Austria 0-1 Germany

Michael Ballack's superb second-half strike handed Germany a last eight tie against Portugal at the expense of Austria who exited Euro 2008.

The Chelsea midfielder scored the only goal of the match when he fired in a powerful 30-yard shot from a free-kick won by Philipp Lahm.

Germany should have scored early in the match but Mario Gomez somehow missed from two yards.

Austria's best chance fell to Andreas Ivanschitz whose shot was blocked.

Germany edged the opening 45 minutes but it appeared Joachim Low's Plan A - asking his men to give prominence to their defensive duties - was a risky strategy.

Because the Germans adopted a different approach it appeared to affect them negatively and they were often caught dithering on the ball in the first half.
And when they were not dithering, they were guilty of giving the ball away.

Fortunately, for the three times European champions Austria have been unable to make the most of the gifts that have come their way at the tournament and against their neighbours little seemed to have changed.

For all their attacking endeavour, largely orchestrated by Umit Korkmaz and Erwin Hoffer, Austria only once managed to pierce a flimsy German defence when Hoffer found himself clear in the area only to let himself down with a poor first touch.


The Germans were not much better but they did look more threatening and should have taken the lead early on with one of the easiest chances any player will get at this championship.

The guilty party was Gomez, later substituted, who mis-kicked from two yards after great work from Miroslav Klose down the right.

Their other chance was created and despatched by the more potent Lukas Podolski who stung the hands of Jurgen Macho from 25 yards.

While most of the players kept their cool during the tense occasion, the same could not be said for coaches Low and Josef Hickersberger who were sent to the stands shortly before the break by referee Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez for what appeared to be an ongoing spat with the fourth official.

Whatever effect that had on the German team appeared to be positive as they came out after the interval with a roaring fire in their bellies.

That new found venom was symbolised by Ballack's strike which eased the worries for his side.

The marauding Lahm won a free-kick when he was fouled after a tremendous run towards the penalty area.

Chelsea midfielder Ballack stepped up to the mark and spanked his effort into Macho's top-left corner.

From that point on Germany looked odds-on to seal their ninth win in 12 competitive matches against Austria.
Low joined Germany chancellor Angela Merkel in the stands
Austria heads dropped knowing that they needed to beat the Germans to stand any chance of joining co-hosts Switzerland as one of the eliminated teams.

Balls were now hit in hope into the German area and when Ivanschitz did find himself free he was denied by a great tackle from Lahm.

Torsten Frings and Klose went close to adding a second late on with well-struck efforts, but in the end the thunderbolt from talisman Ballack proved enough for Germany, who have reached the tournament knockout stages for the first time since they won the title in 1996.



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Austria: Macho, Garics, Stranzl, Hiden (Leitgeb 55), Pogatetz, Harnik (Kienast 67), Aufhauser (Saumel 63), Ivanschitz, Fuchs, Korkmaz, Hoffer.
Subs Not Used: Manninger, Ozcan, Standfest, Vastic, Linz, Gercaliu, Katzer, Patocka.

Booked: Stranzl, Hoffer, Ivanschitz.

Germany: Lehmann, Friedrich, Mertesacker, Metzelder, Lahm, Fritz (Borowski 90), Frings, Ballack, Podolski (Neuville 83), Gomez (Hitzlsperger 60), Klose.
Subs Not Used: Enke, Adler, Jansen, Westermann, Rolfes, Trochowski, Odonkor, Kuranyi.

Goals: Ballack 49.

Att: 50,000

Ref: Manuel Enrique Mejuto Gonzalez (Spain).


TRIVIA
Germany have qualified for the quarter-finals after failing to progress from the group stage at both Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. In the last eight, they will play Portugal on Thursday, 19 June, in Basel. Their last meeting at the European Championship was on 8 July 2000 when Portugal beat Germany 3-0 through a hat trick by Sergio Conceicao.

Michael Ballack scored his second European Championship goal. He made his debut goal four years ago against the Czech Republic. Ballack became only the third German player to score in more than one European Championship finals, next to Jurgen Klinsmann and Rudi Voller.

