The German women's national team lost 0-3 to Austria in the opening game of the final Olympic qualification. The goals for the Austrians were scored by Theresa Schafzahl (19th minute) and Janine Weber (35th and 55th minutes).
In front of around 400 spectators at the Federal Performance Center on Kobelhang, national coach Thomas Schädler's women started the game with some good scoring opportunities (including a shot off the post) and two power plays. The Austrians kept switching quickly and Sandra Abstreiter in the German goal had to be wide awake in the first half. Than DEB-Team was in the majority for the third time in the 19th minute, the guests countered with captain Meixner and Schafzahl, who appeared alone in front of the goal and gave defenders no chance.
In the middle section there is a similar picture. Germany repeatedly put the Austrians under pressure, especially in many power play situations. But the Alpine women stayed true to their line, survived the German onslaught and repeatedly came up with dangerous counterattacks. While Abstreiter was able to defuse a penalty shot in the 34th minute, the Austrians used their second power play to make it 0-2.
The German women also had big plans for the final period, but were unable to carry the momentum of a good power play at the end of the second period. An exemplary attack by the Austrians in the 55th minute, when Anja Trummer met Weber at the right post and she was able to score her second goal, sealed the German team's defeat.
The goal of Olympic qualification is therefore a good deal further away and although in the end the direct comparison decides who wins the group, anything is still possible.
Voices about the tournament
Julia Zorn on the reason for the defeat: "We didn't score a goal, not even on the power play. That's the reason why we lost."
Marie Delarbre about what is still possible: “This is of course a very emotional moment for us directly after the game. But a lot can happen in a tournament like this. We will continue to work, work on the things that didn’t work out so well today.”
National coach Thomas Schädler in his summary: "If you look at the scoreboard, it doesn't look good. We missed a lot of power play opportunities. We couldn't put any pressure on the Austrian goalkeeper today, we played around the goal rather than directly at it. We weren't dangerous enough in front of the goal. We have to work on that."