Germany cling on to triumph 2-1 in Austria
Reuters - Tuesday 11 September 2012, 22:59
Germany survived a torrid first
half and an unbelievable late miss from Marko Arnautovic to win
2-1 at feisty neighbours Austria in a pulsating World Cup
qualifier on Tuesday.
The hosts, backed by a passionate home crowd which clearly
believed in the possibility of an upset and even jeered the
German national anthem, huffed and puffed and had their
opponents on the back foot for most of the time before slumping
to another heroic defeat.
Marco Reus and Mesut Ozil, from a penalty, scored either
side of half-time to set Germany on the way to an eighth
successive win against their smaller neighbours and leave them
with six points from their opening two Group C games.
The Germans, who extended their unbeaten run in qualifying
matches to 24 games, still had to cling on through a difficult
last half-hour after Zlatko Junuzovic pulled one back for the
hosts and they had a huge let-off with four minutes to go.
Substitute Jakob Jantscher burst down the left and delivered
a low cross which fiery striker Arnautovic scuffed wide from
only three metres.
"That was a head in your hands moment," Austria coach Marcel
Koller, making his competitive debut with the team on a balmy
September evening, told reporters.
"It was same story as in the last few years when Germany and
Austria played, We played well, we created lots of chances but
Germany won the game,.
"In the first half, we pressed them but we lacked precision,
we didn't score a goal although we had five or six good chances
and Germany had two.
"But that is what makes a team world class, when their
opponents make mistakes, they pounce and that is the
difference."
Coach Joachim Low complained that Germany allowed Austria
back into the game and singled out Philipp Lahm for criticism
after the Germany captain played a back-pass to Austrian
substitute Guido Burgstaller, who was foiled when goalkeeper
Manuel Neuer grabbed the ball at his feet.
"We had some good spells when we controlled the game, but
not for the whole match," he said. "We had fewer chances and
Austria should have equalised at the end."
The win left Germany with six points from their opening two
games in Group C while Austria, who began with nine Bundesliga
players in the starting line-up, have yet to get off the mark.
MAJOR TOURNAMENT
The hosts have not qualified for a major tournament since
the 1998 World Cup but were convinced that this time, with an
improving team, they could end their dismal run against their
neighbours.
Holger Badstuber rescued Germany after only four minutes
with a last-ditch tackle to foil Martin Harnik after he had a
clear run on goal.
Both goalkeepers had let-offs from botched clearances.
Austria's Robert Almer made a complete hash of a back-pass
from Christian Fuchs but the ball went out for a corner while
Neuer hit one effort straight at Andreas Ivanschitz but the ball
ricocheted wide of his goal.
Harnik and Andreas Ivanschitz, mysteriously overlooked
throughout the two-year reign of Koller's predecessor Didi
Constantini, also sent long-range shots fizzing wide of the goal
as Austria's unrefined and aggressive approach unnerved the
visitors.
Germany stole the lead one minute before the break when Reus
burst down the left, cut inside Gyorgy Garics and buried his
shot beyond Robert Almer.
It got worse after half-time for the hosts when Veli Kavlak
recklessly clattered into Thomas Muller with a late tackle and
Mesut Ozil calmly buried the penalty with a short run-up.
Germany settled and sensed the chance to add to the tally on
the counter-attack, only to be rattled again when Arnautovic
forced his way to the byline and pulled the ball back for
Junuzovic to divert the ball in from six metres.
That set up a dramatic last finale with Austria unable to
capitalise on several dangerous situations.
Germany's last qualifying defeat was against Czech Republic
in October 2007. They last failed to beat Austria in 1992 and
have not lost to their neighbours since 1986.