Bachmann destroyed top Slovak chances
The dress rehearsal for the Austrian national team for the European Football Championship did not go as planned. The ÖFB selection had to be satisfied with a 0-0 win against Slovakia in front of 3,000 spectators in Vienna's Happel Stadium on Sunday and have now been without a win or goalless for three games. In shots from Florian Grillitsch (61st) and Marko Arnautovic (68th), the rod prevented a hit.
Team boss Franco Foda again relied on goalie Daniel Bachmann in the starting line-up and immediately announced that the Watford goalkeeper would also start in the first European Championship match on June 13 in Bucharest against North Macedonia. Compared to the 0: 1 against England last Wednesday, the coach made five changes – Christopher Trimmel, Philipp Lienhart, Andreas Ulmer, Valentino Lazaro and Grillitsch started instead of Stefan Lainer, Aleksandar Dragovic, Marco Friedl, Konrad Laimer and Xaver Schlager. David Alaba played in midfield center until he was substituted for the break.
The newly formed ÖFB selection faced an extremely defensive opponent. The Slovaks were low and left no rooms open, the hosts tried hard but mostly without ideas against the defensive bar. The flanks into the penalty area rarely found a taker, combining through the middle worked more poorly than right.
Therefore opportunities were in short supply. In the 21st minute, a header from Sasa Kalajdzic clearly missed the target after an Alaba cross, in the 34th minute Christoph Baumgartner was hampered by a one-two with Marcel Sabitzer, the conclusion of Milan Skriniar. The Hoffenheim professional failed on the Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Before the break, the guests came only once promisingly in front of the ÖFB goal – in the 27th minute, Bachmann tamed a volley from Robert Mak in follow-up. Shortly after the restart, the Slovaks who competed without Marek Hamsik, who had been injured in the calf, found a top chance. Lukas Haraslin made Martin Hinteregger look bad and then failed because of Bachmann. The subsequent shot by Ondrej Duda would have landed in the goal, but hit Haraslin, who was on the offside on the ground. The ball flew from his leg over the crossbar (51.).
For a long time Austria did not have opportunities of this quality to offer. Laimer, who had been substituted for the break, shot straight at Dubravka from the edge of the penalty area (50th), while an attempt by Grillitsch from a distance missed the mark (53rd). Eight minutes later, the Lower Austrian almost made it 1-0. Grillitsch volleyed a corner from around 18 meters that had been weakened for a short time, Dubravka steered the ball to the bar with great difficulty.
In the 64th minute, Marko Arnautovic was exchanged, and with the China legionnaire, the ÖFB attacking game got momentum. The Viennese had bad luck with a pole shot (68th) and set a volley after Hinteregger Pass past the long corner (71th).
But the Slovaks also became dangerous again. After a bad pass from Trimmel, Michal Duris pulled alone on the ÖFB goal, Bachmann rescued again (74th), as well as with a shot by Duris from a good position (80th). Arnautovic responded with two chances – his shot was blocked in the 85th minute and Dubravka was there when he had a chance in the 87th minute. The ÖFB-Elf has been waiting for a goal for 316 minutes.
On Monday, the ÖFB kickers can spend a “regeneration day” with their families, on Tuesday they travel together from Vienna to the EURO camp in Seefeld, where they train for the first time on Wednesday. The ÖFB convoy will fly from Innsbruck to Bucharest on Saturday, where the European Championship match against North Macedonia will take place on Sunday.
