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In Northern Ireland a victory is needed on Sunday for the ÖFB’s dream of group win to succeed.
You probably couldn’t even write an SMS about Franco Foda’s willingness to provide information on constellations and system ideas. The German, who is not considered talkative anyway, is stubbornly silent on this subject, which is also what he was before leaving for Northern Ireland for Sunday’s Nations League game in Belfast (8:45 PM CET, ORF1 in direct). But exceptions confirm many rules, it remains to be seen if Foda will regret it as a one-off mistake. In any case, he made it clear that Pavao Pervan will be in goal in the very sobering test against Greece at 2-1 on Wednesday.
The fact that Pervan is seeded for all other games or even number one can be ruled out. Foda, 54, said nothing, but his appearance caught up with him faster than expected. In Romania, on Wednesday the ÖFB team in Ploiesti, Heinz Lindner or Jörg Siebenhandl could well keep an eye on the gate.
EM’s third opponent
A rotation is expected over the course of the next few months, Alexander Schlager and Cican Stanković also claiming this position. Only with the start of qualification for the World Cup in March 2021 will Austria return to number one.
The ÖFB team needs three points in Belfast to achieve its intended goal: first place in the Nations League group. The hosts get stronger: Thanks to the away win on penalties against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the play-off final at home against Slovakia in November is all about the ticket to the European Championship.
Foda attached importance to sufficient time on arrival, so the flight took off from Klagenfurt on Friday. The coach expects an intense match at Windsor Park, where 600 spectators are allowed on Sunday, and bets on the return of David Alaba.
On Monday, the ÖFB group flies to Romania, to Ploiesti, the East Europeans have to face defeat in the European Championship play-off against Iceland. Therefore, it is certain that they will not be the hosts of the 2021 European Championship in Bucharest and that Austria, as the third group opponent alongside Ukraine and the Netherlands, can only get Georgia or North Macedonia. Foda said almost nothing, and yet everything. “Georgia and North Macedonia are also strong opponents.”
Ruttensteiner before the end
After Israel’s dramatic finish in the European Championship play-off (3: 5 in the penalty shootout against Scotland), Willibald Ruttensteiner is about to take his leave as the football association’s sporting director. According to Israeli media, Upper Austria will remain in office until December and will oversee the selection process. After that, however, Yossi Aboksis replaces Hapoel Beer Sheva.
Striker Eran Zahavi became the tragic figure of the Israelis in Glasgow. After 120 minutes without goals, the attacker was the first to miss the penalty decision. As all the Scots struck, this was the crucial scene. Zahavi was then comforted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the phone, which, of course, didn’t help much. The 33-year-old barricaded himself in the locker room and left his future with the team open.
Ruttensteiner was taken after the defeat. “It was a great fight between two well organized teams and luck decided in the end. We can be proud of ourselves, we gave it our all, ”he said. Of course, Zahavi is not to blame. “He has already accomplished great things for the team, I told him so too.” Israel has now returned home, on Sunday they will play the Czech Republic in Haifa in the Nations League, and then on Wednesday in Trnava against Slovakia. In November there are two more appearances in the Nations League. Then the Ruttensteiner contract expires.
According to media reports, the former ÖFB sports director will receive compensation of a few monthly salaries. His contract as Technical Director in the Israeli Association was originally valid until the summer of 2022. He followed in the summer as team leader, Andreas Herzog, who had not extended his contract due to the uncertain situation due to the crown crisis. The association leadership was apparently satisfied with Ruttensteiner’s preparation for the play-off. His tactics and personnel decisions were excellent, the “Jedi’ot Acharonot” newspaper quoted a source within the association. But only the EM ticket would have saved his job. (Maryland)
LAST FOUR INCOMING EM
Austria will not meet with co-hosts Romania at EM 2021.
The EM group with Holland and Ukraine is filled with the winner of the match Georgia – North Macedonia.
More playoffs November 12: Hungary v Iceland, Serbia v Scotland, Northern Ireland v Slovakia.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, 10.10.2020)
