to finish third or fourth, so that we then have this final for the medal, for third place,” said Zerbs. ÖHV player Marta Laginja classified the defeats realistically: “Those were the two favorites for the title. Now the important games are starting for us.”
A game once morest the Czech Republic is scheduled for the ÖHV women on Thursday. Before that, the hockey men, European champions 2018 and runners-up European champions 2020, will also start the tournament once morest Switzerland, and in the evening it will be Michael Körper and Co. once morest Belgium.