EM qualifying final

No chance! Austria lose 0:4 in Germany

Fuhrmann's fears that Germany would be a different team to Poland proved to be true ...

(Bild: APA/dpa/Sebastian Gollnow)

Austria's women's national team failed to score at the end of the group stage of the European Championship qualifiers!

The ÖFB selection had no chance against Pool A4 winners Germany in a 4-0 (0-2) defeat in Hanover on Tuesday. The fifth head-to-head clash with the two-time world champions and eight-time European champions also failed to produce any tangible results, leaving the third-placed team in the table with just seven points from six qualifying matches.

(Bild: GEPA)

The team must now try to secure their ticket to the 2025 European Championship finals in Switzerland in the play-off in the fall. The first round will be played between October 23 and 29, with the ÖFB team facing one of the five group winners or one of the three best runners-up in the third-highest division, League C. The decisive second round will follow between November 27 and December 3. The draw will take place next Friday (1 p.m.) in Nyon.

There was no sign of the kind of resistance seen in the 2022 European Championship quarter-finals
Klara Bühl (11th, 93rd), Jule Brand (39th) and Lea Schüller (53rd) scored for Germany in the successful Olympic dress rehearsal in front of 43,953 spectators. There should have been a fifth goal, as a save by Barbara Dunst from a header by Sjoeke Nüsken was well off the line (91'). It was unfortunate for Germany that Lena Oberdorf was ruled out with a right knee injury. The visitors were too harmless in attack and made too many individual mistakes in defense. This time there was no sign of the kind of resistance seen in the 2022 European Championship quarter-final (0:2) or the 2:3 qualifying opener in Linz at the start of April.

(Bild: GEPA)

ÖFB team boss Irene Fuhrmann did not change her starting line-up compared to the 3-1 win over Poland in Altach on Friday. Four Germany legionnaires were in action from the start. The ÖFB squad got off to a bold start and got into a good position to score. Verena Hanshaw shot too weakly from the sixteen (5'). The home side also missed their first chance through Giulia Gwinn (10), but were then extremely efficient.

(Bild: GEPA)

The ball was repeatedly lost far too quickly
After a Brand cross, Hanshaw was too hesitant in a tackle with Schüller in the middle and the ball luckily ended up with Bühl, who reacted the quickest and shot in coldly. It was the Bayern striker's 24th goal in her 52nd international match. The ÖFB defense was also not quite ready for the second goal. Hanshaw misjudged a Berger clearance and jumped past the ball, Brand grabbed it, moved towards the penalty area, Virginia Kirchberger did not get into the duel and the shot into the far corner was just right. When Austria had the ball, it was repeatedly lost far too quickly.

At the break, Fuhrmann brought on fresh forces in the form of Annabel Schasching (for Sarah Puntigam) and Laura Feiersinger (for Marie-Therese Höbinger), but there was no new impetus going forward. Kirchberger and Co. looked unsettled at the back and gave the hosts far too much space. Schüller botched a hundred percent chance (49') and also hit the crossbar (50'). Chance number 3 was not to be missed by the partner of sailor Lara Vadlau. Celina Degen lost the ball in the build-up play, Elisa Senß profited and Schüller pushed her cross over the line from close range.

(Bild: APA/dpa/Sebastian Gollnow)

Germany a different team to Poland
Goal number 4 almost followed, Zinsberger and then Kirchberger saved at the highest level from a Bühl double chance (55'). In stoppage time, luck was added to the mix with a Dunst save, so this time the lack of VAR was a good thing. Almost immediately afterwards, however, Bühl completed her brace. Fuhrmann's fears that Germany would be a different side to Poland proved to be true for the team, who were without the injured Bayern duo of Sarah Zadrazil and Katharina Naschenweng. Only the record European champions and world number four, who showed a clear reaction after the 3-0 defeat in Iceland, were able to recharge their batteries in the Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena.

The result:
Germany - Austria 4:0 (2:0)
Hannover, Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena, 43,953 spectators, referee Shukrula (NED)

Goals: 1:0 (11.) Bühl, 2:0 (39.) Brand, 3:0 (53.) Schüller, 4:0 (93.) Bühl

Germany: Berger - Gwinn, Hendrich, Schulze Solano, Linder (65. Rauch) - Minge, Oberdorf (71. Nüsken) - Brand (88. Endemann), Freigang (46. Senß), Bühl - Schüller
Austria: Zinsberger - Wienroither (70. Wenger), Georgieva, Kirchberger, Hanshaw - Degen, Puntigam (46. Schasching) - Purtscheller (63. Hickelsberger-Füller), Höbinger (46. Feiersinger), Dunst - Campbell (63. Billa)

Quotes:

 Irene Fuhrmann (ÖFB team manager): "The heavy defeat hurts, of course. We have to accept that we played against an absolute top team. We weren't active and aggressive enough with the first and second balls in the first half. We weren't on point and also made too many easy mistakes when playing with the ball, which made our opponents strong. I think we had some good moments, but we didn't score anything. We only had one shot on goal and otherwise only half-chances, which is far too few to take home anything here."

Barbara Dunst (ÖFB midfielder): "It was a real slog, it's not pleasant. We have a lot to work on, we have a lot of homework to do before the playoffs. It certainly wasn't the plan, but they still scored the goals very well."

Manuela Zinsberger (ÖFB goalkeeper): "I tried to wake the team up after the first goal they conceded. Germany were a touch quicker, much more alert, more intense, we were asleep. You have to accept it, I can't change it. 4:0 hurts, but we know exactly how to classify it. We'll have to take a beating against opponents like that more often than not. We are no longer a team that entrenches itself at the back like a bulwark. We want to be bold and create some decent play with the ball. It's clear to us that mistakes can happen. But we simply made far too many mistakes of our own, which the Germans took full advantage of."

Horst Hrubesch (DFB team manager): "For me, it's about the players showing what they can do and showing a different face than they did in Iceland. It was important for us to get a positive result. We could actually have made it even clearer. The crowd was already good in Rostock in the last home game, but this one tops everything."

Klara Bühl (DFB double goalscorer): "We were there from the start today, which was incredibly important. It gives us confidence and courage, and we have to take that into the next games. The fans were there for the whole game. That's an incredible feeling. If you run out of energy in between, you just have to look into the crowd."