Nicole Billa, Austria’s soccer player of the year, has scored 43 times in 80 international matches. The Tyrolean, who is still under contract with TSG Hoffenheim until 2023, does not (yet) really want to work out in the finals of the European Championship. In six EURO matches (five of them on the way to the 2017 semifinals in the Netherlands), the 26-year-old did not score a single goal.
That is set to change today at Southampton’s 32,500-seat St. Mary’s Stadium. After the 1-0 defeat in Old Trafford against hosts England, today (6 p.m., ORF 1) against the blatant outsider Northern Ireland, number 47 in the world, a win is needed to stay in the race for a quarter-final ticket. That is also the declared goal – without ifs and buts. “We have the better footballers,” says ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel.
“We play for each other”
The mood at the base camp in Pennyhill Park is excellent despite the three failures – Laura Wienroither and Lisa Kolb tested positive for the corona virus, Maria Plattner suffered a broken collarbone. Even during the final training session, there was no sign of extreme nervousness. Everyone is focused, confident in their strengths and ready to face this challenge with a smile.
The ÖFB women don’t put the word “pressure” in their mouths, team boss Irene Fuhrmann and sports psychologist Mirjam Wolf went through all conceivable scenarios in the preparation and thus set the course for a courageous performance.
“The team spirit is enormous, many of us also spend our free time together off the field. That’s real friendship. We play for each other, and we also have a large squad. That makes us stronger,” emphasized Billa. It will be about attacking far in front, forcing the opponents to lose possession as soon as they play out and taking the load off their shoulders with a quick 1-0.
Goal in minutes
A goal can bring down the Northern Irish house of cards – This is what happened on April 8th in the World Cup qualifier, when Austria shot up a 3-0 lead within nine minutes (48th, 55th, 57th). Final score 3:1. Four days later, England went 5-0 up four times in 27 minutes. The subsequent attempts at explanation by Northern Ireland coach Kenny Shiels caused waves to rise in the media.
“In the women’s game, the first goal conceded is followed very quickly by another. Because girls and women are more emotional than men, they don’t take it that well. If you study the statistics, you see that teams score goals in concede in the 18th and 21st minute and then in the 64th and 68th. It’s not a problem in Northern Ireland, all countries have it,” explained the 66-year-old.
This statement was seen as sexist in many places, and there was even a brief separation. But Shiels is still in charge, partly because he had the backing of captain Marissa Calla-ghan’s team. “We stand behind our manager collectively. He is a man of integrity who takes care of us as if we were his family,” emphasized the 36-year-old.
Shiels himself regretted his words. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m proud to coach this group.” Five defeats in a row and two goals conceded within three minutes (10th, 13th) in the first EURO game against Norway (1:4) don’t change that.
The corona virus is not able to cloud confidence
Up to 739,000 viewers watched Austria’s 0-1 defeat against England in the opening EURO match live on ORF 1. Tonight (6 p.m.) someone who had shown a top performance as a right-back at Old Trafford and was then hugged by her proud parents has to be content with a look at the “Kastl”.
The corona virus takes Laura Wienroither out of the second group match against Northern Ireland. Like Lisa Kolb from Vöcklabruck before her, the 23-year-old from Frankenburg gave a positive test on Saturday, which forced her to isolate herself in the ÖFB base camp “Pennyhill Park”. It is not foreseeable whether Wienroither, who is complaining of mild symptoms, will be able to play again in the third, possibly all-important game on Friday (9 p.m., ORF 1) in Brighton against Norway.
The ÖFB around team doctor Michael Anderl will definitely not take any risks. Anyone who is negative again is not automatically considered a match fit. Wienroither will only get the green light to return to the pitch once she’s checked through. Now it takes rest and patience. “Laura has acted very consistently in the past two years, we could always count on her,” said team boss Irene Fuhrmann, who still exudes sovereignty and confidence. “I’m not worried, we have other options. Every player has my trust,” emphasized the 41-year-old.
Katharina Schiechtl, 1.86 meter tall Bremen legionnaire, should start on the right back today. The Tyrolean can also play a key role in the opponent’s penalty area with her header power and long throws.
Around 10,000 spectators, including 1000 from Austria, are expected in Southampton. It’s a change of atmosphere compared to the full house in Manchester, but definitely not a problem. “We’re used to the fact that there are fewer fans in the stadium. It doesn’t change the fact that every European Championship match is something super big for us,” said midfielder Sarah Zadrazil (FC Bayern), who is confident of victory. “If we up the ante, we’ll score our goals.”
That must also be the claim against those Northern Irelanders who only have one professional player in their squad in Simone Magill. Most of them work, and mothers Marissa Callaghan and Sarah McFadden have a triple burden to deal with. (Alex)
Source: Nachrichten
