Women’s soccer serial champions SKN St. Pölten have taken a big step towards their third Champions League participation in a row. The Lower Austrians deservedly won the home first leg of the second qualifying round against Slovenian serial champions ZNK Mura 3-0 (0-0) on Thursday.
Kamila Dubcova (65th), Melike Pekel (73rd) and Izabela Krizaj (79th) gave St. Pölten an excellent starting position for the return match next Thursday in Murska Sobota.
“The game was very close until the 60th minute, 3-0 is already very clear. It’s a good starting position, but the game gives us the feeling that it is not yet decided,” said SKN coach Liese Brancao. Substitute Pekel already had a premonition that she would score a goal. “I dreamed of scoring that goal,” said the 29-year-old Turkish player, overjoyed.
The Lower Austrians had the first opportunity in the NV Arena in front of 627 spectators after a minute’s silence in memory of the flood victims. But Melanie Brunnthaler missed from a good position (4th). The match lacked any highlights for a long time, and the best chance of the first half also belonged to coach Liese Brancao’s team: A direct free kick from Maria Mikolajova was defused by Mura goalkeeper Emilie Gavillet, and Leonarda Balog’s deflected follow-up shot went just wide (36th).
Image: GEPA pictures
After the break, Dubcova headed the hosts into the lead after a precise cross from Andrea Glibo, and a little later substitute Pekel curled the ball past Gavillet, who had rushed far out of her goal, into the net. St. Pölten controlled the proceedings and Krizaj increased the score to the final goal after a beautifully played combination.
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