2023-10-16 18:02:00
This is Austria’s fourth participation in the European Championship, having previously played in the continental finals in 2008, 2016 and 2021. Team boss Ralf Rangnick made four changes compared to the 2:3 against Belgium. Sasa Kalajdzic stormed from the start, Florian Kainz and Romano Schmid also joined the team and Alexander Prass played at left-back.
The newly formed team had problems getting into the game, so the first chance didn’t come until the 18th minute. After preparation by Xaver Schlager, captain Konrad Laimer lifted the ball past Azerbaijan goalie Sahruddin Mahammadaliyev and past the goal in front of 7,000 spectators, including around 400 Austrian fans who had traveled with him.
This was followed by missed shots from Schmid (27′) and Schlager (31′) as well as a good opportunity from Florian Grillitsch, who only hit the side netting from the five-square (43′). This action was whistled for offside, but incorrectly, as the TV pictures showed – the VAR would probably have given the goal. But it remained 0-0, also because the Austrians unsuccessfully called for penalties after attacks on Schmid (6th) and Schlager (29th).
Picture gallery: ÖFB team achieves European Championship qualification in Azerbaijan
ÖFB team achieves European Championship qualification in Azerbaijan (Photo: GEPA pictures/ Johannes Friedl (GEPA pictures)) Bild 1/46
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The ÖFB team’s performance in the first half was extremely disappointing. Laimer and Co. made many technical mistakes and bad passes and were never able to generate real pressure. The fact that Azerbaijan itself did not have a single compelling opportunity was little consolation.
Rangnick reacted at halftime with a triple substitution – Prass, Kainz and Schmid made room for Marcel Sabitzer, Christoph Baumgartner and Patrick Wimmer, and Laimer moved into the center and Schlager moved into the back four on the left. These measures had an immediate effect: Rahil Mammadov fended off a free kick from Sabitzer after a foul on Baumgartner with his upper arm, and Sabitzer converted from the penalty spot, as he did against Belgium.
Burgstaller gets yellow-red in his comeback
A little later there was a chance to make it 2-0. The guests combined well forward through Sabitzer and Kalajdzic. The Wolverhampton striker cleared Baumgartner, but the Leipzig professional was denied by Mahammadaliyev (50′). Instead of closing the sack, the ÖFB kickers made the mistakes of the first half again. The next shot on goal took until the 75th minute when Mahammadaliyev tamed a Sabitzer free kick.
The final quarter of an hour was initially uneventful, but things only became turbulent again at the finish: In the 91st minute, the ÖFB team was very lucky when Toral Bayramov hit the outside bar from six meters. A little later, Guido Burgstaller, who had recently been substituted, saw yellow and red on his national team comeback after a four-year break (94th).
In the end, the ÖFB team got the result they needed despite an uninspired performance. This means that in the last European Championship qualifying match on November 16th in Estonia, the only thing that matters is a good position for the draw for the European Championship groups on December 2nd. The last international match of the year will take place on November 21st at the Happel Stadium against Germany.
Voices about the game
Ralf Rangnick (ÖFB team boss): “I told the boys that I was very proud of them. The qualifying group was one of the most difficult. Qualifying on the penultimate matchday is not a given, especially considering how many players we didn’t have available . That was an extraordinary achievement in the last few weeks and months.”
On Burgstaller’s exclusion: “It’s a shame for Burgi, but it was still important to have him there and to be able to bring him in for Kalajdzic.”
Marcel Sabitzer (ÖFB goalscorer): “It means a lot to us, getting to the European Championships was our absolute goal. We always fought, tried everything to fill the stadiums again and get the fans behind us, we did that. We sparked euphoria again, “Not too much, but we have earned an appreciation for ourselves. We could have decided the game earlier, but no matter, we take the 1-0 win and are very happy.”
Konrad Laimer (ÖFB team captain): “The feeling is overwhelming. It’s always something very special to qualify for a European Championship. In the end, it was important that we got the three points. It felt like we played with a different starting lineup in every course, but you could feel it “We’re getting closer and closer together, even if we obviously still have to improve a lot. You can see this energy, this passion, that we really wanted to win the game.”
Xaver Schlager (ÖFB team player): “It was a very difficult 90 minutes, it could have ended in a draw. In the end we had the luck of the brave. Today it was all about winning. We had an intense game on Friday and a long journey. It’s important that we qualify for big tournaments, now we’re looking forward to the European Championships.”
Klaus Mitterdorfer (ÖFB President): “The players and the coaching team very much deserve this, they put in a great performance in the qualifying. The game today was very close, but the win was deserved. We made a difference in Football Austria, it’s a great day. I noticed right from the start that the boys not only have great footballing quality, but that they also really enjoy playing in the national team and are friends. For the association, participating in the European Championship means additional economic strength and also a certain peace of mind so that you can can also devote itself to other things such as infrastructure projects.”
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