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With the home win against Serbia at the end of Group G of the European Championship qualification, the Austrian women’s team has retained the possibility of a fixed ticket to the European Championship. However, safety will not prevail until next year.
Shaking properly but still secured the mandatory win – Austria’s women’s team can look forward to a fixed ticket to the final after a 1-0 home win against Serbia on Tuesday at the end of Group G of the Championship Playoffs of Europe. ÖFB’s selection is currently the second best of all the group’s runners-up, but there is a risk of other groups. There is no planning certainty for a long time, as some games won’t take place until 2021.
Actually, team boss Irene Fuhrmann’s team would have liked to cheer on EM’s ticket Tuesday night at Cashpoint Arena. Since the game plan was mixed into two groups that are still relevant to the promotion due to some cancellations during the coronavirus pandemic, the classification could not be completed on Tuesday as planned. In any case, Austria does not have bad cards in the fight for a place among the first three runners-up who, in addition to the group winners, have their ticket to the England tournament that will only be played in July 2022.
If Italy does not win against Israel, penultimate in Group B, with six or more goals, the ÖFB troop is over. This is also the case if the second in Group E is worse off than goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger and company (19 points, 22: 3 goals). Finland (18: 2) leads after six games with equal points against Portugal (16 points each, 8: 1). A direct duel is still pending, with Austria crossing its fingers for the Finns. The Finns still face a mandatory victory in Cyprus. The Portuguese with the significantly worse goal difference still has a very difficult task with the guest appearance in Scotland.
If both groups don’t play for Austria, you’d have to try the playoffs in spring 2021 to get one of EM’s last three tickets in the round trip. “Now it is out of our hands. We will watch the other groups and see what is happening,” Fuhrmann said. He only replaced coach Dominik Thalhammer in July and can make a positive statement. All the mandatory victories could be achieved, and even a 0-0 victory was snatched from world number three France. Only with the 3-0 at Guingamp there was nothing to win. “I am very proud of the team,” emphasized the 40-year-old.
Nicole Billa: “We did our homework”
That forced the necessary luck on Tuesday. At half-time it could have been 3-0 after a gala performance by Serbian Allegra Poljak, the Spanish legionnaire hit the crossbar from the beginning (4th) and missed several times against Zinsberger. “I am delighted to have been able to give the team the support it needed,” said the Arsenal legionnaire. According to Fuhrmann, there was no access before the break. After changing from three to four after the break, the defense was more confident.
However, in the future, it took a long time for Nicole Billa (80) to become the winner of the match, as in the first leg in Serbia. “We forced our rivals to make a bad pass by pressing, and ‘Zadi’ saw that I was free, and of course I am not going to miss that opportunity,” said the Hoffenheim goalkeeper. The goal was “extremely important”. “We have done our homework in qualifying.”
One of the few major opportunities led to flattering success at home. “We fought and in the end we just put the ball in. We showed that we have a chance to win a game like this,” Zinsberger said. Even Fuhrmann didn’t care how the victory came about due to “tired legs” after the France match. “We got three points, although not in beauty. It was definitely not our best game, but first you have to win such a game. The three points are what counts,” emphasized team boss ÖFB.
After the final whistle there was a dignified celebration. Right in the middle was Carina Wenninger, who was called up as captain and made her 100th international match. “The sheer number of internationals is not that important to me. It’s about the moments you experience together with the team. And of course , 100 is a number that shows that you have already had many great moments, and that I am proud, “said the Bayern legionnaire. Only Nina Burger (109) and Sarah Puntigam (105) have more appearances.
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