June 22 – Poland were put to the sword against Austria as the bottom-placed sides clashed in Group D, giving Ralf Rangnick’s side a lifeline headed into the final game versus Netherlands on Tuesday.
Austria were dominant throughout the match, bar a brief stint of sluggishness that allowed Poland to get back into the game. Goals from Gernot Trauner, Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic secured a vital 3-1 victory, but manager Rangnick insisted that his team was more than the sum of its parts.
“I don’t want to emphasise the performance of any player – our team lives off of team spirit,” he said in the post-match press conference on Friday evening.
He broke his rule to praise Feyernoord defender Trauner for an exceptional shift at the back, after the player was dropped from the squad to face France last week. The Austrian netted a picture-perfect header to give his side an early lead, but was forced off early into the second half due to injury concerns.
“That Trauner had a good match is not really surprising to me,” Rangnick said. “He was already a candidate to play in the first match, and he proved he can play today. Unfortunately I had to take him off due to muscular problems, but we have to wait to hear the opinion of the medical staff.”
The former Manchester United boss was quick to compliment his side’s opening form, which saw Austria stamp their authority on the game from the first whistle.
“The first 20 minutes were perfect from our side. We maybe should have led by more the one in the first period,” said Rangnick.
“Maybe our players felt it was too easy or maybe the pressure shut us down but our performance level dropped after the first 20 minutes.
“Overall though, that was the most important match since I have worked with Austria so I am very happy.
“I said before the game that the team that loses today is out of the groups. The team that wins the match has everything in their own hands. That is now the case.”
RB Leipzig winger Christoph Baumgartner targeted Rangnick on the Austrian bench, who was met with a giddy embrace in the 24-year-old’s goal celebrations.
“Luckily my glasses are okay!” joked Rangnick.
Baumgartner joined Rangnick in the press room, accompanied by his Man of the Match award. Despite being partly at fault for the goal conceded, he corrected his mistake with a thumping effort from outside the box to put his team back in front.
“Everybody is extremely happy. To be honest there was a lot of pressure on us, we already felt it yesterday. We couldn’t sleep or nap because we were stressed with all the pressure. We’re so relieved but we know we still have a task in front of us,” said Baumgartner.
“We are happy, we enjoyed that but we have to stay focused on what’s to come.”
Just last week, the player was subject to criticism following a crucial miss that would have given his side the lead against France.
“I’m extremely happy to score today,” he said. “It happens sometimes where you score five games in a row but can’t when it really counts and everybody asks you questions.
“I asked myself questions. What’s wrong with my football? Why couldn’t I just score? But it’s really important to always believe in yourself.”
Heading into the final group stage fixture versus Netherlands on Tuesday, which will see the Austrians return to the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Baumgartner showed confidence despite the all-star cast of the Dutch squad.
“If we reach our maximum, we can beat a lot of nations. It would have been a big shame if we had lost today, but we deserved this important victory and hopefully we can continue like that in the next match.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1720132283labto1720132283ofdlr1720132283owedi1720132283sni@g1720132283niwe.1720132283yrrah1720132283