Denmark v Austria: Women's EURO semi-final facts
Monday, July 31, 2017
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A new UEFA Women's EURO finalist is ensured as Denmark, in the last four for the sixth time, take on major tournament debutants Austria in Breda a month after their friendly meeting.
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• A new UEFA Women's EURO finalists is assured as Denmark take on fellow surprise package Austria in Breda.
• Denmark's three Group A games finished 1-0, victories against Belgium and Norway sandwiching a defeat by hosts the Netherlands. That left them second in the section and facing Group B winners Germany, but in a game postponed to Sunday due to heavy rain in Rotterdam, Denmark stunned the holders with a 2-1 comeback victory.
• Austria topped Group C, as they defeated Switzerland 1-0, held France 1-1 and saw off Iceland 3-0. In the quarter-finals in Tilburg on Sunday they beat Spain 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
• Austria's Lisa Makas is out of the rest of the tournament injured.
Semi-final pedigree
• While Austria are in their first big tournament, Denmark are in their sixth UEFA Women's EURO semi-final.
• Denmark have lost all five previous semi-finals, more than any other nation:
2013: 1-1, 2-4pens v Norway
2001: 0-1 v Sweden
1993: 0-1 v Norway
1991: 0-0, 7-8pens v Norway
1984: 1-3agg v England
Previous meetings
• These teams' only previous competitive matches were in 2013 qualifying, where Denmark won 3-0 at home with a Pernille Harder hat-trick. With first place and a spot in Sweden already secure, they then lost 3-1 in Austria, Verena Aschauer scoring and Nina Burger adding two before a Nadia Nadim consolation. Austria went into the play-offs, losing to Russia.
• More recently they played in Weiner Neustadt on 6 July in a friendly won 4-2 by Austria, their first victory against any of the nations in these finals since March 2014. Nicole Billa scored for Austria within 40 seconds and although Katrine Veje equalised, Sarah Zadrazil struck twice either side of another Billa goal before Stine Larsen pulled one back.
Miscellaneous
• Austria are the first debutants to reach the semi-finals since the Netherlands in 2009. Since the introduction of a group stage in 1997 no finals debutants have made it to the decider.
• Austria or Denmark will be the first new finalists since Italy in 1993, and only the sixth nation to make the decider; Sweden and England (first tournament, 1984), Norway (1987) and West Germany (1989) were the others along with the Azzurre.
• Austria's Laura Feiersinger, Manuela Zinsberger, Venera Aschauer, Sarah Puntigam and Carina Wenninger have played all 390 minutes of action so far. Theresa Nielsen, Sanna Troelsgaard, Stina Petersen, Pernille Harder, Simone Boye Sørensen and Line Jensen have been part of 360 minuites for Denmark, who did not need extra time in their quarter-final.