"It wasn't just bad luck"

Austrians land wistfully in Vienna after European Championship exit

ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel

(Bild: GEPA)

Austria's national soccer team left Germany bitterly disappointed after their round of 16 exit at the European Championships! Most of the team had already said goodbye to each other in Berlin, where various charter flights were waiting for the ÖFB players. The ten players who landed in Vienna on Wednesday evening could still see the aftermath of Tuesday's 2-1 defeat against Turkey on their faces.

ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel did the talking. His brief summary was characterized by disappointment over the abrupt end to a "great trip". He saw a great opportunity missed. "It could have been very nice. Unfortunately, the result wasn't right," said Schöttel. "It just really hurts because everyone involved had invested a lot. We were focused on being at this EURO until the very end."

"It just really hurts!"
Ten players from the eastern region - including Turkey goalscorer Michael Gregoritsch, Christoph Baumgartner, Romano Schmid and Philipp Lienhart - shared a heartfelt hug at GAT Vienna Airport. Minutes earlier, Rod Stewart had taken the opposite route through the terminal doors. The pop star and self-confessed soccer fan had played the Stadthalle on Tuesday - and made several references to the ÖFB team during his concert. At Rangnick's invitation, the footballers had attended a concert by the 79-year-old in Berlin shortly before the start of the EURO.

The West squad around Nicolas Seiwald and Konrad Laimer flew to Salzburg, David Alaba to Madrid and Marko Arnautovic back to Milan. ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick stayed for a visit to his mother in Backnang, Swabia, before returning to Obertrum.

"Disappointed, but still very proud!"
Rangnick had declared the ÖFB team's European Championship mission over at midday with a 25-minute speech. "He summed it up really well. That although we are really disappointed, we are still very proud of the team. That it was a setback, but that we want to continue on the path we've started," Schöttel reported.

The sporting director is not currently worried that the successful coach could be lost to the ÖFB. "I'm not worried, but you never know what will happen in soccer." Rangnick's contract runs until the end of qualifying for the 2026 tournament in North America. The ÖFB team last qualified for a World Cup in 1998.

"Turkey played a very good game!"
Schöttel did not put the defeat against Turkey down to bad luck alone. "It wasn't just bad luck. Turkey played a very good game and also learned the lessons from the international match in March (1:6 note). We didn't take our chances as effectively as we did in March and - which is very unusual for us - conceded two goals from two set-pieces."

Schöttel condemned the coin toss against Marcel Sabitzer. "UEFA will certainly initiate an investigation. Of course, that shouldn't happen, but it won't get us back into the tournament either." Sabitzer was hit on the head by a coin thrown from the stands at the end of the heated match, but continued to play.