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ÖFB team: A draw against Serbia – the dream of League A is shaking!
Austria's ÖFB team only remains 1-1 despite superiority in the Nations League playoff against Serbia. Second leg expected in Belgrade.
ÖFB team: A draw against Serbia – the dream of League A is shaking!
In an exciting Nations League play-off that took place in the sold-out Happel Stadium, the Austrian national football team had to settle for a disappointing 1-1 draw against Serbia. Despite a clear superiority during the game, which was reflected in an expected goals value of 2.31 to 0.36, team boss Ralf Rangnick's team was unable to achieve more than a draw. The first half got off to a promising start: David Alaba, who returned after a long injury break, set up Marko Arnautović with a perfect pass, which eventually fed Michael Gregoritsch for the first goal of the game (37th minute). But the fans' joy didn't last long.
Expected turnaround and missed opportunities
Serbia came back with new energy in the second half and surprised the Austrians with a brilliant goal from Lazar Samardzic, who buried the ball in the corner from 20 meters (61st minute). The Austrian team, dominant so far, was unable to score the winning goal despite further opportunities, including a clearly missed chance from Arnautović in the 88th minute. Rangnick criticized his team's inefficiency: "You usually can't create many more chances against an extremely defensive opponent," he explained, and emphasized the need to make better use of the chances.
A look back at the last important games shows a worrying pattern: In the last few months, Austria has never been able to achieve a decisive victory despite its strong superiority. How laola1 reported, the focus will now be on the crucial second leg in Belgrade, where Rangnick is planning some personnel changes to bring the necessary freshness and effectiveness into the team. The task will be challenging again as Serbia's defense will return with increased personnel, while the Austrians will have to boost their offense.
Next Sunday the Austrians have the chance to take revenge for their missed opportunities. Rangnick appealed to his players to learn the lessons from the home game and made it clear that efficiency in front of the opponent's goal was now the top priority. With a courageous approach and better exploitation of opportunities, the away trip should become the key to promotion to League A of the Nations League, as it is oe24 analyzed.