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The Austrians cannot afford another point loss on Sunday (8:45 PM / ORF 1 live) in Vienna against the Faroe Islands. Foda announced a rotation in view of the coup against Denmark three days later.
For the moment though, it was all about working towards victory in Scotland, which was fun in the end, despite Sasa Kalajdzic leading twice. Both goals conceded in Glasgow seemed avoidable. “Soccer is a sport that makes mistakes, mistakes happen,” Foda said. The German brought them back in cumulative form to a new defensive formation. Defense chief Martin Hinteregger was absent due to thigh problems. “You have to make certain commitments.”
Goalkeeper Alexander Schlager did not look good when he scored the first goal, and earlier he also missed on a pass. According to Foda, this did not change the situation in the fight for the one body. “Before the course we had a clear plan of what we wanted to do,” explained the team boss, who has three other goalkeepers on the roster: Pavao Pervan, who was reliable in the fall, newcomer Daniel Bachmann and returnees Heinz Lindner. .
Except for his bad pass and the next big opportunity, Schlager had little to hold on to. “He didn’t have to stand out, so the game wasn’t that easy for a goalkeeper,” Foda said of the LASK goalkeeper. “In general, the performance was satisfactory.” In the first half, his team didn’t allow much overall, but played too much from side to side with ball possession.
At the halftime break, Foda claimed to have more vertical play. “Then we moved a little better and we were a lot better in the game,” said the German. “We always had phases in the game where we really dominated our opponents.” All the more annoying were the goals conceded. Foda: “More than 90 minutes would have been more possible, but that’s football. At this level, small details usually make the difference. We made one mistake too many, especially in set pieces.”
When John McGinn made a late draw, his team should have been more cohesive. “It was unnecessary for me, we left two points here,” Foda said. He didn’t want to blame his team for showing “mindset.” After all, Marcel Sabitzer would have had to improvise again on match day.
The Leipzig captain will undergo another examination on his battered left leg on Friday. Only then will it be decided, according to Foda, if he is eligible for the Faroe Islands match. Anyway personnel changes were planned. “There is already one or another new force on Sunday. But you must not make the mistake of underestimating your opponent beforehand.”
The Faroe Islands drew 1-1 in the Republic of Moldova in a duel between the losers on Thursday. However, Foda knows the “mandatory victory” that his team has to face. “We absolutely have to win the game, we need three points. And then we will prepare for the next game.” On Wednesday, it will be again in Vienna against first league leaders Denmark, the possible main contender for the group win and the associated direct ticket to the World Cup in Qatar.
Austria was last represented in France in 1998 in a World Cup final. Good omen: back then, too, qualifying started with a draw against Scotland, a 0-0 win at the Prater in Vienna. Foda didn’t want to overestimate the table situation after the first day of play. “We scored a point against a competitor away from home. The Scots also have the ambition to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, as do Israel, Denmark and us. It will be exciting.”
His actors saw it in a similar way. “Maybe we have to be a little more vigilant in the standards. So I’m sure we will get the points we need in the next games,” said Christoph Baumgartner. According to Xaver Schlager, you get better and better at the game as the game progresses. “It’s a shame there isn’t a third half. We only got one point, but we will learn from it.”
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