Austria became the third host nation to fail to progress from the group stage since the introduction of the knock-out stages in 1984 following Belgium (2000) and Switzerland (2008).

In 1980, Italy finished second in the group and were condemned to the third place play-off.

Austria became the first host ever at the European Championship to score only one goal. They are now the third host country to stay winless in the whole tournament after France (two matches in 1960) and Yugoslavia (two matches in 1976). Austria are now winless in their last nine matches in the Ernst Happel stadium.

Austria 1-1 Poland

Co-hosts Austria were given a Euro 2008 lifeline when Ivica Vastic scored a stoppage-time penalty against Poland.

English referee Howard Webb ruled that Mariusz Lewandowski hauled down Sebastian Proedl and substitute Vastic slammed the penalty past Artur Boruc.

Boruc had earlier made a string of stunning saves to deny Poland, with Martin Harnik wasting two fine chances.

Poland's goal came when Roger Guerreiro converted a first-half cross from an offside position three yards out.

It was a dramatic end in Vienna and both sides' chances of qualifying for the quarter-finals remain slim, though Vastic's goal does send Croatia through to the last eight.

Austria probably deserved a point for their dominance in the first half an hour, but until Webb pointed to the spot two minutes into injury time it looked as though their chance had gone.


In truth, the game should have already been dead and buried in the Austrians' favour.

The home side made a sensational start to the game and they could - and should - have been 3-0 up with only 15 minutes on the clock.

First Harnik took advantage of Mariusz Jop's hesitancy to surge through on goal only to see Boruc deflect his shot inches wide of the target.

Moments later, Unit Korkmaz used his explosive pace to waltz past two men down the left and cross for Harnik, eight yards out, to shoot straight at Boruc.

When Poland's flimsy offside trap was breached once more for Christoph Leitgeb to run in unchallenged on goal it seemed as though Austria had to score, but again the heroic Boruc spread himself and the shot cannoned into his midriff.


Roger's first-half goal was not enough to earn Poland victory

Having been so profligate, Austria were punished in devastating fashion by the Poles on the half-hour mark.

Ebi Smolarek crossed to the far side of the penalty box from the left wing, Marek Saganowski turned inside Emanuel Pogatetz and his cross-shot was poked home by Roger from close range.

It was doubly harsh on the Austrians because Roger was clearly standing in an offside position when the ball left Southampton striker Saganowski's foot.

Poland took Jop off at half-time and within seconds of the restart his replacement Pawel Golanski was a little lucky not to concede a penalty, as the defender's hands were all over Andreas Ivanschitz with the Austrian captain moving in on goal.

But the Poles had largely sorted out their defensive problems from the first half and were enjoying more possession, with the skilful Roger central to their attacking ambitions.

He floated over a cross from the right that Jacek Bak chested down and fired in, Jurgen Macho making an impressive save with his right leg to keep Austria in it.

Macho produced more heroics when he arched his back to tip over Jacek Krzynowek's sizzling 35-yard left-foot free-kick but the co-hosts, weary and still reeling from Roger's sucker-punch, were hanging on.

But with the clock running down and Austria's chances hanging by a thread, Webb stunned the Poles by pointing to the spot and 38-year-old Vastic rifled in to become the oldest scorer in European Championship history.



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Austria: Macho, Garics, Prodl, Stranzl, Pogatetz, Leitgeb, Aufhauser (Saumel 74), Ivanschitz (Vastic 64), Korkmaz, Harnik, Linz (Kienast 64).
Subs Not Used: Manninger, Ozcan, Standfest, Fuchs, Gercaliu, Katzer, Patocka, Hiden, Hoffer.

Booked: Korkmaz, Prodl.

Goals: Vastic 90 pen.

