Austria women secured a 3:1 victory over Italy in a friendly match on 22 August 2026. The result adds to Austria's positive run, coming on the heels of a 2:0 win against Netherlands the day before. Italy, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back after a 1:5 defeat to Slovakia on 21 August.
The match itself offered no further details beyond the final scoreline. By then, Austria had already shown they could string results together, having won four of their last five competitive outings. Italy's form has been more uneven, with victories against Netherlands and China but losses to Hungary and France in April.
And here's the thing — the score doesn't tell us who controlled the game. Austria were comfortable enough to score three, but Italy certainly weren't pushed back. To be fair, both sides have shown they can be unpredictable, and today was no exception.
Austria's recent record shows improvement, with a 4:1 win over Norway in February and back-to-back victories in August. Italy's best result in the same period was the 7:0 thrashing of China, but that was played in April. The gap between their peaks and troughs remains noticeable.
The result means Austria move forward with confidence, while Italy have work to do. Three goals scored against a team that lost heavily to Slovakia suggests Austria found their rhythm. Whether that translates to competitive fixtures remains to be seen.