The team of team manager Irene Fuhrmann kept the upper hand on Friday in heavy rain in Altach thanks to goals from Celina Degen (37th), Eileen Campbell (71st) and an own goal from Sylwia Matysik (74th). Since Iceland beat Germany 3-0, an ÖFB fixed ticket for the European Championship is out of reach even before the last game.
On Tuesday in Hanover they will face group winners Germany, who dropped points for the first time in their fifth game. Austria now has to go through the multi-stage play-off in the autumn on its way to the finals in Switzerland in 2025. Poland will also be competing there. The bottom team, which still has no points and for which only Natalia Padilla (79th) scored, will be relegated from League A for the next phase. The match, played in front of 2,343 spectators, was interrupted for around five minutes in the middle of the second half due to heavy rain, thunder and lightning.
Irene Fuhrmann changed her formation in three positions compared to the 1:2 defeat to Iceland. Regular goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger returned to goal and played her 100th international match, for which she was honored by ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel before the start of the game. In place of Katharina Schiechtl, who was suffering from a calf injury, Laura Wienroither defended at right back in the ÖFB jersey for the first time since recovering from her cruciate ligament tear and since the 2:0 test win once morest the Czech Republic on April 11, 2023. Midfield mainstay Sarah Zadrazil, who was also injured, was replaced by Degen.
Image: DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK (APA)
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Image: DIETMAR STIPLOVSEK (APA)
The targeted “very clear reaction” following the bitter double once morest Iceland was visible from the start in the Cashpoint Arena. The ÖFB selection applied a lot of pressure, dominated the proceedings at will, but initially lacked composure in the final stages. Marie-Therese Höbinger (14th, 20th) and Dunst (19th, 26th, 28th) missed good opportunities.
In the 35th minute, a triple chance was missed. First, Höbinger was stopped by goalkeeper Kinga Szemik, then her follow-up shot was blocked and, finally, Lilli Purtscheller was close to scoring. Two minutes later, the fans in Altach were finally able to celebrate. After a short corner and a cross from Dunst, Degen headed in from close range. Seven minutes later, it should have been 2-0. A header from Campbell was wrongly disallowed because the crosser, Hanshaw, was supposedly offside.
It was the second time that the Austrians disagreed with a decision by the Greek referee Eleni Antoniou. In the 17th minute, however, a goal by Purtscheller was rightly disallowed due to a foul by Puntigam. Degen stayed in the dressing room at half-time and Annabel Schasching was substituted. The nature of the match remained unchanged despite the rain being even heavier than before. The score should have been 2-0 straight following the restart. Szemik saved a shot from Dunst, and the unlucky Höbinger missed the empty goal on the follow-up (48th).
The heavy rain was accompanied by thunder and lightning and the Poles almost managed to equalize out of nowhere. The ÖFB defense allowed a counterattack and top striker Ewa Pajor missed the goal from a great position (57th minute). When play was interrupted shortly followingwards, the players did not go to the dressing room but remained on the substitutes’ benches.
Campbell then scored the second goal with a determined solo effort in her former home stadium. After an own goal by Matysik, who deflected a Schasching cross into her own goal, everything was clear. Padilla only managed to improve the result by rebounding following a shot hit the post. As a result, a bigger ÖFB victory was in the air. The match ended like the first leg in Poland. Due to the lack of help from Germany, the “small football miracle” that Fuhrmann had hoped for did not happen.