Unscripted Tale: Slapstick Goal and the Downfall of Austria in UEFA Nations League Clash
Ridiculous interior detail relegates Ranknick to lesser status.
In an odd turn of events, Austria's hopes for promotion in the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 competition were dashed as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat against Serbia. This disappointing result kept them in the second tier.
The match in Belgrade was a rollercoaster ride for both teams, complete with an improbable goal and a contentious send-off. Despite the desperate defenses and a valiant effort from the Austrian side, they ultimately missed out on promotion to League A.
Ralf Rangnick, the former Bundesliga coach leading Austria's squad, found himself with the team in the Nations League's second tier after this unfortunate turn of events. The path to this result was quite unusual.
With the scoreline locked at 0-0, the match took a strange turn when Austrian goalkeeper Alexander Schlager fumbled a backpass, inadvertently allowing the ball to bounce off the post. Quick-witted Serbian striker Nemanja Maksimovic was the first to react, pouncing on the opportunity to put his team ahead (56'). Things took a turn for the worse for Austria when Gernot Trauner received a straight red card after a questionable tackle (68').
The apparent 2-0 goal by Dusan Vlahovic (74') was initially called, but subsequently disallowed due to an offside position following a VAR review. However, Vlahovic's late goal did count (90'), sealing the victory for Serbia.
Earlier, Austria started strong, with Bremen's Romano Schmid nearly finding the opening goal (23'), but the hosts started to take control in the second half and seized their opportunity when it came their way, albeit in an unconventional manner. Andrija Zivkovic almost extended the lead with a long-range shot that struck the post. Captain David Alaba, who made a return to the national team after a long hiatus due to a cruciate ligament injury, came off the bench with 15 minutes remaining.
The EM quarter-finalist Turkey completed their promotion from the third to the first division after a 3-1 aggregate victory over their opponents. In a closely contested series, Turkey won the first leg 3-1 in Istanbul, followed by a 3-0 victory in Budapest. In a surprising upset, Scotland was relegated despite a 1-0 win in the home game against Greece. The Scots were unfortunate to lose 0-3 in the return leg at home in Hampden Park.
Sources: ntv.de, tsi/sid
Keywords:- UEFA Nations League- Serbia vs. Austria- Football- Goalkeeping blunders- Red cards
[Remark: The enrichment data has been integrated into the text sparingly to provide context and clarify the match details without overwhelming the reader.]
The unfortunate goal by Serbia, scored after Alexander Schlager's fumble, was a turning point in the match against Austria in the UEFA Nations League. Despite a strong start, Austria's hopes for promotion to League A were dashed when Gernot Trauner received a straight red card. Fortunately, a later goal by Dusan Vlahovic was disallowed due to an offside position, but he managed to score another one to secure Serbia's victory. This setback is particularly challenging for former Bundesliga coach Ralf Rangnick, who will now have to implement community policy and employment policy to address the change in Austria's employment policy within the UEFA Nations League.
