ÖFB women: Clear 3-0 victory against Slovenia in the first leg of the EM qualification

ÖFB women: Clear 3-0 victory against Slovenia in the first leg of the EM qualification

The Austrian footballers brought a convincing 3-0 victory in the Bonifika stadium in the first round first leg against Slovenia. After a rather tough first half, in which the team needed more than an hour to find the game, Barbara Dunst (69th minute), Sarah Puntigam (73rd minute, penalty) and Lilli Purtscheller (75th minute) set the decisive final point within a few minutes. This ensures optimistic signs before the second leg on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in Ried, which is considered a matter of form.

In this game, number 17 in the world competed with the clear goal of achieving the third participation in an EM in a row. This goal is also important for Irene Fuhrmann, who achieved an important victory in her 50th game as a trainer. The next step towards the European Championship qualification takes place between November 27 and December 3, where Romania or for the ÖFB women a qualification opponent from Poland must be defeated.

line and surprises

Fuhrmann surprised the audience by using Annabel Schasching as a right -back. This happened because numerous key players, including Laura Wienroither, Katharina Nüschenweng and Katharina Schiechtl, were out. In addition, Sarah Zadrazil celebrated her comeback in midfield and displaced Celina Degen from the starting eleven. Despite some uncertainties at the beginning, the ÖFB women pulled the game itself after around 20 minutes, but often failed due to the compact defense of the Sloven women, which did not get the last pass.

The Sloven women who competed with the swing of seven victory games in the back started dynamically and were superior at the beginning. However, several chances have not been used, including a central shot by Lara Prasnikar and a dangerous, deflected attempt by Spela Kolbl, which, however, passed the goal. The Austrian goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger saved her team from a strong parade from a gap.

late gates and defensive stability

The turning point fell when the haze in the 69th minute after a cross from Schasching pulled into the middle and finished precisely into the corner. This was not only her first goal of the game, but also the key to the breakthrough. A few minutes later Purtscheller was brought down in the penalty area, whereupon Puntigam transformed the penalty due, and finally she made the third goal by using Purtscheller's pass.

Another important aspect of the game was the defensive, since the Austrian team finally did not concede a goal after 15 encounters. This was the first time since the 2-0 against the Czech Republic on April 11, 2023. The ÖFB selection was able to secure a clear lead for the second leg due to this stable defense performance and the convincing goals.