Image: ROBERT JAEGER (APA/ROBERT JAEGER)
That should change at the start of the European Championship qualifiers in the new Raiffeisen Arena against outsiders Azerbaijan. Austria’s men achieved their last win in Linz in June 1981 against Finland (5:1). Since then, the ÖFB team has not played a competitive game in Austria’s third largest city. The last appearance in Linz was not a glorious one: in November 2012 there was a 0: 3 draw against the Ivory Coast. In addition to captain David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic, goalkeepers Heinz Lindner and Andreas Weimann were already part of the current ÖFB squad. It was the only international match in the “Gugl” oval after its modernization, which cost more than 30 million euros.
LASK’s new jewelry box on the spot cost a lot more – but will make regular international matches in Linz possible again in the near future. Three days after Azerbaijan the one against Estonia takes place. The stadium should be full for both games with around 17,000 spectators. The ÖFB team has competed in Linz ten times so far. The record is balanced with three wins, four draws and three defeats with a goal difference of 17:13.
The first ÖFB international match outside of Vienna was also played in Upper Austria on May 1, 1968. Back then, 32,000 spectators saw a 1-1 draw against Romania on the Frog Mountain in Linz. They then won there in 1971 against Ireland (6-0), in 1976 against Switzerland (3-1) and in 1981 against Finland. Since then, the Austrians have not won six games in a row in Linz. In competition games, the record is impeccable with two clear successes in the two games against Ireland and Finland.
Previous ÖFB international matches in Linz:
- 1 May 1968: Austria 1-1 Romania
- October 10, 1971 (European Championship qualifier): Austria – Ireland 6-0
- 20 October 1976: Austria 3-1 Switzerland
- 17 June 1981 (World Cup qualifiers): Austria – Finland 5-1
- October 16, 1985: Austria 0-3 Yugoslavia
- 31 August 1988: Austria 0-0 Hungary
- 2 September 1992: Austria 1-1 Portugal
- 23 March 1994: Austria 1-1 Hungary
- 18 March 1997: Austria 0-2 Slovenia
- 14 November 2012: Austria 0-3 Ivory Coast
Record of previous ÖFB international matches in Linz: 10 games – 3 wins, 4 draws, 3 defeats (goal difference 17:13)
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