Narrow win

The Austrian women's national team completed the training days in Vienna with good intensity. Coach Jari Risku's selection carried that intensity into the first of two international matches against Kazakhstan. In an evenly contested game, Austria won 1:0. Defender Nadja Granitz scored the only goal shortly after the halfway point of the game.

The game was evenly balanced from the outset, with both teams creating good scoring opportunities. However, the goaltenders on both sides allowed nothing through and kept their nets clean for a long time. Apart from Granitz's long-range shot, there were no further goals at either end.

There was a worrying moment in the second period when Kazakhstan's Malika Aldabergenova crashed heavily into the boards following a challenge, causing a lengthy interruption to the game. An initial examination revealed a shoulder injury for the Kazakh forward.

"I am proud of the team's performance. We implemented what we had discussed over the past few days. For the second game on Sunday, I only hope for better chance conversion, then we are really on a good path," said head coach Risku after his second win in his third international match this season. The second game will take place on Sunday, LAOLA1.at will broadcast live from 15:00.

The U17 national team held their first training camp of the season in Villach. Two games against Switzerland also provided valuable international tests to conclude the camp. After Friday's narrow 2:1 win in a shoot-out, Austria were beaten 0:2 on Saturday.

However, interim coach Florian Mühlstein gave a very positive assessment: "The team made good progress in this short time and improved its play in the second encounter. The work without the puck was better. In future, there must be more focus on scoring. Overall, it was a positive performance in all three zones."