The goals were scored by Jonas Wind (21st) and Andreas Skov Olsen (37th). The Austrians now have to fight to stay up in League A of the Nations League in the fall. In the table they are in third place after four points from four games under Rangnick, two points ahead of world champions France.
Not least for reasons of stress, Rangnick made six changes to his starting line-up. As announced the day before, the goal was guarded by Heinz Lindner instead of Patrick Pentz. In addition, international debutant Patrick Wimmer and striker Sasa Kalajdzic joined the team. Right-footed Valentino Lazaro acted as left-back. “We don’t have that many opportunities in this position,” Rangnick argued. Xaver Schlager was the only Austrian to start the fourth international match in eleven days, his long-distance colleague Konrad Laimer replaced him at the break.
Because David Alaba only played the role of the cheerleader due to adductor problems and Marko Arnautovic that of the “joker”, Marcel Sabitzer led the ÖFB team in front of 35,230 spectators in the Parken Stadium – around 100 of them were in the away camp – as captain. With the Danes, Christian Eriksen was initially on the substitutes’ bench at the place where he had suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the field exactly a year and a day earlier in the European Championship match against Finland (0-1).
The Austrians started courageously. Wimmer appeared after 16 seconds for the first time in front of Denmark keeper Kasper Schmeichel. Schmeichel parried a Sabitzer shot (7′) as well as a Kalajdzic attempt from a tight angle (12′). Otherwise, Kalajdzic and fellow striker Weimann were unsubscribed, the Danes increasingly took control when it started to rain and not only looked playful, but also physically superior.
Mathias Jensen tested Lindner with a touchdown (14th), Andreas Cornelius aimed too imprecisely with his head (5th) and foot (16th). A header from Joakim Maehle from a good position also went wide (20′), but the looming goal came a minute later: A diagonal ball from Joachim Andersen opened up the entire ÖFB offensive, Maehle served Wind, who thoughtfully finished the pentagon.
Wind was also instrumental in scoring the second goal. Wolfsburg striker Skov Olsen was used by Cornelius. The Austria specialist, who scored twice in last year’s 4-0 World Cup qualifier in Vienna, didn’t miss the opportunity. Kevin Danso had not previously attacked from central defense.
The Austrians seemed a bit tired after the long season. Lazaro was visibly struggling in his unfamiliar role and stayed in the dressing room at the break, as did the hard-working Wimmer. Rangnick switched from a four-man to a three-man defense with the substitutions of Laimer, Stefan Lainer and Karim Onisiwo. Lainer and Weimann and later Sabitzer acted as wing defenders. There was still little getting through, a Kalajdzic shot from offside went over the goal (60th).
Arnautovic and Michael Gregoritsch came on as new strikers for Kalajdzic and Weimann (66′), but the mood was particularly high when Eriksen was substituted on fifteen minutes before the end – a moment of goosebumps. The Danish midfield star hit the bar like a week earlier in the 2-1 win of the European Championship semi-finalists in Vienna (87th). The Austrians didn’t have much of a chance. A Gregoritsch attempt was too harmless (77th).
The ÖFB selection also lost the sixth competitive game in its history with Denmark. The next international matches for the Austrians are not scheduled for the second half of September. Then the Nations League will be completed with a guest appearance in France (22nd) and a home game against Croatia (25th). Denmark goes into the autumn as the leader with nine points ahead of Croatia (7). The last person in the group has to dismount. The league in Europe’s elite is the declared ÖFB goal.
Denmark 2-0 Austria (2-0)
Copenhagen, Parken Stadium, 35.230, SR Hernández (ESP)
Gates: 1-0 (21st) Wind, 2-0 (37th) Skov Olsen
Denmark: Schmeichel – Andersen (62nd Nelsson), Christensen, Boilesen – Kristensen, Höjbjerg, Jensen (76th Eriksen), Maehle (50th Stryger Larsen) – Skov Olsen (46th Billing), Cornelius (46th Braithwaite), Wind
Austria: Lindner – Trimmel, Danso, Trauner, Lazaro (46th Lainer) – P. Wimmer (46th Onisiwo), X. Schlager (46th Laimer), N. Seiwald, M. Sabitzer – Kalajdzic (65th Arnautovic), Weimann ( 65. Gregorych)
Yellow cards: Wind or P. Wimmer, Danso
Source: Nachrichten
