Austria Vienna Women put Brann Women to the sword at the Franz Horr Stadium on Monday evening, winning 4-0 in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Champions League. And here's the thing — this was a rematch of sorts, with the sides having met just days earlier in Norway. Brann had taken a point from that encounter, but the visitors found themselves in a different position entirely when the whistle blew at home.
The opening moment arrived in the nineteenth minute when M. Uka stepped up to take a penalty. By then, Austria Vienna had already settled into their rhythm, dominating possession and pinning Brann back. The spot-kick found the net to give the hosts an early lead, and it set the tone for what followed. To be fair, Brann had been under pressure from the opening exchanges, but the goal changed everything.
The yellow cards started to fly — L. Davidson for Brann in the twenty-fourth minute, followed by J. Pal and S. Kenesei for Austria Vienna. The match was becoming increasingly physical as the visitors tried to find a way back into it. Austria Vienna kept pushing, and in the fiftieth minute, M. Uka struck again to double her tally. The goal came from open play, a reward for sustained pressure.
Things came to a head in the sixties when Brann's J. Birkelund turned on her own goal, first in the sixty-sixth minute and then again twenty-one seconds later. The double blow effectively killed the contest, leaving Brann to chase shadows. Substitutions followed — M. Isaksen for Brann in the fifty-eighth minute, then E. Peuhkurinen and B. Lovera for both sides in the sixty-ninth. The visitors were trying to change something, but the damage was done.
K. Haugland collected two yellow cards in quick succession in the seventy-sixth minute, then was shown a red card to leave Brann with a man down. And here's the thing — Austria Vienna didn't need to wait long before capitalising. M. Uka completed her hat-trick in the seventy-ninth minute, a third goal to cement her dominance. By then, the match was effectively over, with Brann reduced to ten players and chasing a ghost.
The numbers told the story as clearly as the scoreboard. Austria Vienna Women enjoyed 60 per cent possession, made 113 attacks compared to Brann's 82, and won 7 corners to 2. The visitors managed only 15 free kicks and 11 goal kicks, while their opponents had 11 and 8 respectively. Throw-ins were nearly even at 27 for Austria Vienna and 35 for Brann, but the disparity in territorial dominance was stark.
The four-goal margin sent Austria Vienna Women through to the next round of the competition. Brann Women's campaign ended on this evening, despite having taken a point from the first meeting in Norway. The hosts had shown resilience after a heavy defeat to Salzburg in their previous outing, while the visitors could only reflect on a performance that never got off the ground.
