The two teams met seven times and the English won seven times. On English soil there was no goal for the ÖFB selection in four attempts. “You have to be able to perform on day X, no statistics will help you there. We don’t look into the past, we are in the here and now, that’s important,” said ÖFB goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger. In the past, it has often been proven that you can also annoy large teams.
A lot will depend on the Lower Austrian to ensure that this also succeeds at the start of Group A. “I’m trying to give the team the support they deserve,” said Zinsberger. But all actors are important. “It’s not just about defence. If the striker presses properly and the midfield chain works well, the defense has less to do and I even more so,” emphasized the Arsenal keeper.
Another factor will be mood. “Of course, the framework conditions are greater, more special, perhaps unique. But they only have eleven people on the pitch. Of course it will be a bit louder, but maybe that can also give us a push. We know we may never play in front of 75,000 again,” said striker Nicole Billa. Competing in front of such a backdrop is a premiere for all ÖFB kickers.
“England will be carried by the spectators. But I actually see it quite well, I like it when you get a little goaded,” said Carina Wenninger. The defender, who switched to AS Roma, also saw it as good from a sporting point of view to start against the favorites. “The whole of Europe is watching the game. The longer the result suits us, the more England have to do something. That’s basically not a bad starting position,” said Wenninger. “We can only win.”
Since she has been back in team training since Saturday after recovering from illness, she can be expected to be in the starting line-up. It is more questionable whether Viktoria Schnaderbeck, who is once again plagued by knee problems, will play next to her or also with regard to the games against Northern Ireland (July 11) and Norway (July 15) – as everyone emphasized was “more decisive for promotion”. is spared. In any case, the England legionnaire reported that she was fit: “I’m very happy that I was able to take part in the last training session and will be ready for action tomorrow.”
At the final training, there was a first acquaintance with the venerable arena. “You get this magical feeling when you step on this lawn. The stadium is extremely cool,” said the Styrian. The atmosphere in the team is still good. “But you also notice that the game is getting closer, the tension is increasing.”
A “really cool feeling” also arose in Fuhrmann the day before a “unique experience” in the stadium. She stressed that any pressure was on the undefeated English women under Sarina Wiegman. “They are the clear favourites, but that doesn’t mean we’re fed up,” said Fuhrmann. The performance in 2017, when Austria was semi-finalist at the premiere, does not matter from her point of view. “Greece also became European men’s champions in 2004, but nobody expected them to be again in 2008. It’s nice that football writes such fairy tales, but it can’t be reproduced.”
In any case, the standing of the Austrian team has changed for the better. “Back then we said every point is historical. In the meantime, we’re not just playing for the Golden Pineapple. We have high standards and want to get the most out of it,” says Schnaderbeck. This requires a perfect match plan. In the 0:1 in the World Cup qualifiers in autumn, this worked well, even if the home win was deserved by the “Lionesses”.
“It all looks very easy what they do. They play really brilliant football, have an enormous balance between offensive and defensive behavior and also an athletic advantage,” analyzed Fuhrmann. Schnaderbeck particularly emphasized the “high tempo” and the “individual quality” of the wingers. “We have to stop the attacks from the side as much as possible, we mustn’t give the opponents too much space and allow few fouls because they are also very strong in the air.”
Zinsberger issued “run, work and work your ass off” as a slogan. Wenninger could only underline that: “We have to go beyond the borders and defend very well, otherwise we have no chance.” Billa sees the key to a successful start in a “courageous appearance”. If she manages to score international goal number 44, that would be “something cool”. Serenity should play a decisive role on the way there. “I don’t know nervousness,” emphasized the Tyrolean.