Football: Wiener Austria Reaches Quarterfinals of Women's Europa Cup

Vienna Austria gave themselves an early Christmas present on Wednesday. After the 2-1 victory over Anderlecht in the second leg of the round of 16, the women's football Bundesliga leader will spend the winter in the Women's Europa Cup and will fight against Sparta Prague in February 2026 for a place in the semi-finals. "We would never have thought of something like this at the beginning of the season," said captain Carina Wenninger. St. Pölten could also be satisfied after earning their first point in the Champions League.

Anderlecht Early in Deficit

While in the first leg in Belgium, Almedina Sisic (86th minute) scored the winning goal late for a 1-0 victory, the nearly 2,000 Austria fans, including hundreds from the "hard core" of the men's team supporters, did not have to be as nervous this time. Katharina Schiechtl (16th minute) and Courtney Strode (54th minute) were responsible for the goals. "It was once again an extremely strong fighting performance. We were able to make a very good statement, which means that some will now have us on their radar internationally. We won't surprise anyone anymore," said Wenninger.

The great asset is the defense. Apart from the goal conceded by Klara Folkesson (79th minute), hardly any top chances were allowed in 180 minutes. This means that there have only been six goals conceded in eight European Cup games. In the league, there were only three goals conceded in eleven won matches with 35 goals scored. "Keeping the opponent away from the goal is a huge strength of ours, and we see that we can also deliver at a high European level," summarized Kenesei after an "almost magical night".

Austria "More Broadly Positioned"

According to Wenninger, they defend with "extreme heart," and every international game has helped the team to mature. "And of course, the belief in our own team has grown more and more with each victory." There is no sign of a gap after the departure of top scorer Verena Volkmer in the summer. "We are now more broadly positioned, everyone feels like they can score a goal, which makes us even harder to predict," said the Austria coach.

Sparta Prague, the Czech team with Austrian coach Michael Steiner, also needs to be overcome in mid-February. Austria, which has pocketed 425,000 euros in European Cup bonuses, is under no pressure. "We have already written a very nice success story," emphasized Wenninger, who saw a "long way" ahead in terms of a possible final participation. Kenesei also kept expectations low. "We didn't start the season with the expectation of playing in the European Cup quarter-finals, so everything that comes now is just a bonus."

St. Pölten with Comeback

St. Pölten scored their first point at the highest European Cup level in the fourth match with a 2:2 draw at Valerenga Oslo. Since it was achieved after being 0:2 down, it can be considered a win, even if it will probably be too little in the fight for advancement. "It's really cool that we scored for the first time, that's the most important thing and gives us a lot of momentum," said SKN captain Jennifer Klein.

Her penalty goal (56th minute) saved the Lower Austrians from another defeat. "We slept through the first half, were always a step too late. Then we were much clearer in our plan, we need to take that with us." According to coach Laurent Fassotte, the "great team spirit" was decisive for earning the point. The Belgian was very happy about his team's "great reaction" after the 0:2 deficit. On December 9 against Juventus Turin and on December 17 at AS Roma, the last tasks in the league phase await.

Austria against Vienna

Before that, they need to prevail in the league on Sunday against Salzburg and on December 6 in Neulengbach. The Austria team, five points ahead, will visit Vienna on Sunday without the injured Elisa Pfattner and Maria Agerholm and will host Sturm Graz on December 7. "We want to keep the top spot over the winter," emphasized Kenesei. Whether the playing permit for Dominika Skorvankova, who was signed at the end of October, will arrive in time for the Vienna game is uncertain.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.