Poland: Boruc, Wasilewski, Jop (Golanski 46), Bak, Zewlakow, Dudka, Lewandowski, Krzynowek, Roger (Murawski 85), Saganowski (Lobodzinski 83), Smolarek.
Subs Not Used: Kowalewski, Fabianski, Wawrzyniak, Gargula, Pazdan, Zahorski, Kokoszka.

Booked: Wasilewski, Krzynowek, Bak.

Goals: Roger 30.

Att: 51,428.

Ref: Howard Webb (England).



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Rater man of the match: Poland's Artur Boruc on 8.99 (on 90 minutes).

Austria 0-1 Croatia

Croatia were forced to hang on against tournament co-hosts Austria to begin their Euro 2008 campaign with a win.

They were gifted what proved to be a fourth-minute winner when Luka Modric drilled home a penalty after Rene Aufhauser clumsily felled Ivica Olic.

Austria's Joachim Standfest headed their best chance wide as they finished the first half in better form.

And after the break Austria's Umit Korkmaz had a stinging shot well saved and Roman Kienast headed narrowly wide.

An equaliser would not have flattered a plucky Austria side who had to dig deep to recover from a terrible opening spell.

Austria went into the game knowing that if they were to rip up the form book and keep the pre-match party going, it was imperative that they got off to a good start.

But instead they quickly reinforced suggestions they would be merely making up the numbers almost as soon as they touched the ball - or not, in the case of Aufhauser.

He bundled Olic over and up stepped Modric to take the spot-kick and his cool finish must have impressed any watching Tottenham fans, who will be seeing him at their club next season.

Quickly it became evident that Austria's players were unlikely to follow Modric to the Premier League, such was the lack of quality in the side ranked 92nd in the world.



Bilic believes Croatia will improve
And the one Austrian who does actually ply his trade in England, Middlesbrough's Emanuel Pogatetz, looked nothing like a maestro but every bit his 'Mad Dog' nickname.

After being booked for his protest at the penalty he should have been sent off for virtually assaulting Olic on the half-hour mark.

But despite their obvious superiority Croatia created only one other decent chance, when Mladen Petric blazed over from inside the box, and they began to be complacent towards the end of the half.

And had Austria's giant centre-back Sebastian Prodl or Joachim Standfest been more accurate with free headers they might have snatched an equaliser.

If set-pieces had been Austria's only likely source of success in the first half, they came out after the break looking determined to show they could fashion something in open play.

And the hosts did enjoy more possession but Croatia easily broke up their attacks, which were pedestrian at best.
For 20 minutes, the game was almost at a standstill and then Austria found some impetus and started to dictate the tempo.

Austria, though, are not massive outsiders for nothing and although they forced the pace they failed to really threaten.

They almost made the breakthrough when a swerving shot from Korkmaz was parried by keeper Stipe Pletikosa and at the death, Kienast flicked a header narrowly wide.

But they ultimately paid for having a lack of real quality in the final third.

Yet the same could be said of Croatia, who look far from potential winners of the tournament and appear to have no-one to replace injured striker Eduardo da Silva.



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Austria: Macho, Prodl, Stranzl, Pogatetz, Aufhauser, Saumel (Vastic 61), Standfest, Gercaliu (Korkmaz 69), Ivanschitz, Harnik, Linz (Kienast 73).
Subs Not Used: Manninger, Ozcan, Katzer, Garics, Patocka, Hiden, Fuchs, Leitgeb, Hoffer.

Booked: Pogatetz, Saumel, Prodl.

Croatia: Pletikosa, Corluka, Robert Kovac, Simunic, Pranjic, Srna, Nico Kovac, Modric, Kranjcar (Knezevic 61), Olic (Vukojevic 82), Petric (Budan 72).
Subs Not Used: Galinovic, Runje, Simic, Vejic, Rakitic, Pokrivac, Leko, Kalinic, Klasnic.

Booked: Robert Kovac.

Goals: Modric 4 pen.

Ref: Pieter Vink (Holland).



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Rater man of the match: Croatia's Luca Modric 7.51 (on 90 minutes).



