Austria women face relegation at the world championship in Denmark after suffering a 4:2 defeat against Switzerland in Esbjerg, Der Standard reported.
The Swiss national team booked a place in the quarterfinals with the result, though the performance exposed defensive vulnerabilities after the favorites briefly fell behind, srf.ch reported. Sinja Leemann opened the scoring for Switzerland in the 13th minute by redirecting an 11th shot past the Austrian goaltender.
Austria responded in the second period when Theresa Schafzahl tied the game 1:1 at the 26-minute mark following a fast counterattack, according to SRF. Lena Dauböck then gave the newcomers a 2:1 lead in the 34th minute with a power-play shot from a difficult angle.
Alina Müller leveled the score at 2:2 just 19 seconds after the Austrian go-ahead goal, srf.ch reported. The Swiss side ultimately secured the 4:2 victory to finish the preliminary round, sending Austria into the relegation round without a point in the group stage.
Prior to the Swiss match, the Austrian squad secured its top-division status by defeating Japan 2:1 in overtime at Herning, sport.ORF.at reported. Anna Meixner scored both goals for the ÖEHV selection, netting the winner at 61:10 during a power play after Akane Shiga was penalized for tripping at the start of overtime, SwissHabs reported.
“Das war sicher eine der tollsten Wochen meines Lebens,” said Anna Meixner, forward, to Kurier after the victory against Japan.
Head coach Alexander Bröms pointed to team unity as a decisive factor for the squad, which features 14 players aged between 17 and 22 alongside veteran leaders, sport.ORF.at reported.
“Es gibt ein starkes Band zwischen den Spielerinnen. Das hilft auch auf dem Eis,” said Alexander Bröms, team head coach, to sport.ORF.at.
Switzerland holds five points in Group A alongside Germany, setting up a direct duel on Wednesday afternoon at 15:00 local time to determine second place in the group, srf.ch reported. The match is scheduled for broadcast on SRF zwei and the Sport App, ahead of the knockout stage beginning on Friday.
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