In front of 1,750 spectators, Nicole Billa not only ensured the quick lead (7th), but also contributed two more goals (34th/penalty, 66th) to the resounding victory. Sarah Zadradzil (28′) and Carina Wenninger (43′) scored before the break, in the second half Barbara Dunszt (47′), Marie-Therese Höbinger (50′) and twice Laura Feiersinger (61′, 78′) .) and Katharina Naschenweng (71st) in the shooter list. The Austrian record result – twice Armenia was beaten 11:0 19 years ago – was only one goal missing.
The Austrians, who had already been number two in the group behind European champions England, had no chance of making it into the top three runners-up despite the Schützenfest. Ireland had previously won 1-0 in Slovakia. In the end, the Austrians finished as the fourth best group runners-up, one place short of being able to enter the play-off later.
The play-off starts on October 6th, the second round follows on October 11th. Of the three winners there, however, only two buy the fixed ticket for the final round (July 20th to August 20th). The lowest-ranked play-off winner will have to try their luck in the intercontinental play-off in New Zealand next February (18-23). The European play-off will be drawn on Friday.
Billa ensures the hoped-for lightning start
Despite the 2-0 defeat against England, team manager Fuhrmann saw no reason to change her starting line-up because of her performance. In addition, the Viennese relied on her currently strongest eleven to bring in the hoped-for victory against the outsiders. This time, however, Gentijana Rochi, the goalscorer from the Finnish club Kuopio, SKN St. Pölten’s last opponent on the way to the group stage of the Champions League, was also part of North Macedonia.
The use of the striker on the visitors’ side had little effect on the course of the game, however, as Austria set the pace from the start. And as Fuhrmann and her players had hoped, the quick opening goal came in the seventh minute – just as the English team had done on Saturday. After a direct pass from Laura Feiersinger, Julia Hickelsberger-Füller, who was again very conspicuous, climbed over the ball and scorer Billa scored from close range to make it 1-0.
The relief about the perfect start was noticeable in the Austrians. The game finally tipped onto an incline towards the North Macedonian goal. However, it took until the 28th minute and the help of the guest defense before Zadrazil finally managed to “release the button” with the 2:0. Billa from the penalty spot (34′) and captain Wenninger with a header from a corner kick (43′) left no doubt about the outcome of the game even before the break.
Wenninger increases to 4:0
The captain herself finally cleared things up shortly before the break
Austria scores almost at will
After the break, Fuhrmann brought Höbinger into play for Zadrazil and the 21-year-old from FC Zurich was directly involved in the fact that the result from the first leg in Skopje was equalized just five minutes later. First, less than two minutes after the restart, Höbinger used her colleague Dunst, who then stumbled the ball over the line (47′), then the native of Vienna scored half a dozen goals herself (50′).
But the Austrians didn’t have enough that evening. Feiersinger with a placed long-range shot (61st), Billa with her third goal in the game (66th), and Naschenweng, who had just come on as a substitute (71st), and Feiersinger again (78th) ensured that the helpless guests suffered a double-digit defeat had to make the journey home. The fact that it was not enough to equalize the record result of 11:0 was due to North Macedonia’s goalkeeper Viktorija Panchurova, who just prevented Billa’s fourth goal in added time.
Comments on the game:
Irene Fuhrmann (Austria team leader): “I think it was a great end to a confident World Cup qualification. The win should have been much better, we missed a lot of chances. Now we look forward to what awaits us in October. This is a historic opportunity and we want to invest everything in it.”
Nicole Billa (triple goalscorer): “Now it feels really good. We can still score one or two more goals, but overall we can be happy with the 10-0 win because we missed our chances in the last few games and took advantage of them today. It’s a giant step that we got into a play-off like this.”
World Cup Qualification, Group D
Tuesday:
Austria – North Macedonia 10: 0 (4: 0)
Wiener Neustadt, Ergo Arena, 1,750, SR Sökjär (DEN)
Goals: Billa (7′, 34’/penalty, 66′), Zadrazil (28′), Wenninger (43′), Dunst (47′), Höbinger (50′), Feiersinger (61′, 78′), Naschenweng (71st/free kick)
Austria: Zinsberger – Wienroither, Wenninger (84th Kirchberger), Georgieva (64th Degen), Hanshaw (64th Naschenweng) – Zadrazil (46th Höbinger), Puntigam, Feiersinger – Hickelsberger-Füller (77th Kolb), Billa, Dunst
North Macedonia: Panchurova – Joshevska (72. Gjorgjevska), Nikolovska (81. Kostova), Milchevska, Zivikj – Mustafa (46. Saliji), Shemsovikj (63. Markovska) – Andreevska (81. Petrovska), Andonova, Maksuti – Rochi