TRIVIA
Luka Modric's winning penalty for Croatia was the fastest ever spot kick in the history of this tournament. The previous fastest penalty was awarded to Italy in their match against Germany in 1996, when Gianfranco Zola failed to convert in the ninth minute of the match.

Following Switzerland's defeat on Saturday, Austria are now the sixth host nation to lose their opening match at a European Championship tournament.

The result marked Croatia's first European Championship victory, since a 3-0 win over Denmark on 16 June 1996, ending a five match winless streak.

At the age of 22 years and 273 days, Modric became the youngest Croatian goalscorer ever at this tournament. He broke Goran Vlaovic' record who was 23 years and 309 days old when he scored against Turkey in 1996.

Austria v Croatia

Austria v Croatia




UEFA EURO 2008 GROUP B

Date: Sun 8 June Kick-off: 1700 BST Venue: Ernst Happel Stadion, Vienna




Austria have yet to name their team, but captain Andreas Ivanschitz says they will start with two forwards.

Croatia defender Vedran Corluka has shaken off a knock on his Achilles tendon, which he picked up on Friday.

And coach Slaven Bilic sprung no surprises in his team selection, and will send out his side in their traditional 4-4-2 line-up.

In the absence of the injured Eduardo da Silva, Croatia's attack will be led by Mladen Petric and Ivica Olic.

Croatia's defence is considered a weaker part of their team and Ivanschitz made it clear Austria will try to take advantage of that percieved frailty.

He said: "Their central defence is vulnerable. With our fleet-footed strikers, we can hurt them."

However, Croatia's midfield is rated as very strong with skilful playmakers Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar pulling the strings.

Dario Srna - the main supplier of crosses - and veteran captain Niko Kovac will provide able support.

Up front Petric has scored nine goals in 21 appearances for Croatia, while Olic has hit nine in 51 internationals.


Head-to-heads

Austria and Croatia have met three times before, all encounters were friendlies.

Croatia won all three matches, most recently on 23 May 2006 when they won 4-1 in Vienna. Ivan Klasnic (2), Bosko Balaban and Marko Babic scored for the visitors. Andreas Ivanschitz scored the only goal for Austria.


Team facts - Austria

Are making their European Championship debut. Four nations have won this tournament on their debut. They are: Soviet Union (1960), Spain (1964), Italy (1968), West Germany (1972). The last host nation to win this tournament was France in 1984.



Austria's 5-1 win over Malta in their final warm-up match marked just their second win in the last 16 matches. They have not won any of their last six matches in the Ernst Happel Stadion.

Team facts - Croatia

Taking part in a European Championship for the third time. Their best performance came in 1996 when they reached the quarter-finals.

Coach Slaven Bilic played in all four of Croatia's matches that year. Bilic will be 38 years and 271 days old on Sunday, making him the fifth youngest coach in the history of this tournament. Slovenia's Srecko Katanec became the youngest coach ever at a European Championships. He was 36 years 333 days during the 2000 tournament.

Failed to win their last five matches at European Championships (two draws, three defeats). Their last European Championship win dates back to 16 June 1996, when they beat Denmark 3-0 in the group phase.

Player facts - Austria

Rene Aufhauser was Austria's top scorer with six goals during their two-year friendly campaign (24 matches).

Backup goalkeeper Ramazan Ozcan (Hoffenheim) joins Poland's Marek Saganowski (Southampton) and Germany's Oliver Neuville (Borussia Monchengladbach) as the only Euro 2008 players to have played their 2007-08 club football below the top flight.

If selected, Martin Hiden will be making his 50th international appearance for Austria.

Ivica Vastic is the only player in the squad who has ever played at a major international tournament. He played in three matches at the 1998 Fifa World Cup.

Player facts - Croatia

Dario Simic returns to a European Championship tournament for the third time, following Euro 96 and Euro 2004. He has played four previous matches at this tournament which makes him Croatia's joint record holder.

Hrvoje Vejic will turn 31 on the day of this match.

