Women's EURO 2022: Austria vs Northern Ireland match facts, stats, ones to watch

Austria vs Northern Ireland: Head-to-head

• Having never met before autumn 2021, Austria and Northern Ireland face off for the third time in less than a year in a UEFA Women's EURO Group A Matchday 2 fixture.
• Both sides are aiming to secure their first Group A points having suffered defeat in their first matches. Austria lost 1-0 in the tournament opener against hosts England on 6 July; Beth Mead's 16th-minute strike was the first occasion the Austrians had been behind at a Women's EURO.
• On 7 July Northern Ireland were beaten 4-1 by Norway on their major tournament debut. They were 3-0 down to the two-time winners just after the half-hour, before 37-year-old Julie Nelson made tournament history with her 49th-minute header, becoming the oldest scorer at a Women's EURO aged 37 years 33 days. Norway would restore their three-goal lead five minutes later.
• Austria were 3-1 victors in the last meeting, a qualifier for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, on 8 April in Wiener Neustadt. Carina Wenninger (48), Nicole Billa (55) and Barbara Dunst (57) struck in a decisive spell after the interval to keep Austria in second place in Group D, behind leaders England. Joely Andrews scored an 85th-minute consolation for Kenny Shiels' Northern Ireland.
• The sides drew 2-2 in October 2021 in Belfast in what was their very first encounter. Stefanie Enzinger's added-time equaliser rescued a point for Austria, after Lauren Wade (46) and Demi Vance (50) had seemingly put the home side on course for victory despite Dunst (42) giving the visitors the lead.
• Northern Ireland are therefore still seeking their first win against Austria (D1 L1).
• Austria reached their first UEFA Women's EURO tournament five years ago, the debutants eventually eliminated in the semi-finals via spot kicks following a goalless draw with Denmark in Breda.
• Irene Fuhrmann's side booked their place at a second successive final tournament by finishing as runners-up in Group G behind France, collecting 19 points from their eight matches. They dropped points only against Les Bleues (0-0 h, 0-3 a), the defeat in Guingamp in November 2020 the only game in which they conceded a goal.
• Northern Ireland reached their first major tournament with a 4-1 aggregate play-off victory against Ukraine in April 2021 (2-1 a, 2-0 h) having finished as runners-up to Norway in their section by virtue of a superior head-to-head record against Wales.
• Austria's Matchday 1 loss to England was their first EURO defeat in 90 minutes; their record in regulation time in their five matches at the 2017 edition was W2 D3.

Ones to watch: Austria

Nicole Billa

• The 26-year-old scored Austria's second goal in the 3-1 victory against Northern Ireland on 8 April.
• That strike took her to ten goals in just seven outings in 2023 World Cup qualifying.
• Billa was Austria's top scorer in qualifying for Women's EURO 2022, hitting seven goals in her eight appearances – including a hat-trick against Kazakhstan in November 2019.
• The forward was Hoffenheim's leading scorer for the fourth successive campaign in 2021/22, with 16 goals in all competitions.

Barbara Dunst

• The 24-year-old has scored in both of Austria's previous games against Northern Ireland.
• Those two goals have contributed to Dunst's total of four in the 2023 World Cup qualifying campaign, having also struck four times in the preliminaries for EURO 2022.
• The Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder's first international goal came in the 3-0 EURO 2022 qualifying win against North Macedonia in September 2019.
• Dunst was an unused squad member as Austria reached the semi-finals of EURO 2017.

Carina Wenninger

• The 31-year-old struck the opener – a back-heeled volley from a corner – in April's 3-1 victory against Northern Ireland.
• Wenninger has played the most minutes for Austria in 2023 World Cup qualifying, starting all eight matches.
• The defender was one of three Austria players to be ever-present in the qualification campaign for EURO 2022, along with Sarah Zadrazil and Manuela Zinsberger.
• The centre-back, who joined Bayern München in the summer of 2007, will spend 2022/23 on loan at Italian side Roma.

Ones to watch: Northern Ireland

Joely Andrews

• The 20-year-old scored her first Northern Ireland goal just five minutes after coming on as an 80th-minute replacement in April's defeat against Austria.
• The midfielder made her first international start in the 5-0 World Cup qualifying loss to England at Windsor Park on 12 April.
• Andrews made her senior international debut in the EURO 2022 qualification campaign, a 6-0 victory against the Faroe Islands in Torshavn in September 2020.
• She was part of the Glentoran side that won the Women's Premiership title and the Challenge Cup in 2021, and was named as the Player of the Match after scoring in the 2-0 cup final win against Crusaders Strikers in October.

Demi Vance

• The 31-year-old's spectacular free-kick put her side in front in the 2-2 draw against Austria in October 2021.
• The defender started seven of Northern Ireland's ten matches in the qualification campaign for EURO 2022, missing the final Group C match and the two-legged play-off with a knee injury sustained against Belarus in November 2020.
• Vance made her senior international debut as a 16-year-old in a 4-0 EURO 2009 qualifying defeat away against Spain in February 2008.
• The versatile player, who joined Rangers from Glentoran in December 2019, helped the Glasgow outfit to their first ever Scottish Women's Premier League title in 2021/22.

Lauren Wade

• The 28-year-old got Northern Ireland's first goal in the 2-2 World Cup qualifying draw against Austria in October 2021.
• The forward has started all eight of Northern Ireland's matches in the preliminaries for the 2023 World Cup, scoring three goals.
• Wade scored Glentoran's second goal in the 2-0 Challenge Cup final victory against Crusaders Strikers in October 2021 as her side won the Northern Irish league and cup double.
• The all-action attacker returned to Northern Irish club football in 2021 following spells in the United States, Sweden, Iceland and in Scotland with Glasgow City.