The Northern Irish reporters were amazed when Austria’s football captain Viktoria Schnaderbeck marched into the press center of St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton with the famous rollable suitcase-sized jukebox that had already sweetened the summer fairy tale of 2017 – the EURO semi-finals in the Netherlands .
The defender, goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger, Sarah Puntigam and a handful more loudly interrupted the media conference, sang Tiësto’s “The Business” and danced on the podium with colleague Barbara Dunst, who was voted best player in the 2-0 win against Northern Ireland. The Frankfurt legionnaire copied Real Madrid star David Alaba and lifted an armchair in the hour of triumph.
The joy had to be shouted out (without drinking alcohol, of course) – and that is dignified and right, even if the reporters from Northern Ireland didn’t get it. “Why are you doing this? You haven’t achieved anything yet,” they asked the group.
Earned 100,000 euros
It still needs a draw on Friday (9 p.m., ORF 1) in Brighton against the Norwegians, who were badly hit by an 8-0 defeat against England, to reach the quarter-finals. The good starting position is primarily due to Irene Fuhrmann’s team, who held back in celebration but put on a big smile.
“The girls deserve to celebrate a bit. It’s not something you take for granted to win a European Championship match. This time we were the favourites, we accepted this role, even though we know that we can and must do a lot better “Emphasized the 41-year-old, who announced a free Tuesday afternoon after returning to the ÖFB base camp “Pennyhill Park”. To meet family and friends – or a fox, as has happened to striker Nicole Billa in this luxurious garden setting.
“He just looked, he wasn’t interested in anything,” said the Hoffenheim striker. Things are different at home or in the EURO stadiums. Up to 640,000 people cheered on the TV sets against Northern Ireland, and a good 800 were there live in Southampton. After the final whistle, they heard “I am from Austria” from the ÖFB women, who had brought in a rather modest UEFA bonus of 100,000 euros with the win.
“We can certainly play football better than dance or sing,” admitted Katharina Naschenweng, who, by the way, is not related to Schlager star Melissa Naschenweng. Like her teammates, the 24-year-old doesn’t think twice about getting cocky. The goal scorer for the 2-0 also has other concerns, she tested positive for the corona virus. In the case of Laura Wienroither from Franconia (now negative again), on the other hand, an early comeback is announced.
Nobody is too proud of Norway’s 0:8, today the preparation for the group final begins. “We go into every game to win it. It doesn’t change that a draw is enough for us,” said record national player Sarah Puntigam (122 matches), who, like most players in the ÖFB squad, was there in 2017.
Apart from the excellent team spirit, the situation is not comparable. “We were there for the first time back then, we wrote a summer fairy tale, it was a sensation. This time we went in more confident, with higher demands on ourselves. We try to take every moment with us and enjoy it.” That is also the motto of Carina Wenninger, who got a bloody nose. “Nothing broken, let’s continue.” Or as the jukebox demands: “Let’s get down to business.” Back to the football business.
Source: Nachrichten