Eduardo da Silva was Croatia's top scorer in qualification with 10 goals. He will miss Euro 2008 after suffering a broken leg while playing for Arsenal in the Premier League in February.

Austria aware of Croatian threat

Austria aware of Croatian threat




They are already proving excellent co-hosts, but can the Austrians also impress where it matters most? Josef Hickersberger's side begin their UEFA EURO 2008™ bid on Sunday knowing Group B rivals Croatia would love nothing more than to spoil the party at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna.

'Optimistic'
Ranked 92nd in the world by FIFA, Austria are under no illusion about their underdog status, but Hickersberger promised his players would rise to meet the challenge. "I'm optimistic we're going to play well against Croatia," the coach said. "We have no injuries, all the players are 100 per cent fit and in good health, and they all believe in the possibility of creating a surprise. Our opponents are excellent and experienced, but we've set ourselves a goal. For the first time in 18 years, we want to win a match in a major tournament."

First appearance
Their last success in a major finals came against the United States at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, when Hickerberger was also sitting in the dugout, and the 60-year-old is targeting a berth in the last eight as Austria make their first-ever appearance in the continental showcase. "We want to win this match and we have to win a match if we're to fulfil our goal of reaching the quarter-finals," he explained. "We have three chances to do that, starting now, but as for our tactics, that will depend on the strengths and weaknesses of both sides."

Goalkeeping debate
Cagey as ever, the former Austrian international also refused yet again to name his first-choice goalkeeper. Alex Manninger and Jürgen Macho have both been tipped by various local newspapers, and Hickerberger joked that at least some of them were on the right track. "I will announce the lineup tomorrow before the match," he said. "But you can read the name of the goalkeeper in many newspapers. I hope they've got it right." What seems less debateable, on the other hand, is that Austrian-Croatian Andreas Ivanschitz will start in midfield, while Croatian-born striker Ivica Vastic will begin on the bench.

Eduardo motivation
There are no doubts about Slaven Bilić's Croatia lineup, meanwhile, with the creative spark likely to come from playmaker Luka Modrić, while Ivica Olić will partner Mladen Petrić up front. They will look to provide the goals in the absence of injured striker Eduardo da Silva, but Bilić denied that their job will be to help Croatia's fans forget the Brazilian-born forward. "We're very motivated because of Eduardo," he said. "He's very popular with the other players. No one can replace him but we're confident of getting good results."

No complacency
The Croats certainly go into the tournament with higher expectations after topping qualifying Group E ahead of Russia, England and Israel. They have also beaten Austria in all three meeting between the two sides, including a 4-1 triumph in Vienna two years ago. Bilić ruled out the possibility of complacency, however, stating: "We think we can go far. But right now, we're not even thinking about the second match. We're totally focused on Austria. The first match is so important in terms of confidence and our players are highly motivated and ready to go."

Rising stars with Europe in their sights

Rising stars with Europe in their sights



Wayne Rooney, Petr Čech and Cristiano Ronaldo were just three of the names whose reputations were established on the biggest stage at UEFA EURO 2004™. Now four years on euro2008.com takes its pick of some the rising stars who hope to follow in their footsteps by shining this month in Austria and Switzerland.

Igor Akinfeev, 22, Russia
Igor Akinfeev travelled with Russia as an 18-year-old to UEFA EURO 2004™. He was his country's third-choice goalkeeper then but now, despite being restricted to just six qualifying appearances through injury, is firmly established again as Guus Hiddink's No1. A UEFA Cup winner in 2005, Akinfeev is among the most exciting young goalkeepers in the European game.

Alberto Aquilani, 23, Italy
Aquilani "could become one of the best players in the world" according to Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon. The AS Roma midfielder was a surprise inclusion for Italy's friendly against Belgium and showed why by setting up Antonio Di Natale in the Azzurri's 3-1 win. The complete midfielder, Aquilani faces tough competition in an experienced squad but could prove a wild card off the bench, especially when Italy need goals.

