In the third group game against Norway, the 26-year-old scored a goal to make it 1-0, which is well worth seeing – and was subsequently named “Player of the Match” by Uefa. But that was just a side note last Friday evening, after all they finished Group A behind tournament favorites and hosts England in second place – and fought their way against neighbor Germany.
Kemme expects “game full of passion”
If you ask Olympic champion Tabea Kemme, then Austria should refrain from attacks down the middle. “In my time, the opponents used to say: ‘Let’s put pressure on the German central defenders, that’s their weak point’. Kathrin Hendrich and Marina Hegering are currently incredibly stable,” says the 30-year-old, who played between 2013 and 2018 47 caps (6 goals) for Germany.
“When Germany uses its offensive pressing, Austria must try to outplay the German defense – and the lack of compactness – with its fast wingers. In my opinion, that would be the only way to score a goal,” Kemme continued, overall a “game full of passion” expected.
In any case, getting into the last eight is already a respectable achievement for coach Fuhrmann’s team. The Austrians had already reached the knockout stage at the previous EM 2017 in the Netherlands – and even more than that. After a 5:3 penalty shootout against Spain, they were sensationally in the semifinals. A goal that Fuhrmann and her team are logically also pursuing at this tournament. “Against Germany we are clearly in the underdog role, but we will do our best to make it as difficult as possible for the Germans,” said the 41-year-old after reaching the quarter-finals on ARD.
National coach jokes: “They can also speak German”
And ARD expert and DFB legend Nia Künzer is also full of anticipation before the two teams meet. “In terms of sport, the Bundesliga is definitely something to be proud of. This German-speaking quarter-final is the perfect advertisement for our league,” said the winning goal scorer in the 2003 World Cup final. Because ten of eleven Bundesliga players also started on the German side in all three group games . Only Sara Däbritz (previously PSG, soon Lyon) was the exception.