Women's Champions League

LIVE Today: Can Austria Pull Off an Upset Against Inter?

Last week’s Austria starting lineup against Chelsea—will this week’s match against Inter yield not only a strong performance but also points?(Bild: GEPA)

Matchday 2 of the group stage of the Women’s Champions League: Austria Vienna faces Inter Milan at home today. We’re covering the game live (see below). The score is currently 0–0!

Here’s the LIVE TICKER:

“With our physicality, we can break them down!”
The women’s soccer team from Austria Vienna has sensed an opportunity—after failing to get the result they deserved in last week’s 0–1 loss to Chelsea, they’re looking to pick up points in their Champions League home opener on Thursday (6:45 p.m.) against Inter Milan! “Inter is technically very strong; this will be a completely different game,” said Austria captain Verena Hanshaw, adding confidently, “With our physicality, we can break them down.”

In front of what is expected to be a new record crowd—3,000 tickets had been sold by Wednesday afternoon—the “Violets” are once again the underdogs. However, the women’s “Nerazzurri” aren’t quite on the same level as their male counterparts. In terms of market value as well, Italy’s runner-up, valued at 3.14 million euros compared to Chelsea’s 11.2 million euros, is closer to Austria’s double champion (845,000 euros). However, Inter—which won its opener against the Swedish club Häcken 1–0—prevailed in the qualifying round against the top German team, VfL Wolfsburg.

Stefan Kenesei spoke about his team’s newfound confidence: “To be honest, before the Chelsea game, we didn’t know for sure whether playing defensively with that kind of intensity would work at this level. The game showed us that it works because we stood together as a team and gave 100 percent,” said the successful Austria coach, reflecting on the team’s spirited performance in London. “We’ll need that same intensity tomorrow, too. The Italians don’t like it when you ‘get in their faces.’”

 Record Attendance to Be BrokenThe crowd is also expected to be a factor at Franz-Horr Stadium—the club is hoping for up to 4,000 fans. The record of 3,004 spectators set during the Champions League qualifier against Paris FC (September 2025) will definitely be surpassed. “We love playing in front of our fans,” said Hanshaw, who played for Inter’s league rival AS Roma from summer 2024 through January 2025.

Hanshaw also wants to put in another committed performance in the home game; she says the team’s confidence is high: “The fact that we’re frustrated after a game against Chelsea speaks volumes about us,” said the longtime Austrian national team player ahead of the next big match. “We have to go into the game with the same attitude, the same determination, and the same courage—and then reward ourselves for it.”