It will face next Wednesday, in Milton Keynes, France or the Dutch defending champions, who meet on Saturday in Rotherham.

Before the game, the most likely scenario seemed to be Austria hunkering down against dominating Germany, but it couldn't be more wrong.

It was probably to forget that the players of Irene Fuhrmann had already created problems for England in the last minutes of the opening match and had deserved their victory against Norway (1-0), which opened the doors for them. quarters.

Semi-finalists 5 years ago, and with seven holders who play in the "Frauen-Bundesliga", plus two in Arsenal, vice-champion of England, the Austrians have copiously shaken up the beautiful Germanic machine.

German Klara Bühl (g) wrestles with Austrian Laura Zadrazil on July 21, 2022 in Brentford JUSTIN TALLIS AFP

They would have deserved to lead with a header on Marina Georgieva's post shortly before the quarter hour mark, the first of three amounts that cost them dearly.

In the second half, it was Barbara Dunst who found the bar by trying to lob Merle Frohms, her teammate at Eintracht Frankfurt, from more than 25 meters (53rd), before Sarah Puntigam, player from Cologne, found the pole, four minutes later.

A qualification that is worth warning

But Gary Lineker's timeless adage that football is a game played 11-11 and the Germans win in the end obviously holds true for women as well.

The Germans found the fault at their first opportunity.

Austria's Barbara Dunst (g) shoots on goal against Germany in the Euro quarter-finals on July 21, 2022 in Brentford JUSTIN TALLIS AFP

On a pressing triggered by Alexandra Popp, goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger cleared in disaster and on the second ball, the side Laura Wienroither delayed too much, letting Klara Bühl escape and cross back.

Popp intelligently erased herself for Lina Magull who arrived launched and easily opened the scoring (1-0, 25th).

Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's players were not much happier with the uprights, Giulia Gwinn, served by Bühl, seeing her low shot repelled by the right post (46th), before Bühl herself found the top of the crossbar (78th).

Bühl, alone in front of the wide-open goal, inexplicably missed the target with 9 minutes left in regulation time, but the release eventually came with a goal-gag, Popp blocking a clearance from Zinsberger to score his 4th goal in 4 matches in the competition.

The tears of Austrian goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger after the elimination in the quarter-finals of the Euro against Germany, July 21, 2022 in Brentford JUSTIN TALLIS AFP

The German qualification is therefore certainly not a hold-up.

But it has warning value and it could well give ideas to Bleues or Oranje for next Wednesday.

© 2022 AFP