Austria Wien saw their European dreams complete in defeat, falling 3-1 to Sparta Prague after extra time in the second leg of the Women’s Europa Cup quarterfinal on Wednesday. The result eliminated the Austrian side from the competition despite a hard-fought contest.
Despite the disappointment of not advancing to the semifinals after a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Prague, Austria coach Stefan Kenesei emphasized the positive strides the team has made. “We didn’t go into our first European season expecting to win the cup right away,” Kenesei explained. “The maturity and development we’ve shown in a short time will be a big advantage for us in the league and cup competitions.”
Defensive Solidity a Key Strength for Austria
Kenesei believes the experience gained throughout the European campaign will prove invaluable as the season progresses. “We’ll remember this when we get to the cup knockout stages or face St. Pölten again in the upper playoff round,” he said. “That’s a mental aspect. You gain experience in situations like these.” The Austria coach was particularly impressed with his team’s defensive performance.
In the main competition of the newly introduced Women’s Europa Cup, captain Carina Wenninger and her teammates conceded just two goals in regulation time across four matches against RSC Anderlecht and Sparta Prague. “We realize we can defend,” Kenesei emphasized. “That will be important. If we can keep St. Pölten to zero twice, that looks solid.”
Full Focus Back on the League
“We’re now fully focused on the league,” said Kenesei, who wants to notice another strong performance. “We want to go into the international break with the points cushion we have.” The team will return to league action on Sunday, taking on FC Südburgenland at home (2:30 PM local time, live on ORF Sport + and livestream).
Women’s Europa Cup, Quarterfinal Second Leg
Wednesday:
Austria Wien – Sparta Prague 1:3 a.e.t. (1:1, 0:0)
Vienna, Franz-Horr-Stadion, 1,900 spectators;
Scoring:
0-1 Starova (70 min)
1-1 Cordes (72 min)
1-2 Bergford (97 min)
1-3 Khyrova (105 min)
Austria: Pal – Wenninger (105./Pucci), Schiechtl, Kirchberger – Schöffel (114./Schorn), Weiss (105./Schneeberger), Cordes, Weilharter, Skorvankova, Uka (93./Sisic), Triendl (90./Pfattner)
Sparta: Harantova – Retkesova (103./Bridges), Hansen (51./Kotrcova), Pochmanova, Bartonova – Cerna, Sonntagova, Starova (103./Rancova) – Ospeck, Bergford (108./Trachtova), Khyrova
Yellow Cards: Uka (Austria); Retkesova, Hansen (Sparta)
First Leg: 0-0 – Sparta Prague advances to the semifinals with an aggregate score of 3-1.
