The Violets win the ÖFB Cup!

Austria Wien are cup winners! In the 50th final of the ÖFB Women’s Cup, Austria made history: the women in violet defeated FC Red Bull Salzburg 1–0, securing the first title in the women's club’s history. Katharina Schiechtl scored the winning goal. It was already Austria’s third cup final – this time, they were finally able to celebrate.

Right from the start, Austria showed that they were desperate to win this title. As early as the 4th minute, the Violets’ first corner created danger: Elisa Pfattner delivered a sharp cross into the middle, but no teammate was able to get on the end of it. Just two minutes later, Salzburg sent a free-kick over the bar – it was to remain one of the Salzburg side’s few forays forward for a long time.

Austria pressed, Salzburg defend

The Veilchen pushed for the lead early on. In the 8th minute, Modesta Uka took a short corner; Dominika Škorvánková got on the end of it again and fired a shot through the legs of several opponents. The shot looked set to find the net, but the crossbar saved Salzburg at the last second. Shortly afterwards, Austria once again put together a fine move in front of goal: Lena Triendl crossed into the penalty area, Virginia Kirchberger laid the ball off to Carina Wenninger, whose well-placed finish was just parried away by the goalkeeper with her leg.

Chances were now coming thick and fast. In the 12th minute, Kirchberger sent Triendl through on goal; the Salzburg keeper initially parried the shot, but Yvonna Weilharter reacted in a flash and deflected the follow-up towards goal with her heel. Once again, Salzburg scraped the ball off the line at the last second. A long-range shot from captain Wenninger also narrowly missed the target.

Salzburg clears the ball off the line

In the first 15 minutes, chances rained down on the Violets. Several corners and shots kept the pressure on, but the football gods did not seem to be on the Violets’ side at first. Salzburg barely ventured out of their own half, whilst Louise Schöffel and Uka repeatedly posed a threat with strong combinations.

Following a questionable decision by the referee, Salzburg were awarded a free-kick in the 32nd minute. However, it did not pose any real threat. At the other end, Austria remained on the offensive: in the 35th minute, Uka played Škorvánková in perfectly, but once again the Salzburg goalkeeper got to the ball before the attacker. Shortly before half-time, another shot from Triendl went straight into the keeper’s arms, before Schöffel fired over the bar in stoppage time. Two late Salzburg corners also came to nothing – the teams went into the break goalless.

Violets start the second half on the front foot

After the restart, the Violets immediately kept up the pressure. In the 47th minute, Pfattner had a shot on goal following a corner, but her long-range effort crashed against the crossbar once again. Five minutes later, however, the wait was finally over: following a corner from Uka, Schiechtl rose highest and headed the ball unstoppably into the Salzburg net – a long-deserved 1-0 lead for Austria.

Austria keep their cool

Austria remained the dominant side thereafter. Salzburg grew increasingly aggressive and picked up several yellow cards. A free-kick from Uka was cleared in the 69th minute, whilst Triendl, ten minutes from time, once again struck the crossbar with a sharp shot from the wing.

In the closing stages, the Violets pushed for an even bigger lead. Almedina Šišić sent a free-kick just wide, before Triendl set up Courtney Strode in the 90th minute, who put the ball wide of the goal. Shortly afterwards, Strode sprinted forward alone once more; the Salzburg goalkeeper threw herself in the way and was shown a red card for it.

Despite having a numerical advantage, the Violets failed to create any clear-cut chances in the closing minutes – nor did they need to. After the final whistle, the celebrations knew no bounds: the Violet Stand celebrated the historic triumph together with the team. With a 1-0 victory in the 50th ÖFB Women’s Cup Final, Austria not only secured their first title but also crowned a passionate and dominant performance in the final with a well-deserved happy ending.

Red Bull Salzburg – Austria Wien 0–1 (0–0)

Austria: Pal – Wenninger, Schiechtl, Kirchberger – Schöffel, Pfattner, Weiss, Weilharter – Škorvánková (Strode 72'), Uka (Šišić 80'), Triendl (Schneeberger 90+4')

Goal: Schiechtl (52')

Wiener Sport-Club-Platz, 4,600 fans, referee Olivia Tschon