The red-white-red women’s national team will be able to enjoy the second-largest stadium of its era tomorrow (8:35 p.m., ORF 1) in the play-off semifinals for the 2023 World Cup. After the European Championship guest appearance in front of 68,871 spectators at Old Trafford in Manchester against England (0:1), one of the oldest arenas in the world is now waiting. The showdown with Scotland will take place at Glasgow’s Hampden Park, which opened in 1903 and has 51,866 seats and has been refurbished ten times.
The national stadium of the “Bravehearts” has a few stories to tell – also in connection with Austria’s men’s selection, which has already been a guest there eight times, most recently on March 25, 2021 due to the corona virus, closed to the public. At that time, the currently injured Wolverhampton striker Sasa Kalajdzic scored both goals in the 2-2 in the World Cup qualifier.
Should this score be the same tomorrow after 90 minutes, there would be an overtime and possibly a penalty shoot-out. Only the winners qualify for Tuesday’s play-off final against Ireland.
A full house in Hampden Park is not to be expected this time, it was very different in the past. For example on May 8, 1963, when 94,596 spectators gathered for the “friendly” men’s international match between Scotland and Austria. The game ended in the 83rd minute with the score being 4:1 for the blue and whites. The English referee Jim Finney pulled the emergency brake because he felt the safety of the players was no longer guaranteed due to the excessively hard gait of both teams. there are things.
The pure confidence
A hot dance is also to be expected tomorrow – but only in a figurative sense. Because it rained properly in Glasgow with a cool ten to 13 degrees. That is definitely to the liking of Sarah Zadrazil, the strong midfielder in the service of FC Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old has reported back after a corona disease and is bursting with zest for action. “I’m fine, I’m ready.”
This also applies to Austria’s record international Sarah Puntigam (1. FC Köln), who will be playing her 127th country match seven days before her 30th birthday (October 13). “If we can call up our capabilities, we’ll leave the pitch as winners,” the Styrian is convinced. The absence of Marie-Therese Höbinger (knee injury) does not change that. But Maria Plattner is fit again after breaking her collarbone.
The road to EM 2023
Should Austria’s women’s national team beat Scotland, there would be a showdown against Ireland on Tuesday (7 p.m.) in the World Cup play-off final in the NV Arena in St. Pölten. But even success in this duel does not necessarily guarantee a ticket for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (July 20 to August 20, 2023). Only the best two of three play-off winners are qualified, the third in the group has to go to the Intercontinental tournament, in which ten teams will fight for the last three World Cup starting places from February 17th to 23rd, 2023.
Source: Nachrichten
