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League of Nations
For Christoph Baumgartner, a long-awaited wish came true on Friday. “My first game on the national team was a great sensation. That’s what I always dreamed of as a child, ”said the Hoffenheim player after the ÖFB team’s 2-1 victory in the opening match of the Nations League against Norway in Oslo.
The 21-year-old from Lower Austria has long been considered one of the greatest talents in national football. Last spring, the offensive player made his breakthrough in the German Bundesliga, and now Baumgartner has also made a positive first impression on the national team. As a small disappointment, the fact that Waldviertler missed two good chances against Norway stuck.
“In the end, a few inches were missing, but I will continue. Then the first international goal will come, ”promised Baumgartner. The next chance to do so is Monday in Klagenfurt against Romania. “We cannot take a step less and we have to be clearer and fresher in the last third,” demanded Baumgartner.
Surprising discoveries after the start of the ÖFB dream
After the initial 2-1 Nations League success away from Norway, ÖFB team boss Franco Foda came up with a surprising and positive finding: the lack of key players can easily be made up for.
Questionable Hinteregger usage
While the German legionnaire can justifiably hope for a new spot in the starting lineup against Romania, the use of Martin Hinteregger is questionable. The central defender, who entered for the first time as ÖFB captain, suffered a severe contusion to his left ankle in Oslo. On Sunday night, in the last session before the game, Carinthian wants to try to start training.
If Hinteregger cannot play, the red-and-white team will have to face the next major failure after the losses of David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic, Konrad Laimer and Valentino Lazaro, among others. Apart from the precarious staff situation, the ÖFB team also has to deal with the fact that the players are at different stages of preparation and are therefore not physically at the highest level. “In the end I was quite knocked out, I have to go in first. You could feel the cramps, ”Xaver Schlager confessed.
Optimistic for Romania
After all, the joy of winning in Oslo made physical complaints more bearable, for example with Michael Gregoritsch, who scored his third goal in his 18th international game. “We dominated the game for a long time. After our second goal we gave the Norwegians too much space, but the victory is fine, ”said the Styrian.
Gregoritsch noted a “certain well-established” sentiment in the national team. So, according to defender Stefan Posch, nothing should stand in the way of another sense of accomplishment on Monday. “Our goal now is to beat Romania and hopefully win,” said the central defender.
