Chance of promotion gone?

U19 team starts final European Championship qualifying phase with 0:1!

(Bild: GEPA)

The chances of Austria's U19 footballers in the elite round of the European Championship qualifiers are already looking bleak after the first game! On Wednesday, Oliver Lederer's team were beaten 0:1 (0:0) by Kosovo in Gornja Radgona (Oberradkersburg) and can only have small hopes of securing the first place needed for a ticket to the final round ahead of their clashes with Slovenia (Saturday, 4pm) and Spain (March 26, 12pm). The U17s, on the other hand, got off to a successful start. 

The U19s, who came through the first qualifying phase last fall unbeaten in a group with England, Montenegro and Wales, were unlucky to start the elite qualifying group against Slovenia. As the more active and dangerous team, they recorded two shots on target, while Rapid striker Furkan Dursun was fouled by the Kosovan goalkeeper on a penalty in the 23rd minute.

To make matters worse, Jakob Schöller's ball bounced into his own goal shortly after the restart (49'). In the parallel match, tournament hosts Slovenia and Spain drew 1-1, with only the group winners advancing to the finals in Northern Ireland this summer.

U17s, on the other hand, got off to a successful start
Team boss Martin Scherb's U17 squad, on the other hand, were able to celebrate. Florian Hangl (30) and Oghenetejiri Adejenughure (62) led Red-White-Red to a 2-0 (1-0) victory over Slovenia in the first game of the Elite Round in Wr. Neustadt. Norway await at the same venue on Saturday (12 noon), followed by Spain on March 26 (5 p.m.). The group winners and the seven best group runners-up from the eight elite rounds will qualify for the tournament in Cyprus in the summer.