Sturm defeated in the Cup

Fischer: “We have closed a few mouths”

Vienna Austria is on a high.(Bild: GEPA)

Austria's perfect double pass between humility and a broad chest +++ Satisfaction for captain Fischer: "So much has been said about Austria only having luck, only managing narrow victories against supposedly weaker teams. With this win, we've closed a few mouths. It can't just be luck."

Modesty, humility, team spirit, hard work. No empty words at Austria. The team lives it. Which was also impressively demonstrated in the 2:0 win over Sturm in the Cup quarter-final. Sporting director Manuel Ortlechner stood in front of the team after the final whistle and tipped his hat: "Maybe it wasn't the better team that won, but it was definitely the better team." The celebrations were then almost Mediterranean.

After Marko Raguz made it 2-0 in the 89th minute, the fans and the whole team burst into song. While the team made the stadium catacombs shake with their dressing room party, the purple fans set off a belated New Year's Eve firework display in the middle of Graz. "At home" in the Viola Pub in the Austria Stadium, happy hour was declared at the final whistle and curfew was lifted. Austria's Cup goalie Mirko Kos "would have loved to cry" from sheer joy, while Raguz "couldn't even describe the feelings" after years of suffering and his first competitive goal for Violett. It is a perfect double pass between down-to-earthness and a broad chest that head coach Stephan Helm is currently playing.

"Championship title? Cup victory? If there's something to discuss, we do it internally. Our motto is: don't talk, deliver," Helm clarifies. But he adds: "We are ambitious enough that nobody needs to worry."

Austria coach Stephan Helm(Bild: GEPA)

"We've closed a few mouths with this win"
Captain Manfred Fischer agrees. But he didn't miss out on a few side blows: "There's been so much talk that Austria are just lucky and only manage narrow victories against supposedly weaker teams. We've closed a few mouths with this win. It can't just be luck."

Fischer & Co. showed great morale against Sturm, and there is even more to come in terms of play.(Bild: GEPA)

 The upcoming tasks can come. But Aleks Dragovic warns of the "yellow danger". Alongside him, key players such as Fischer, Nik Prelec, Philipp Wiesinger and Matteo Perez Vinlöf also have four yellow cards. The rematch on Friday in Graz against Sturm will be a dance on the razor's edge, after all the derby against Rapid awaits, and nobody wants to miss that.