European Football Championship

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(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Following the absence of Alexander Schlager, at least for the Austrian national soccer team's first European Championship match, Patrick Pentz is the prime candidate for the starting eleven against France! However, the 27-year-old knows that the fixed place will not fall into his lap on June 17 in Düsseldorf ... 

He wants to convince team boss Ralf Rangnick with strong training performances, said Pentz on Thursday after the first ÖFB training session in Windischgarsten. Schlager's injury had not changed his situation much. "When I'm with the national team, I always want to play." The fact that the decision on the starting goalkeeper will probably be a long time coming is not a problem for Pentz. "I can handle something like that well." The Salzburg native and Schlager have known each other for a long time, which is why Pentz sent his best wishes to the unlucky player immediately after Schlager's knee injury. "Injuries are always sad. It's best to win a duel in sporting terms."

"My memories of the games against France are very positive!"
Pentz has played five international matches so far, two of them in the Nations League against France. In 2022, they lost 2-0 in Saint-Denis, followed by a 1-1 draw in Vienna, in which Pentz made a strong impression and recommended himself for a transfer abroad. This was followed by a less than edifying stint at Stade Reims, where Pentz only made a few appearances. "I have very positive memories of the games against France, but not of the country," explained Pentz.

"My disappointment is huge!"
The transfer to Bayer Leverkusen followed in 2023, with the works club loaning the keeper to Brøndby last summer. Pentz quickly became the regular goalkeeper at the club from Copenhagen, narrowly missing out on the championship title in the final round with a 3:2 home defeat against Aarhus. "My disappointment is huge, especially for the fans. 29,000 were in the stadium, 60,000 at the stadium," said the ex-Austrian.

"It's good for me, everyone is in a good mood!"
After all, the quick move to the ÖFB team offers a welcome change. "It's good for me, everyone is in a good mood. My club colleagues will certainly have to deal with it for longer," Pentz suspected. His loan contract at Brøndby has expired and his professional future is open. As things stand now, he will return to Leverkusen. According to Pentz, a move to Brøndby's arch-rivals FC Copenhagen, which was recently rumored in the media, will not happen. "For me, there's only one club in Copenhagen, and that's the one I played for. It's the best and biggest club in Denmark."

For now, however, the focus is on the national team. On Tuesday in Vienna against Serbia and the following Saturday in St. Gallen against Switzerland, there will be another test before the real thing on June 17. "We've already shown against the French what's possible and that we can win," said Pentz, referring to the 1-1 draw against the current runners-up in the World Cup and favorites for the European Championship. Confidence is also high among the fans, and it was no coincidence that 3,000 spectators attended the public training session on Thursday despite the pouring rain. "Since the beginning of the Ralf Rangnick era, the hype has been growing and we're bringing it onto the pitch," emphasized Pentz.