Nations League: Austria 1 (Kalajdzic 79) Republic of Ireland 0
Austria secured promotion to the top tier of the Nations League with a game to spare after LASK-Linz striker Sasa Kalajdzic came off the bench to score a 79th-minute winner against the Republic of Ireland in his club ground.
It was a maddeningly avoidable goal for Ireland to concede with 12 minutes remaining on a frigid night in Linz.
After an impressive tactical approach from Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men, failure to clear an Austria corner led to Kalajdzic bundling the ball into Caoimhín Kelleher’s goal.
Should Kalajdzic have been sent off for an earlier elbow? “I need to see it again,” the Ireland manager said.
READ MORE
Kelleher is beyond criticism as the Brentford goalkeeper kept his country in the contest with a string of sensational saves.
“We want to be brave in the beginning, we want to test them in the first-half,” Hallgrímsson had said before kick-off.
“[Troy Parrott, Adam Idah and Jack Moylan] have been doing well in the sessions and we thought, why not? Let’s go for it again even if it is a tough opponent in a tough away ground.”
Hallgrímsson was talking about the decision to start two centre forwards in Parrott and Idah, with Moylan completing the front three as Finn Azaz settled into his new role as a distributing, holding midfielder.
Bravery is an essential trait for any successful team, but what makes the current front-three so effective is Moylan and Parrott are operating in their favoured positions, while Idah is willing to drill down, win his duels and connect the triangular attack.
Austria were forewarned, with their swarming high-press denying a repeat of Idah’s assist for Parrott’s wonder goal at the Aviva last month. Ralf Rangnick’s side were determined to atone for their first-half performance in Dublin when they had to reel in a 2-0 deficit.
Both teams came to play ball into feet. As a result, Parrott, Moylan and Idah looked gassed by half-time when the 0-0 scoreline could so easily have been 3-3.
Austria can thank Alexander Schlager for denying Parrott on two occasions. Schlager got his body behind Parrott’s overhead kick from a Dara O’Shea delivery in the 23rd minute before the Werder Bremen goalkeeper made parried the Real Betis striker’s left foot shot six minutes later.
Parrott’s hat-trick of chances was denied by Sunderland’s Kevin Danso recovering his mistimed pass to crowd out the Irish marksman.
Nathan Collins and O’Shea were solid in defence, but it was Liam Scales’s toe poke that denied Christoph Lang a clear sight of Kelleher’s goal.
Lang was a nuisance. Kelleher displayed the reflexes of an alley cat to save his downward shot that was created by Jayson Molumby slipping in the box.
Moments earlier, Schmid earned a yellow card for cutting through O’Shea. “He should have been sent off,” was Hallgrímsson’s assessment.
Every duel was uncompromising, with Collins and Lang needing attention after an accidental clash of heads.
Bosnian referee Irfan Pelito let plenty go, waving for Scales and Michael Gregoritsch to untangle and regain their feet after the Austrian forward wrestled the Celtic defender on to the grass.
Pelito did miss a blatant hand ball by Philipp Mwene on the edge of the Austria box, mistakenly whistling a bemused Collins.
With the rules of engagement established, Moylan and Idah went about punishing Austria’s high defensive line.
The intensity showed no sign of dipping early in the second-half when an unmarked Gregoritsch headed the ball on to the roof of Kelleher’s net.
Rangnick figured out the Irish approach after 45 minutes in Dublin and the arrival of Kalajdzic on the hour-mark began to stretch the visibly tiring visitors.
Christoph Baumgartner drew another fine save from Kelleher before the Austria number 10 missed the target with a second chance after he ghosted in behind O’Shea.
Hallgrímsson’s 3-4-3 formation was forced into a 5-4-1 defensive shape as changes looked essential to salvage a respectable point away from home.
Ireland created their best moment of the night seconds before Jake O’Brien, Harvey Vale and Chiedozie Ogbene replaced Idah, Moylan and Ryan Manning respectively. Azaz showed his value in the middle of the park, trapping the ball and lifting his head to see Parrott scurrying down the left. The pass was pinpoint. Parrott angled towards goal, smashing an effort off Schlager’s gloves before Idah skied the rebound.
That was the Ireland chance to go top of Group B3.
Austria piled forward, with Scmid rolling a free-kick for Baumgartner to force Kelleher into more acrobatics.
Twelve months on from the unforgettable victory in Budapest, everyone in European football knows that Ireland love to strike in transition. Konrad Laimer swallowed a yellow card to stop Ogbene from sprinting clear. Frustratingly, Peljto stopped a quick free to book Laimer.
The damn broke moments later when Kalajdzic beat James Abankwah to scramble dirty ball over the goal line.
On a night for the goalkeepers, the entire stadium stalled to applaud Schlager’s instinctive save from Ogbene’s point blank header with three minutes left on the clock.
Ireland arguably deserved a draw as much as Austria earned the right to return to League A as group winners before their final match against Israel in Debrecen on Tuesday.
Hallgrímsson’s team can still finish second in the group by beating Kosovo in Dublin after Franco Foda’s side were held to a 0-0 draw against Israel in Pristina. However, a draw is enough for Kosovo to finish above Ireland, which would secure a second seed for the Euro 2028 draw.
AUSTRIA: Schlager; Posch (Horvath 76), Lienhart, Danso (Affengruber 90), Mwene; Laimer, Baumgartner (Florucz 76), Seiwald; Schmid, Gregoritsch, Lang (Kalajdzic 60).
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Kelleher; O’Shea, Collins, Scales; Abankwah (Lawal 80), Azaz, Molumby, Manning (Vale 68); Moylan (Ogbene 68), Idah (O’Brien 68); Parrott.
Referee: Irfan Pelijo (BIH).
