Austria could not have possibly made a better start to the UEFA Nations League season under new coach Ralf Rangnick. They were efficient up front and solid at the back as they took a 3-0 win in Croatia on Friday evening. Among the starters was Maximilian Wöber. The 24-year-old showed that he isn't just a smart defensive operator with two assists showing his creative threat.
Max tearing down the wing
The assist for Austria's second goal was particularly spectacular, with Wöber chasing forward, chipping the ball over a defender and whipping in an inch-perfect cross in for Gregoritsch in the area. Another Red Bull appeared for our country in the second half, as Nici Seiwald was brought on with Austria 1-0 up.
I think everyone in Austria wants our national team to be able to compete with the best in the world. It's fun for me, of course, to attack sometimes too. I'm not just a defender, I showed that today.
Another solid performance was provided by Rasmus Kristensen. The right-back's Denmark team were 0-1 behind in France when he came on. The Danes managed to come back against the 2018 World Champions and win their Nations League opener 2-1!
Mantl keeps clean sheet
Our boys had mixed experiences in U21 European qualifying. Nico Mantl kept a clean sheet for Germany and helped them to qualification with a 4-0 win over Hungary, while Austria's Junior Adamu (who scored one goal) suffered a 2-3 defeat against Finland. The Austrians will therefore not be going to the 2023 European championship.
Croatia also lost 2-3 to Norway and will be made to fret for their spot in the finals. Luka Sucic gave his all, scoring one goal and setting up the second for Liefering striker Roko Simic.
Overview of our Red Bulls' next internationals:
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Sekou Koita, Daouda Guindo and Mo Camara (Mali) | African Cup Qualifying v Congo (Saturday 4 June 21:00)
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Maurits Kjaergaard (Denmark) | U21 European qualifying v Kazakhstan (Saturday 4 June, 15:00)
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Noah Okafor (Switzerland) | Nations League v Portugal (Sunday 5 June, 20:45, DAZN)
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Benjamin Sesko (Slovenia) | Nations League v Serbia (Sunday 5 June, 20:45, DAZN)
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Ignace Van der Brempt (Belgium) | U21 European qualifying v Scotland (Sunday 5 June, 16:00)
