Glasner aims at Wembley: First title for Crystal Palace in sight!

Glasner aims at Wembley: First title for Crystal Palace in sight!

Wembley, London, Vereinigtes Königreich - On April 26, 2025, the Wembley Stadium will move on Austrian football with a special focus. Oliver Glasner, Crystal Palace's coach, is about to have the opportunity to reach the FA Cup final against Aston Villa. A victory would mean the first title win in the club history of Crystal Palace, which is a historical opportunity for Glasner and his compatriots. In his previous record against Aston Villa, he had three wins and a draw in four games, with an impressive goal difference of 13: 4. These numbers make the upcoming challenge all the more exciting, since the players will go into the game under Glasner.

The connection of Austria with Wembley goes far back and is characterized by successful and less glorious moments. Particularly noteworthy is the victory of the Austrian national team under coach Edi Frühwirth on October 20, 1965 when they defeated England 3-2. Toni Fritsch, who scored two goals in the game, became known as the "Wembley-Toni". However, Fritsch is not only remembered for this victory, but also for his future successes in the United States, where he won the Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, he died of heart failure in 2005 after he got an admission ticket for a champions League game. Ten of his former teammates, only three of the English players, including the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton.

fateful encounters

Wembley was not always a place of triumph for Austrian football history. In September 1973, the then team boss Leopold Stastny experienced a 0-7 debacle in Wembley against England, whereupon he provocatively reacted to the question of a reporter for defense: "Do you want to crochet me?" Ernst Happel also had to accept a bitter defeat in the European Cup final against Liverpool in 1978 with FC Bruges, which ended 0-1. But in this chain of events there are also bright spots, such as Paul Scharner's FA Cup victory with Wigan in 2013 when they defeated Manchester City 1-0.

The atmosphere in the Wembley Stadium was recently strongly influenced by Covid 19 pandemic when only 4000 spectators were able to see the 2021 FA Cup semi-final between Southampton and Leicester. Glasner and his team should also inspire this memory to celebrate the return to an experience with full spectator capacity.

a century Wembley

The Wembley Stadium is not only a historical place for football, but also for other important moments in sports history. The Austrian athlete Herma Bauma won the only Olympic gold medal for Austria in 1948 in the javelin throw after he had previously been treated in Vienna's Franz-Josef hospital. The facet of sport and history in Wembley is therefore wide and even now, 100 years after the opening, the stadium remains a symbol of sporting achievements and memories.

The upcoming challenge for Oliver Glasner and Crystal Palace offers the opportunity to enter the footsteps of past Austrian heroes and possibly write another highlight in football history. It remains to be seen whether this will succeed.

For more information on the past successes of the Austrian football team in Wembley and the upcoming events, you can report the reporting at and and Read.