Austria’s U19 women missed the EM semifinals

The 3: 3 in the final group game against Belgium was not enough for a place in the semi-finals and the associated qualification for the U20 World Cup 2024 in Colombia.

Team boss Johannes Spilka’s team got into the game very well against the hosts. The ÖFB offspring did not allow anything defensively in the first half hour and put Belgium under pressure with strong forechecking. After a successful pressing on the edge of the penalty area, midfielder Rukavina (Neulengbach) took the lead early on, scoring with a long-range shot from around 20 meters (11′). After winning the ball again in the attacking third, Isabel Aistleitner had the 2-0 on her foot, but the striker only hit the post (29th).

After the break, fans at La Louviere’s Tivoli Stadium saw an open exchange of blows, with five goals in fifteen minutes. The Belgians managed to tie the game with a header from Lore Jacobs (47′), which didn’t last long. After a foul on Amelie Roduner, Linda Natter (Altach/Vorderland), top scorer in the women’s Bundesliga, safely converted the penalty kick to lead again (50th). The home side quickly equalized again with a long-range shot from Valesca Ampoorter (56′). Valentina Mädl (St. Pölten), winning goal scorer against the Netherlands three days earlier, scored to make it 3:2 (59th), Marie Detruyer (60th) immediately scored for the next equalizer.

No support from the DFB team

There was also bad news from the parallel game in Tubize: One point would have been enough if Germany had given some support in the parallel game, but the Dutch women took a 2-1 lead immediately after the 3-3 (final score 3-1), Austria was only in third place and outside of the promotion places. Almost at the same time, the Austrians’ game broke.

At the tournament in Belgium, the red-white-red women’s offspring were on the ball for the fourth time at a European Championship. At the U17 European Championship 2014 in England, the European Championship premiere for ÖFB girls, there was a 0-0 draw against Portugal in November and December 2013 and then a 1-0 win against Italy thanks to a goal by the then captain and current A-Team player Barbara Dunst. The current U19 team in Belgium dropped these four points. There were no points at the U19 European Championship 2016 in Slovakia and the U17 European Championship 2019 in Bulgaria.