Austria misses out on UWCL league phase after 0-2 defeat

Austria had to bury its dreams of reaching the group stage of the UEFA Women's Champions League on Wednesday evening at the Franz Horr Stadion. After a 0-0 draw in the first leg, the Violets put up a brave fight against Paris FC for a long time, but ultimately lost 0-2 to the favourites from France. The journey continues in the new UEFA Women's Europa Cup.

The Violets started the game determinedly in front of their home crowd. With the support of 3,004 fans, who set a new attendance record for a home game of the violet women, they wanted to secure a place in the UWCL league phase against Paris FC. They earned their first corner in the 2nd minute, and shortly afterwards Virginia Kirchberger tried to convert the first shot – but from an offside position (8th minute). At the other end, the French got into their stride with set pieces, but Austria keeper Jassi Pal was wide awake from the start.

Defensive stability and a big chance before the break

After a quarter of an hour, Paris FC took control as expected, but the violet defence was alert. Kirchberger and Co. repeatedly cleared dangerous situations, and Pal also defused several long-range shots (30', 42'). Austria's best chance before the break fell to Courtney Strode, whose shot in the 24th minute was blocked by a Paris defender's header. The teams went into the break with a deserved 0-0 scoreline.

Pal a reliable support, Paris clinical in front of goal

Pal kept her team in the game after the restart, making strong saves in the 48th and 54th minutes. Overall, the Violets looked livelier and brought new energy to the game. They almost took the lead in the 55th minute when a ball rolled dangerously towards the Paris goal, but the referee ruled it a foul and disallowed the goal.

The visitors then proved their efficiency: in the 67th minute, a Parisian attacker escaped the Austria defence, pushed the ball past Pal and made it 0-1. Shortly afterwards, the French increased their lead to 0-2 when the Parisian striker first outplayed Kirchberger and then sank the ball into the top corner of the Violets' goal (73').

Violets fight to the end

Despite the setback, the hosts did not give up. Substitute Almedina Šišić had another good chance in the 87th minute, but missed by a narrow margin. At the other end, Pal prevented further damage with more saves. In the end, the score remained 0-2. This ends the Violets' journey in the Champions League qualifiers and shatters their dreams of reaching the league phase.

However, it's not over yet for Austria Vienna on the international stage: they will continue in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Europa Cup. Their opponents will be decided in a draw on Friday, 19 September at 3 p.m.

Austria Wien - Paris FC 0-2 (0-0)

Austria: Pal – Wenninger, Schiechtl, Kirchberger - Schöffel, Weiss (Schneeberger 89.), Cordes (Pavlović 62.), Weilharter - Pfattner (Schorn 89.), Triendl (Kappenberger 78.), - Strode (Šišić 78.)

Goals: Matéo (67., 73.)

Yellow cards (Austria): Schöffel (27.), Cordes (57.)

Franz Horr Stadium, 3,004 spectators, referee Ewa Augustyn