Fabian Menghin (right) and his South Tyroleans want to reach the semi-finals. © Preben Christensen

Against old acquaintances: South Tyrol's knockout phase begins

Now things are getting serious for the South Tyrolean teams at the Europeada: The first knockout games are scheduled for Thursday. The women and men will be playing against familiar opponents.

July 03, 2024

From Flensburg

The draw at the Europeada, the European Championship for language minorities, had two special opponents ready for the two South Tyrolean selections on Tuesday evening. Both the women and the men will face the Carinthian Slovenes in their semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively.

A tough nut to crack for both teams, but Manuel Sullmann's men's team has fond memories of the minority in Austria. Two years ago, Martin Ritsch & Co. met the Carinthian Slovenes in the Europeada final and won the match 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Jonas Clementi.

“We have developed a strong team spirit.” Manuel Sullmann

This time, the South Tyroleans want to reach the semi-finals with a win in the quarter-finals over the Carinthian Slovenes. "We managed to develop a strong team spirit in just two preliminary round matches. We have also made a big step forward in terms of team structure," said coach Manuel Sullmann before the match, which starts on Thursday at 17 p.m. On Wednesday, the South Tyrolean footballers enjoyed a day off and paid a visit to the Europeada cultural day.

The ladies seek revenge

The South Tyrolean women are also in action on Thursday and will play their semi-final from 19.15:2022 p.m. For them, the memories of the Carinthian Slovenians are not very good. At the Europeada XNUMX, the two formations faced each other in the final, with the Slovenians winning on penalties. That was a hard blow to the heart of the South Tyroleans, who are now looking for revenge. With a win, Stefanie Reiner & Co. want to move into Saturday's final.

The South Tyrolean ladies want to reach the final. © EUROPEADA/Lars Salomonsen

"I wasn't there in 2022, but I can feel that the girls from back then are keen for revenge. And they have also infected the newcomers in our team," explains coach Denise Ferraris, who may be able to call on Nadine Nischler on Thursday. The exceptional goalscorer, who has recently been struggling with knee problems, wants to try to train with the ball again.

Europeada, South Tyrol's knockout games

Men’s quarter-finals (Thursday, 17 p.m.)
South Tyrol – Carinthian Slovenes

Women’s semi-final (Thursday, 19.15pm)
South Tyrol – Carinthian Slovenes