It was the minutes of defeat that showed that something had happened in Austrian football in the past few weeks. David Alaba was visibly exhausted and disappointed after the 1: 2 after extra time against Italy on the lawn of the Wembley Stadium, where he had once won the Champions League with FC Bayern. Florian Grillitsch slowly crept in the direction of the cabin and thoughtfully ran his hair through. And then at some point Sasa Kalajdzic stepped in front of the microphone and said: “I think this is not only the cruelest game of my career, but also in all of Austrian football history.”
The Austrians did not leave the field as a team that had become aware of their own subservience to the football power Italy, but as one that was so disappointed precisely because they had been able to keep up. Even taking part in the round of 16 at an EM was a historic success. In retrospect, however, the game didn’t feel like it was. It was a “bitter defeat,” as Kalajdzic said. The Austrians had lost in a way that very few of the small football nation Austria would have believed possible.
The Italians, who walked through the group stage without even soiling their sleek blue jerseys, had been the big favorites before the game. Victories against North Macedonia and the Ukraine, however, were not enough to give the Austrians the status of dangerous opponents; after the second group game she had Gazzetta dello Sport Austria was still listed as one of the three weakest teams in the tournament. The warnings from Italy’s coach Roberto Mancini in the run-up to the round of 16 had been perceived as polite statements. But Mancini turned out to be right, because Austria delivered an impressive fight – and almost was rewarded.
There were two moments in which the game tipped over – but one of them was devalued again. When striker Marko Arnautovic took the lead in the 65th minute, the Austrians finally seemed to gain the upper hand: Italy had dominated the first half, but then came under increasing pressure and fell behind at the tournament for the first time – but only for just under two minutes. Then the video referee recognized a very delicate offside position in the form of Arnautovic’s foot. The gate was taken back and Italy got away with a black eye. “I don’t think they would have come back after that 1-0,” said Arnautovic after the game. And indeed: The Austrians had brought Italy with their powerful, courageous game in the second half into a position that was hardly expected after the group stage.
Austrian courage was broken
Italy played surprisingly timid, which resulted in an extension. In turn, the game really tipped over – this time in favor of the Azzuri: Federico Chiesa scored the 1-0 in the 95th minute by utilizing a wonderful pass from Leonardo Spinazzola. It was a goal that was also created because David Alaba and Konrad Laimer weren’t close enough to the Italian striker. And it was a goal that broke Austrian courage for a few minutes.
“After the 0-1 we were completely open, they took advantage of it,” said Kalajdzic. Italy made it 2-0 with a counterattack in the 105th minute, this time through Matteo Pessina, who was substituted on, like Chiesa. The footballing history of this game is thus also shaped by the decisions made by the coaches to change: Mancini brought the two players into the game that scored the goals. Franco Foda succeeded in the same: Kalajdzic, who was substituted in the 96th minute, scored to make it 1: 2 in the 114th minute. However, he did not change until late when his team was already looking tired.
In the end, the sequence of changes was one of many little things that meant that the Austrians could only bring the Italians to the brink of defeat, but not further. “The team has shown that they can play really well,” said Foda after the game. The much-criticized coach has earned the pride in his voice: Foda has learned his lessons, and against Italy the team – like against the Ukraine – looked significantly better than at the beginning of the tournament. Austria proved in the round of 16 that its golden generation does not only exist on paper, that is the conclusion of the tournament. The team only has to reward each other with a really big win another time.