Austria
Wiener Austria started the ÖFB Cup with a clear 4-0 win over regional league club Spittal / Drau, but did not convince everyone.
In a restrained first half of the game, Marco Djuricin (16.) and Eric Martel (43.) deservedly brought the “Veilchen” into the front. After the break, however, there was a lot of idle time. Only late goals from Aleksandar Jukic (88th) and Manfred Fischer (90th) made things clear.
That is why Rafael Graf, captain of the Carinthian third division club, struggled with the defeat, which was clear on paper. “Of course we are disappointed. To expect a win would have been presumptuous. But we knew that we would get our chances. They made a lot out of very little for a Bundesliga team,” said the Carinthian captain on ORF “, but then admitted:” A 2-0 would have sounded better. But of course they deserved to progress. “
Austria captain Markus Suttner saw it differently, who was quite satisfied with the performance of the “Veilchen”. “We clearly had the game in our hands. It was never really dangerous for us, we clearly won,” said the left-back. “Something is developing, we have to be patient, but that was the first step. It is important that we don't brood,” added the violet captain.
Austria coach Manfred Schmid also saw a solid performance on his debut, but only in the second round. “The first half was relatively difficult. The adjustment problems on the artificial turf were bigger than I would have expected. In the second half we let the ball and the opponent run, created scoring chances and then used them,” said the 50-year-old .
In any case, Schmid wasn't nervous before his debut. “I know my team. Basically I am not dissatisfied, even if I had imagined the game to be a little different in the first half,” the Austria coach already knows what he has to work on.
