"Stoplight"

No empty words from Rangnick!

A column by "Krone" head of sport Peter Moizi: 

The tension is rising, the stomach is tingling. The anticipation of the European Championship in Germany is growing from day to day. Austria says goodbye to the fans on Tuesday in a dignified setting. Well over 30,000 tickets have been sold and the beer gardens in the Prater are fully booked.

The international match against Serbia should be the prelude to an unforgettable soccer fairytale this summer. Red-White-Red want to excel at the EURO, and Ralf Rangnick has inoculated his squad with a special winning gene within two years.

Fans look back with pride on the many highlights of the German's era:

• On November 21, 2022, Austria beat European champions Italy 2:0 - the first victory over the Squadra Azzurra in 62 (!) years. Legendary.
• This was followed exactly one year later by a 2-0 win against Germany.
• 19 points from eight games in the European Championship qualifiers - second place for Austria!
• Turkey were dispatched 6:1 in the last match.

Games, results and magical moments that have Austria dreaming of further triumphs. Rangnick conjures up solutions out of a hat, is positive and flexes his muscles.

"Austria can do anything at this European Championship," he announced euphorically on several occasions. These are neither empty promises nor empty words. Because a full professional like Rangnick would never say something like that if he wasn't 100 percent convinced of this team's potential.