Karim Benzema, 20, France
Benzema needs no introduction after his 20 goals helped Olympique Lyonnais win the French title and established him as the youngest player to finish top scorer in France's top flight. That, though, is just the beginning for 'The Benz' who has already scored three times in nine appearances for France and will be more than just a foil for Thierry Henry.

Martin Fenin, 21, Czech Republic
Fenin may be the youngest player in the Czech Republic squad but expectations are rising fast, particularly with Milan Baroš far from the form that saw him top the scoring chart at UEFA EURO 2004™. Fenin shone in the team that finished runners-up at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup and has continued to impress since leaving FK Teplice for Eintracht Frankfurt in January.

Mario Gómez, 22, Germany
Arguably the most exciting individual to have broken into the Germany fold since the last FIFA World Cup, Mario Gómez has scored 33 league goals in the past two seasons for VfB Stuttgart. Tall, two-footed and with a keen eye for goal, the 22-year-old is wanted by a host of top European clubs and could raise his transfer value considerably at UEFA EURO 2008™. Likely to start alongside Miroslav Klose.

Erwin Hoffer, 21, Austria
Host nation Austria are pinning their hopes on rising star 'Jimmy' Hoffer who caught the eye at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, when his three goals helped fire Austria to an unexpected fourth-placed finish. The dynamic young front-runner further raised his profile by winning the Austrian Bundesliga with SK Rapid Wien this season. Speed is Hoffer's greatest weapon and Austria will need him at his best if they are to spring a surprise in Group B.

Luka Modrić, 22, Croatia
Much is expected of this central midfielder who has rapidly become key to Croatia's chances. One of the most technically gifted players in coach Slaven Bilić's squad, he can pull off passes other players might not even see, and though slim, his pace keeps him clear of more physical opponents. Reminiscent at times of Lionel Messi, he has even been compared with the great Johan Cruyff. Tottenham Hotspur FC fans will be watching their new signing with particular interest.

João Moutinho, 21, Portugal
João Moutinho has been around longer than his age suggests. He made his debut at Sporting Clube de Portugal at 18 and had already played 100 times for the club by the time he was 20. A versatile midfielder who is happy in both defensive or attacking roles, he first played for Portugal three years ago, and is now becoming increasingly influential in Luiz Felipe Scolari's plans.

David Silva, 22, Spain
David Silva may be slight of frame but his fearless attitude and quick feet make him a handful for any defence. Known for his dashes up the left touchline to deliver a dangerous cross, the Valencia CF player is also capable of drifting infield to provide assistance to his attackers. Represented Spain at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup where he scored four goals.

Vassilis Torosidis, 22, Greece
Torosidis will celebrate his 23rd birthday on 10 June, when Greece kick off the defence of their title against Sweden. Nominally a right -back, he plays on the left for his country but is comfortable anywhere across the back line or even as a defensive midfielder. His rise has been rapid since he swapped Skoda Xanthi FC for CFP Olympiacos in January 2007 and his performances in the UEFA Champions League have drawn admiring glances from some of Europe's leading clubs.

Ski jump sets stage for Austria-Germany

Ski jump sets stage for Austria-Germany





The UEFA EURO 2008™ Group B game between co-hosts Austria and Germany will be preceded by a ski jump contest involving representatives of the two countries at the Fan Zone in Innsbruck.

Big names
The two teams meet at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on 16 June in the final round of matches in Group B, yet across Austria at the Fan Zone in Innsbruck there will be another type of battle between the nations as each is represented by top ski jumpers Martin Schmitt and Gregor Schlierenzauer. From 18.30CET the two athletes will take their place on the balcony of the famous Bergisel jump and compete in a head-to-head contest similar to that in the Four Hills Tournament.

'Great show'
"The German and Austrian ski jumping stars will give the spectators at Bergisel a great show," said Austrian ski jump coach Alexander Pointner. "I think it's a perfect mood setter for what in my opinion will be the most emotional game for the Austrians during the European Championship." The game between Austria and Germany kicks off at 20.45CET in Vienna.

