SKN Women’s Competition “Game of the Year”

Golden goal scorer Mattia Zephyr opened the door to the fall of the UEFA Champions League with a decisive 1-0 victory in Kuopio in Finland and allowed the series champions to dream. Players can make history by reaching the group stage for the first time. “We’re really burning, this is the biggest match for all of us so far,” captain Yasmin Edir confirmed.

“I am already full of adrenaline. Our goal is for all of us to get into the Champions League and play against the best teams. Looking forward to the second leg, the tension is building, but in a positive way,” Jennifer Klein said, although not everything went according to plan at Kuopio And the Finns were even, entering the match with confidence and focus – more on that in St. Polten is on its way to the group stage (sport.ORF.at; September 21, 2022). SKN coach Liese Brancao correctly assesses the tight first leg. “Of course we were happy at first with a good starting position, but two hours after the final whistle it was already clear to us that we still had a lot of hard work ahead.”

It is important to have more possession of the ball and to control the game better. “Internationally, we have to invest a lot in fencing, play more bravely and put on the field what sets us apart, which is composite football,” said Yasmine Eder.

In the tournament, there was once again a great and flawless start to the season so far and the rehearsal went well with a 6-0 win over Bergheim. That’s why you want to be abusive on Wednesday. Trying to maintain a 0-0 draw, which would be enough for a promotion, is out of the question for Brankao. “If you decide to play for a tie, you lose. That is why we want to win for sure,” the SKN coach said.

Some UEFA premiums go into additional costs

From a financial point of view, getting to the group stage seems profitable, because UEFA pays 400,000 euros as an appearance bonus only. SKN women’s team boss Wilfried Schmauss curbed competition concerns in advance that St. Polten women would make more money in local women’s football.

“We’ll get €300,000 for promotion now and another €100,000 a year. But the six group matches must also be funded with that money. If you think the round-trip costs are between €80,000 and €100,000, the bottom line is that I don’t expect any major economic success” .

But the club will get a significant income from three home games. “We can make a profit from that, but first it’s all about getting into the Champions League ever. Reaching the group stage is the biggest goal for a team from Austria,” Schmaus said.