From a purely human point of view, it was understandable that ÖFB team boss Franco Foda after the black night in the 1: 2 of the Austrian national football team in the World Cup play-off against Wales in Cardiff “hardly a save from goalkeeper Heinz Lindner and a game for a goal from wanted to see us in the second half”.
The bottom line is that Gareth Bale, who has hardly played at Real Madrid, has once again become a national hero. And with Upper Austria’s Heinz Lindner, the best Austrian of the game was in goal.
For David Alaba and Xaver Schlager, yesterday’s game was the last appearance in the “Foda era”. The duo no longer has to put up with Tuesday’s friendly against Scotland at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. 7000 spectators are the negative record for an international match in the Prater-Oval. He was set up in November 1990 in a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland. On Tuesday there is a good chance that there will be even fewer spectators.
Christoph Baumgartner was self-critical after the game in Cardiff. “I should have made it 1-0, and when you play against a team that has Gareth Bale in their team, you can’t commit a foul on the edge of the box like before the 1-0. It bothers me most of all sorry for all the players who probably don’t have a chance to ever go to a World Cup.”
Rapid team manager search
Even before the team flew back to Wales from Cardiff yesterday morning, ÖFB President Gerhard Milletich specified the next steps. “Sports director Peter Schöttel is in charge of the search for a team manager and has a duty here. We will certainly have a decision in the course of April – no later than April 29th, when there will be a presidium meeting. Maybe we will make a decision but also earlier.”
All this speaks for easy negotiations with Peter Stöger, who is without a club and can therefore come on a free transfer.
Franco Foda’s balance sheet
For Foda, 27 wins, five draws and 15 defeats remain at the end of his era. However, not a single win could be achieved against a team that is better ranked than Austria in the world rankings.
“We all made mistakes, maybe the coach too. There is no one who doesn’t make mistakes. Now is not the time to get too emotional either. I will fulfill my contract until March 31,” said Foda. The end of Foda’s predecessor Marcel Koller had been heralded in Cardiff four and a half years ago. After the 0-1 draw against Wales in September 2017, Austria’s dream of the 2018 World Cup in Russia was finally over. A few weeks later Koller had to go. At Foda it will now only last until Tuesday.
Source: Nachrichten