Hickersberger deflects keeper question

Hickersberger deflects keeper question




Austria coach Josef Hickersberger has delayed announcing his first-choice goalkeeper in a bid to focus his players' minds ahead of UEFA EURO 2008™.

Call for concentration
The co-hosts kick off their Group B campaign against Croatia in Vienna on Sunday, yet Hickersberger is yet to make public his preference for Alex Manninger or Jürgen Macho despite admitting he has already made his decision. "The team have not been as focused as I would have liked them to be in the past few days, and some of them were late," complained the Austria coach, who wants his side to turn thoughts to their opening opponents. "We have to concentrate fully on the first game against Croatia, who are technically very strong."

Austria reward fans with goal fest

Austria reward fans with goal fest




A crowd of 2,500 attended the Austria national team's public training session in Stegersbach on Tuesday.

Goals galore
Despite the threat of thunderstorms, the supporters packed the training venue and were rewarded by the goalscoring spectacle played out by Josef Hickersberger's squad. It finished 5-2 to ÖFB II with Erwin Hoffer scoring a hat-trick and Roland Linz and Christoph Leitgeb also on target. Remarkably, this team had just ten men because defender Emanuel Pogatetz was rested as a precaution. Third-choice goalkeeper Ramazan Özcan was the only other missing player. Roman Kienast and René Aufhauser scored for the losing side.

ÖFB I: Macho, Garics, Hiden, Patocka, Gercaliu, Harnik, Aufhauser, Ivanschitz, Säumel, Korkmaz, Kienast.

ÖFB II: Manninger, Prödl, Stranzl, Katzer, Standfest, Vastic, Leitgeb, Fuchs, Linz, Hoffer.

Victory at last for five-star Austria

Victory at last for five-star Austria





Austria 5-1 Malta
UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts Austria gave their confidence a major boost as they secured their first win since November in their last pre-finals friendly.
Wait over
Austria coach Josef Hickersberger made five changes to the side that faced Nigeria on Tuesday, with Alex Manninger between the goalposts and Ronald Gercaliu, Christoph Leitgeb, Ümit Korkmaz and Erwin Hoffer all given starts further forward. And although it was only 2-1 at half-time, Austria streaked away in the second period to end a six-game wait for a victory and go into the 8 June Group B opener against Croatia in Vienna on a high.

Early goals
It soon became clear the hosts were on a mission to rack up goals and with just eight minutes gone they collected their first, René Aufhauser heading in from a set-piece. Barely three minutes later, Roland Linz doubled the lead after some nice work from Hoffer.

Malta respone
Austria kept up the pressure despite their advantage and squandered numerous good chances to register their third. In fact, it was Malta who scored next when Michael Mifsud latched on to a through-pass with four minutes remaining in the half and gave his team a lifeline against the run of play.

Crucial win
The same player then came close to equalising three minutes after the break, but the game was finally taken behind the visitors when Martin Harnik was fouled in the area during a counterattack. Linz converted from the spot on 67 minutes and ten minutes later Ivica Vastic profited from a lapse in Malta's defence to make it 4-1, before Harnik added a fifth in the final minute.

Austria: Manninger, Garics, Stranzl (Prödl 84), Pogatetz (Hiden 84), Gercaliu (Katzer 76), Ivanschitz, Aufhauser (Säumel 76), Leitgeb, Korkmaz (Harnik 46), Linz, Hoffer (Vastic 58).

Malta: Hogg (Haber 46), Caruana (Frendo 46), Said, Dimech, S.Bajada, Briffa, Pace (Mallia 86), M. Mifsud (Barbara 64), Agius, Nwoko (Fenech 46), Schembri (Azzopardi 72).

Austria face a steep learning curve

Austria face a steep learning curve






How are their preparations going for UEFA EURO 2008™?

