Warnings didn't help

“It’s very annoying!” ÖFB team fears for finals

Austria's women lose in Poland.

(Bild: ÖFB/Paul Gruber)

The optimism was followed by disillusionment: instead of laying the foundations for promotion on Friday, the road to a European Championship ticket for Austria's women's national team was made very rocky by a 1-0 defeat in Poland. "That's very annoying," emphasized Barbara Dunst. 

In the second leg on Tuesday (18:15) in Vienna, a win is now imperative in order to live up to their role as favorites in the decisive qualifying play-off duel. This will require a clear improvement in several areas.

Star striker Ewa Pajor may not have scored in her third consecutive match with the Austrian team, but she was always in the thick of things when the team moved forward quickly after transition situations. As early as the 3rd minute, for example, she set up a top chance for Adriana Achcinska. The Barcelona attacker set up Natalia Padilla's decisive goal (57'), whose finish could only be deflected into her own goal by Marina Georgieva. In the 65th minute, Pajor was unlucky with a shot off the bar.

"A situation we warned about"
"We conceded a goal just like that, from a situation we warned about," said ÖFB team boss Irene Fuhrmann. She was crestfallen, as were her players, who in contrast to the two 3:1 victories this year in the group stage of the European Championship qualifiers left the pitch with their heads hung low. "We knew in advance that they had fast players up front and would exploit that, and that you can't afford to make a single mistake. Unfortunately, we did," said goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger.

Irene Fuhrmann

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

That was not the only problem in the stadium in Gdansk. Advantages in possession brought nothing, as no top chances could be created. Poland goalkeeper Kinga Szemik was only tested by a shot from Lilli Purtscheller (74'). "We weren't powerful enough going forward," summed up Fuhrmann. We also lost control of the game after the break. "We let the game slip away a bit in the second half," said midfielder Barbara Dunst. And Zinsberger added: "There were a lot of mistakes and when we won the ball, we were very hectic."

The disappointing performance did not come as a complete surprise. The previous matches against Slovenia (3:0, 2:1) could also have had a different outcome if the game had gone differently. The pressure was already very high back then, as it was during the group stage in the decisive clash with Iceland, in which only a meagre point emerged in the end, which was not enough for a direct ticket to the European Championship. Now the mental component may have played a role again, as the world number 17 suffered an unexpected defeat against the world number 32.

Zinsberger: "Tear it up"
 "That's very annoying," emphasized Dunst. But nothing is lost yet. The memory of the two 3:1 victories against Poland on April 9 in Gdynia and July 12 in Altach also gives hope. "I'm convinced that we have the quality to leave the pitch as winners on Tuesday. We've already proved it in the European Championship qualifiers. But we definitely have to do better and bring our performance to the pitch," said Fuhrmann. Her team also believes it can turn things around. "It's important now to clear our heads and we'll get it right on Tuesday," Zinsberger said.

Loud support from the stands would be helpful. "Now the whole of Austria has to pull itself together and come to the stadium. We need the support," demanded Dunst. According to Fuhrmann, it would also be incredibly important to feel the support from the stands. It remains to be seen whether the appeals will bear fruit. Advance sales do not indicate this, they are slow. Just 2,500 tickets had been sold by Thursday.