It was not meant to be. Austria’s women’s soccer team leaves England with their heads held high and with the memory of another brilliant performance in the prestigious EURO quarter-finals, which record champion Germany won 1-0 (1-0) with black ribbons because of the death of striker legend Uwe Seeler. The red-white-red team was not lucky in Brentford, they recorded three aluminum goals, the number five in the world also two.
“If that’s the case, I’m absolutely ready and happy,” said Marina Georgieva (25/last SC Sand/D, currently without a club) to jump in at the deep end on Thursday and Viktoria Schnaderbeck’s place in the starting XI to take The captain, who went over the pain limit in the group final against Norway (1-0), gave up with a heavy heart because of her knee problems. That didn’t change anything about the extraordinary spirit and the passion of the red-white-red team.
“until you drop”
Carina Wenninger, Austria’s longest-serving Germany legionnaire (since 2007 with FC Bayern, soon with AS Roma), led the FIFA world rankings-21. in their 120th country match with a ribbon around their arm on the lawn of the pretty community stadium, which was almost full with 16,025 fans, UEFA employees handed out gossip fans in front of the arena, the noise level rose. And how.
“We have to run and fight until we drop,” Wenninger emphasized. Words were followed by deeds – of course also with midfield director Sarah Zadrazil (FC Bayern), who made her 100th appearance for Rot-weiß-rot in front of Mama Susanne and Papa Ingo.
The parents of Laura Wienroither from Franconia, Nicole and Klaus, were also among the lucky ones who got hold of plane tickets to London. In total there were maybe (roughly estimated) 300 Austrian fans in the stands, with the Germans clearly outnumbering them. Not on the field at all. Austria defied the record European champions – with effective pressing, enormous duel strength and also cultivated offensive play on the wings. In the first quarter of an hour, a red-white-red lead was in the air twice – first with a fine individual action by Julia Hickelsberger-Füller, the finish of which was too central (9th). Shortly thereafter, Georgieva was missing centimeters in a pole header (13th).
Those were effective hits for the DFB selection, which marched through the preliminary round with three wins, but which has the quality to strike out of nowhere. That’s what happened in the 25th minute. Klara Bühl ran over Wenninger on the left wing, DFB captain Alexandra Popp elegantly let the ball through for Lina Magull (FC Bayern), who pushed in unmolested to make it 1-0.
The fact that it stayed that way for the time being was thanks to ÖFB goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, who cleared the oncoming Svenja Huth with a foot defense in the 43rd minute. Germany took the momentum out of the dressing room. Seconds after the restart, the bell almost rang again, Giulia Gwinn’s shot landed on the outside bar (46th). There was a blaze of fire in the penalty area, although London served the ideal football weather. 21 degrees feels better than the 40.2 measured two days earlier at Heathrow Airport, a 20-minute drive away.
Barbara Dunst doesn’t care, she marches and marches. In the 53rd minute, the Frankfurt legionnaire shot from around 30 meters and hit the crossbar, 240 seconds later a Sarah Puntigam shot bounced off the post (57th). Hope lived until the 90th minute. Then Zinsberger hit the rushing Popp on the tee – 2:0. from the dream.
The memory of the standing ovation remains.
Germany – Austria final score 2:0 (1:0).
Brentford, Brentford Community Stadium, 16,025 spectators, SR Welch (ENG).
Gates:
1-0 (25′) Magull
2: 0 (90th) Popp
Germany: Frohms – Gwinn, Hendrich, Hegering, Rauch (95th Kleinherne) – Däbritz (64th Lattwein), Magull (64th Dallmann), Oberdorf – Huth (95th Lohmann), Popp, Bühl (83rd Brand)
Austria: Zinsberger – Wienroither, Wenninger, Georgieva, Hanshaw – Puntigam (Höbinger 81) – Hickelsberger-Füller (Naschenweng 72), Zadrazil, Feiersinger, Dunst – Billa (Makas 86)
Yellow cards: Däbritz or Hanshaw, Dunst, Naschenweng
Source: Nachrichten
