Irene Fuhrmann cast her eye over the task Austria face on Thursday night and made it perfectly clear: against Germany, her team must play the match of their lives. “They barely have any weaknesses, they have such a good squad,” she said. “If we want to win tomorrow, we will need an absolutely great performance.”
Yet Austria believe the shock is on. This quarter-final between neighbours of such geographical and cultural proximity will be a highly charged affair and it comes as a surprise these sides have played each other only twice, first meeting in 2016. Germany have won both but face opponents who continue to grow in stature and can legitimately claim to operate at the same level.
Thirteen of Austria’s squad play in the German Bundesliga and the experienced defender Carina Wenninger, recently loaned from Bayern Munich to Roma, put the relationship into context. “Until a few days ago we rooted for the Germans,” she said. “Now we’ve stopped.”
Familiarity does not breed anything comparable to contempt, but it certainly fosters intent. “I’d say it is an advantage,” Fuhrmann said. “They know each other very well, they know what to expect and also what they need to do to win the game.”
Austria have good reason to feel they can make a fist of it. They had not been expected to join England in passing through Group A but deserved to, beating a bruised Norway in Brighton on Friday to secure their progress. Against the host nation on the opening night they had shown, albeit without creating many chances of note, their capacity to stay competitive throughout a game against one of the giants. They came up on the rails to reach the semi-finals in 2017 and the time to view them as callow hopefuls has clearly passed.
“It’s clear that we won’t be underestimated now but I think we have definitely developed, especially in possession,” said Fuhrmann, who stepped up from the assistant coach role two years ago. “We are more courageous, more confident and still have the same qualities as in 2017. We are still a group and have this absolute will, whatever the score is, to go until the last minute. That is the recipe for success.”
Her team are well-coached: compact, composed, intelligent passers who give little away at the back. Whether they can muster enough attacking variety to break Germany’s unblemished defensive record remains to be seen but Nicole Billa, whose first-half strike defeated Norway, has had little problem scoring against several of tomorrow’s temporary foes with Hoffenheim.
Much may also hinge on whether the captain, Viktoria Schnaderbeck, formerly of Arsenal and Spurs, can once again play through a knee problem and repel a relentless German strike force.
“It’s electrifying for a lot of people,” said the Germany coach, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, of the tie. “It will be a statement for football: two teams full of passion who can play successfully.”
Only one will do that in concrete terms and she believes a third match at Brentford, where they overwhelmed Denmark and Spain with an aggregate score of 6-0, can be their own trump card. “It’s an advantage to us because you can stay here, you don’t have to travel and pack,” she said.
Conservation of energy is no bad thing given the amount Germany have put into their performances. Along with England they were the standout team in the group stage, making a mockery of pre-tournament doubts about their prospects. They have been relentless: aggressive even when comfortably ahead, pressing opponents to the limit and going for goals.
Voss-Tecklenburg hopes Lea Schüller, the Bayern forward who missed their last two games after contracting Covid-19, can return to help with that but Alexandra Popp’s triumphant return has minimised her absence. Lina Magull is fit again while Felicitas Rauch and Lena Oberdorf are back from suspension.
The task for Austria remains stern and the sense is that Fuhrmann will not complain too much if, as in their victorious quarter-final against Spain five years ago and the subsequent defeat to Denmark, they go the distance to spot-kicks. “For the last six months we’ve talked to our psychologist about penalty routines, she’s worked with the team,” she said. “If we go to penalties I think we’re ready for that.”
Albeit cautiously, Austria can see history beckon.
