A new era has dawned for the women’s soccer team

The only thing Austria’s footballers were missing was the crowning glory in the form of a point win on what, according to team boss Irene Fuhrmann, was a “historic evening”: 10,051 fans created an atmosphere in Austria Vienna’s Generali Arena that had never been seen before in domestic women’s football, and the team carried theirs through Strong performance, especially in the second half. In the end there was a 0-1 defeat against France – but also the realization that you can play well against a world-class team.

“I would like to thank everyone responsible, a new era has dawned,” said Fuhrmann, considering the backdrop that far exceeded the previous record of 3,600. The decision to leave Wiener Neustadt and go to Vienna paid off. “It was very emotional to see how many spectators came. It’s indescribable. I hope it won’t be a unique experience that large stadiums will be opened for us. That was historic. The players deserved it,” explained the team boss, who was cheered for minutes with the players during a lap of honor.

“That’s what you always wanted”

“That’s what we always wanted for us at home,” said Laura Feiersinger about the fan response. “You have to make a clear distinction between the result and the backdrop: Of course we would have liked to have won the game, but we also gained a lot for women’s football with the stadium,” said the offensive player happily. Goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger: “Performing in front of such a backdrop in Vienna gives me goosebumps. I’m really proud that we brought so many fans to the stadium, created visibility for women’s football, created role models and a great football festival had.”

The goalkeeper took responsibility for the team not being rewarded. She didn’t cut a good figure when French defense chief Wendie Renard (5th) scored a header. “Everyone saw that I didn’t stand well behind the ball. I was surprised at the speed with which it came. The goal I conceded annoys me. We win together, we lose together, but the team deserved better today,” explained Zinsberger.

The Austrians weren’t discouraged by the early goal they conceded and went one better after the break against the fifth-ranked team in the world rankings. The realization that you can keep up with top nations not only with defensive tactics but also with play should give you further self-confidence. “We grew per minute in the game, the second half was very, very good. We’ve never played football like that with the ball against France. In the last few games we’ve only gotten as far as the opponent’s semicircle, this time more into the final third.” said Feiersinger.

“You can see that we have matured a lot in our game, that we no longer just stand at the back and defend. Now it’s time to win these games,” explained Verena Hanshaw after her 100th international match. What was still missing were the compelling scoring opportunities from the game. The most dangerous game was a shot from the crossbar by Celine Degen (45’+1) and a free kick from Barbara Dunst (84′). “You have to work extremely hard against the ball, so you might not have the last bit of energy in the final third. We have to work on that,” Feiersinger analyzed.

Between joy and disappointment

Fuhrmann also fluctuated between joy about the further development and disappointment about the result. “When I think of the last games against France, they were completely different, this time it wasn’t just a battle of work, we had stable periods of possession. All in all, it’s extremely bitter that we lost because of a really stupid goal, we had ourselves today deserves a point more than in Oslo (Note 1:1)“, said the team boss. “But it has to give us courage and self-confidence for the next tasks.” Because the goal in group A2 is to keep the A league. That’s why we’re in the difficult group with France, Norway and Portugal , the Austrians’ next opponent on October 27th in Altach, at least third place is necessary. Fuhrmann: “It will be a show of strength, but we will try everything to achieve the goal.”

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