Women's Nations League: Germany v Austria Match Recap

Wück's First Win at Home

Photo Credit:ÖFB/ Paul Gruber

Tuesday evening in Nuremberg. Germany, sitting 3rd in the Women’s World Ranking, hosted Austria, who are in 18th place in the ranking. Would Germany confirm their status as favorites for this game?

Austria opened the game with a bang. After a throw-in for Germany, via Felicitas Rauch, Austria’s Claudia Wenger won the ball off Klara Bühl, creating a chance for Austria to get the first goal.

Ultimately, Lilli Purtscheller sent a cross to Annabell Schasching, who converted the chance to make it 0-1 in the third minute. The buildup to this goal showcased the main problem this current German side has, its defensive line.

Over the first half, both teams were on a pretty equal level, but Germany kept the pressure on Austria, testing their goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger in the 18th minute with a shot by Klara Bühl, which was well defended by the Arsenal goalkeeper.

In the 19th minute, Austria’s Purtscheller had a good chance after a ball wasn’t controlled properly by Germany’s Stina Johannes, but it ultimately didn’t result in a goal.

In the 38th minute, Germany’s Klara Bühl sent a free kick directly to Rebecca Knaak, who crossed the ball to Laura Freigang, standing directly in front of the goal. She slotted it home, leaving Zinsberger with no chance to defend, as Lea Schüller slightly obstructed her path.

In the 41st minute, Bühl sent a cross into the box, finding Lea Schüller, who was then fouled by Virginia Kirchberger. This situation should have resulted in a penalty kick for Germany, but it wasn’t awarded by the referee.

The teams went into halftime with the score at 1-1. The first half showed that not only does Germany struggle defensively, but they also have problems building up the game in midfield. Austria, on the other hand, did an outstanding job disrupting Germany’s game flow.

Going into the second half, Germany added even more pressure on their southern neighbors, making it difficult for Austria to really get into the game. Austria was forced to focus more on defense instead of pushing forward for another goal.

In the 55th minute, Wolfsburg’s Jule Brand sent the ball through to Bayern’s Linda Dallmann, who converted the shot into Germany’s second goal of the night, making the score 2-1.

Germany had now really found its footing in the game, putting pressure on Zinsberger again just one minute after the Dallmann goal. However, this situation didn’t result in a goal.

Austria didn’t give up, though. In the 59th minute, they were awarded a free kick, but Stina Johannes made the save.

After scoring herself, Linda Dallmann assisted Giovanna Hoffmann in the 70th minute, helping her score her first goal for the national team, an achievement she managed in just her third game.

Wolfsburg’s Vivien Endemann then finished off the scoring in the 82nd minute, making the final score 4-1.

After this game, Germany now sits at the top of Group A in the Women’s Nations League with 4 points. Austria was pushed down to 3rd, as the Netherlands also won their latest game against Scotland.

While Germany ultimately proved they had more quality on the field and on the bench, thanks to impactful substitutions, Austria did a great job, especially in the first half, causing trouble for Germany.