European Championship qualification

After a bitter gala, a win is almost a must

ÖFB coach Irene Fuhrmann

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Austria's women host Poland in the European Championship qualifiers +++ Billa before "100" +++ Team boss Fuhrmann: "Winning points is a must!"

"We wanted to offer an attractive game, we did a good job. But now another, no less intense game awaits."

For team boss Irene Fuhrmann and her girls, whose day was "tough" after the bitter 2:3 gala in Linz against Germany, the European Championship qualifiers in Poland continue today (6 p.m.). On paper, Austria are the FIFA 17th favorites against the -29th. "Winning points is a must. But this is a team that has developed strongly, has been promoted to the A division of the Nations League and plays very quickly and vertically."

100th appearance for Billa
Poland's most famous player? Ewa Pajor! The record goalscorer is a striker for Wolfsburg, has won the German championship five times, has already been top scorer in the league and Champions League - and is said to be worth 500,000 euros (a Bundesliga record) to Manchester United. "She's very quick and unpleasant," says Nici Billa, who knows Pajor from the duels with Hoffenheim, is the second-best ÖFB scorer with 47 goals and is about to make her 100th appearance today. "It's nice to achieve something like that. It makes you proud."

Nicole Billa

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

That the Tyrolean, who will move to 1. FC Köln in the summer, lost the number one spot in Austria's attack to Eileen Campbell? "She's doing very well," said Billa, praising the double goalscorer against Germany. "But we're different players - I'm a real box-to-box striker, Eileen comes with a lot of speed. Our game is currently very fast and vertical."

Incidentally, Stéphanie Frappart, who has already refereed in the men's Champions League, Nations League and World Cup, will be the referee today in Gdynia, where over 3,500 tickets were sold yesterday.