Austria sweeps San Marino off the pitch 4-0 in World Cup qualifying!

Austria sweeps San Marino off the pitch 4-0 in World Cup qualifying!

On June 11, 2025, the Austrian national team celebrated a confident victory over San Marino in the World Cup qualifying round. In the match in Serravalle, Austria won 4-0 and continued their unbeaten streak. After a successful start against Romania, where they won 2-1, this is the second win in the current qualification campaign. Loud vienna.at The Austrian team now has six points and has reduced the gap to league leaders Bosnia-Herzegovina to three points, with one game less.

The goals in the game came in the first half: Marko Arnautovic scored in the 3rd and 15th minutes, followed by Michael Gregoritsch in the 11th minute and Christoph Baumgartner in the 27th minute. Arnautovic has now scored a total of 41 international goals and only needs three goals to equal Toni Polster's record of 44 goals. The team, led by ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick, played in a 4-1-3-2 system, with Arnautovic and Gregoritsch acting as a double leader. New to the starting line-up was Mathias Honsak, who made his debut as an attacking left-back.

Gameplay and challenges

However, the victory fell somewhat overshadowed by the tragedy caused by the shooting spree in Graz; A minute of mourning before the game remembered the victims. After the game, Rangnick commented on the difficulty of concentrating on football in these times. Despite the high lead, there was a brief period of sloppiness in the first half where San Marino had a chance to head the ball. In the second half, Rangnick criticized the goal difference and called for an increase.

During the half-time break, Rangnick replaced four players, including Tobias Lawal and Thierno Ballo. Another upset was a penalty that Arnautovic missed in the final quarter of an hour after San Marino goalkeeper Edoardo Colombo saved it. The VAR also decided to cancel a previous goal and a penalty.

Outlook for the upcoming games

Despite missing the biggest away win in a qualifying game (5-0 against Liechtenstein), Austria remains favorite in Group H of the World Cup qualification. The next games are on September 6th against Cyprus in Linz and on September 9th against Bosnia in Zenica. In order to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, winning the group is necessary, as the second place has to compete against other teams in playoffs. Austria are considered favorites in the entire group, having felt a positive development under Rangnick in recent months, despite the difficulties in the past, the last World Cup participation in 1998.

Team boss Rangnick has laid the foundation for successful qualification with a strong line-up and positive performances in the last few games. Austria has struggled to qualify for the World Cup in the past, failing in the pre-qualifiers six times in a row, but the team could turn things around with the players who have impressed in recent games. A current highlight was the good interaction between Arnautovic and Gregoritsch, who supported each other in scoring goals.

For Austria, every point counts on the way to the World Cup, and the win against San Marino is another step in the right direction. courier and fussball-wm.pro show the positive dynamic that currently exists in the ÖFB team, and the dream of a return to the World Cup becomes more real with every game.