Great euphoria after the Turkey gala: Austria is now even dreaming of the European Championship title

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Switzerland struggles to a 1-0 friendly win in Ireland. It is an important victory for the national team after a difficult autumn, but it was still not a performance that would make fans dream of big things in the summer. The Austrians showed this in a 6-1 win over Turkey.

Austria provided a gala performance in the second half for 38,500 spectators. Michael Gregoritsch became the man of the evening as hat-trick scorer. The fact that this crushing victory was achieved despite the absence of three absolute team pillars, David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic and Marcel Sabitzer, shows Austria’s formidable development under Ralf Rangnick. Since the German took over as head coach in the summer of 2022, his team has impressed with courageous, pressing football. Only one of the last 14 matches was lost, with five wins in a row and a goal difference of 13:1.

You can sometimes become euphoric, like Christian Kern, who was Chancellor of Austria for a short time from 2016 to 2017. He said in a tweet that two weeks ago he predicted Germany would become European champions against a friend, “but now I’m no longer sure if they can beat us in the final.”

You also notice that this appearance arouses enthusiasm in the Austrian leaf forest. “These performances are suitable for developing euphoria in the country,” writes the “Kleine Zeitung” in a comment that is emblematic of the praise currently being sung about the ÖFB selection.

Rangnick: “If we play like this, it will be difficult against us”

Players and coaches themselves are still putting the brakes on their euphoria. “The result is excellent, but too good,” says midfielder Xaver Schlager via OE24, for example, referring to the first half, in which Austria only made it 2-1 in the 42nd minute. He warns that you must classify the game correctly.

Coach Ralf Rangnick also sees it that way. At the press conference after the match, he also emphasized how good the performance was against a strong opponent like Turkey. “As long as we play against the ball like this, it is very difficult against us, even if some top players are missing.” The trick now is to reach this level in the last round of the summer.

Because if that doesn’t work, the great euphoria will be followed by bitter disappointment. Or as Schlager puts it: “We always believe we are the biggest, and then we fall very low. It is difficult to remain objective in Austria, but I try to convey that.”

Source : Blick