EM "oldie" Vastic:
“Then it will be the better end for us”
The "Krone" had a chat with Ivica Vastic ahead of Austria's European Championship clash against Poland on Friday. The 54-year-old shot himself into the history books at the home EURO 2008 with the 1:1 equalizer against the second group opponent of red-white-red. "It will be a tough battle, but if we play with as much pressure as we did in the second half against France, we'll come out on top," said Sibenik's U19 coach.
"A wonderful memory, but it was a long time ago. I'm reminded of it every four years," laughed Ivica Vastic. He came on for Roland Linz in the 64th minute of the 2008 home European Championship against Poland and made history with a penalty in the 93rd minute. Vastic not only scored Austria's first goal at a European Championship final in the 1:1, but at 38 years and 257 days he is still the oldest goalscorer at a EURO. "It was clear to me at the time that I would score the penalty, I was the experienced player in the team, so I went first. I watched goalkeeper Boruc very closely and then shot the ball into the left corner. As a footballer, I always wanted to score goals."
The now 54-year-old, who works as a coach for Sibenik's U19s in Croatia, is also Austria's only player to have scored at both a European Championship and a World Cup (scoring the 1:1 against Chile in 1998). "It's a dream for every footballer and a very nice feeling." As in 2008 (0:1 against Croatia), Red-White-Red started this year's European Championship with a narrow 0:1 defeat against France. What does Vastic think our squad can do in the second group game against Poland on Friday? "It will be a very special game, everything is at stake for both teams. We have to win, but there are no easy opponents these days. It will be a tough battle, but if we play with as much pressure as we did in the second half against France, we'll come out on top."
"It would be an honor if Ronaldo broke my record"
Vastic is impressed by team boss Ralf Rangnick's team. "They qualified with aplomb and look more experienced than our team from 2008. As hosts, we only had friendly matches before the big event. That's not always an advantage." However, the Portuguese duo of Cristiano Ronaldo (39) and Pepe (41) and Croatia's Luka Modric (38 years and 285 days old) could replace Vastic as the oldest European Championship goalscorers. "It would be an honor if Ronaldo were to break my record. I would be extremely happy for Modric," said Vastic, who was born in Split, in an interview with the "Krone".
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