1-0 win in Azerbaijan: ÖFB team qualified for the European Championship

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).

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 it was only at the end that things became turbulent again: 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 the last European Championship qualifying match on November 16th in Estonia is all about 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.