• With only friendly games to prepare themselves for co-hosting the finals, Austria have endured some tough times.
• Charged with the task of building a new Austria side for 2008, coach Josef Hickersberger knew the process was likely to be a painful one, saying: "It goes without saying that this process means facing and overcoming obstacles and setbacks."
• Hickersberger lost his first three games in charge before a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica in September 2006 helped ease the pressure. He finally earned a first win at the fifth attempt, 2-1 against Liechtenstein thanks to a late Thomas Prager goal, and followed that up with a 2-1 victory against fellow hosts Switzerland.
• René Aufhauser struck a hat-trick in a 4-1 success against Trinidad & Tobago in October 2006, but it was to be another year – and another ten games – before Austria won again, beating Ivory Coast 3-2 in Innsbruck.
• Further defeats to group rivals, Germany (0-3), and also the Netherlands (3-4) followed during the main international friendly dates in 2008 prior to the finals proper.
• Hickersberger continues to blood young talent, and said: "I'm convinced we will see a very different national team at the European Championship. Both Austria and Switzerland will be excellent hosts. They will put on a sensational tournament and I am convinced that both teams will reach the quarter-finals."


How did they perform in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying?

• A third-placed finish in Group 6 meant Austria missed out on their second successive FIFA World Cup finals, having last appeared at the 1998 event in France.
• Hans Krankl's Austria made a bright start, holding section favourites England to a 2-2 draw in Vienna, after two goals in four minutes from Roland Kollman and Andreas Ivanschitz cancelled out efforts from Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.
• However, a 3-1 home defeat by Poland in their fourth game was a disappointment from which they never quite recovered.
• A second defeat against Poland ended any realistic hopes of qualification, and Krankl resigned with two qualifiers still to play, angry at the news that he was to be replaced by Hickersberger - then coach of SK Rapid Wien.
• Austria subsequently lost 1-0 in England and beat Northern Ireland 2-0 at home.

How did they perform in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying?

• The Czech Republic and the Netherlands proved too strong for Austria as they finished third in Group 3, well out of the qualifying picture.
• Successive 2-0 wins in their opening qualifiers against Moldova and Belarus augured well, but a 3-0 home defeat against the Dutch followed by a 4-0 mauling in the Czech Republic represented the writing on the wall.
• Both the section's big names would inflict further defeats on Krankl's side before the end of the campaign, and to add insult to injury, Austria also lost 1-0 in Moldova.

What is their best performance in the UEFA European Championship?

• Austria have never qualified for a UEFA European Championship final tournament, and so will be playing in the finals for the first time when they co-host UEFA EURO 2008™. They came within one round of the four-team final tournament of the inaugural 1960 competition, but lost 9-4 on aggregate to France in the quarter-finals.

Key facts

• Austria will be one of two first-time contenders at the UEFA European Championship finals along with Poland. However, they have played at seven FIFA World Cup final tournaments.

All-time record

• Going into the finals of UEFA EURO 2008™, their record in the tournament was 80 matches played, with 33 wins, 13 draws and 34 defeats, and 146 goals scored and 125 conceded.

AUSTRIA -Tournament fixtures

Tournament fixtures




08/06/2008 Austria v Croatia 18:00
12/06/2008 Austria v Poland 20:45
16/06/2008 Austria v Germany 20:45

AUSTRIA

AUSTRIA


Coach: HICKERSBERGER

Squad list

Goalkeepers

»1 Alex Manninger
»21 Jürgen Macho
»23 Ramazan Özcan

Defenders

»2 Joachim Standfest
»3 Martin Stranzl
»4 Emanuel Pogatetz
»12 Ronald Gercaliu
»13 Markus Katzer
»15 Sebastian Prödl
»16 Jürgen Patocka
»17 Martin Hiden

Midfielders

»5 Christian Fuchs
»6 René Aufhauser
»8 Christoph Leitgeb
»10 Andreas Ivanschitz
»11 Ümit Korkmaz
»14 György Garics
»19 Jürgen Säumel
»20 Martin Harnik

Forwards

»7 Ivica Vastic
»9 Roland Linz
»18 Roman Kienast
»22 Erwin Hoffer