A commanding victory over Ghana
LIVE: How will the ÖFB team kick off the World Cup year against Ghana?
Austria’s national soccer team kicked off the 2026 World Cup year with a 5-1 rout in a friendly against Ghana! In front of 40,200 spectators at Vienna’s Prater, the ÖFB goals were scored by Marcel Sabitzer (13th minute, penalty), Michael Gregoritsch (51st minute), Stefan Posch (59th minute), Carney Chukwuemeka (79th), and Nicolas Seiwald (91st). Alongside Chukwuemeka, Paul Wanner also made his ÖFB debut. With their twelfth consecutive home game without a loss, head coach Ralf Rangnick’s squad set a new association record.
Since ÖFB captain David Alaba and Maximilian Wöber are not yet match-fit, Marco Friedl, another left-footed player, started in central defense alongside Kevin Danso. In central midfield, Rangnick selected Florian Grillitsch to start alongside Nicolas Seiwald. Konrad Laimer, like Alaba and the injured Xaver Schlager, watched the game from the bench.
takes the lead at halftime on a Sabitzer penaltyThe Austrians took an early leadona penalty kick. Danso, whose parents are from Ghana, headed the ball into the arms of visiting defender Jonas Adjetey following a long ball from Romano Schmid; Sabitzer confidently converted into the left corner—his 24th goal in his 96th international match. Ghana’s Prince Adu caused the most trouble for the Austrian defense. Friedl was lucky as the last man in a physical challenge (15th minute), and Grillitsch also had to make a last-ditch save (34th minute). For Austria, only Christoph Baumgartner came close: but Ghana goalkeeper Lawrence Ati-Zigi fished the Leipzig forward’s header from a Sabitzer cross out of the top corner (40th minute).
By halftime, Rangnick had already made five substitutions: In addition to Wanner, who replaced Grillitsch, he also gave Viktoria Plzeň goalkeeper Florian Wiegele—who came on for Alexander Schlager—his international debut. Philipp Lienhart, Alexander Prass, and Patrick Wimmer also came on. Wanner was already involved in the build-up to the 2-0 goal just five minutes later. After a long ball from the former German U21 international, Ghana’s Caleb Yirenkyi misjudged the play. Sabitzer set up Gregoritsch, who simply had to tap the ball in for his 24th international goal.
Wanner’s setup, Chukwuemeka’s finish
The ÖFB team was more dangerous after the break. Ati-Zigi defused a shot by Posch (58th minute). Gregoritsch headed Wanner’s subsequent corner kick into the danger zone, where Posch also headed it into the net. With the score at 3-0, Chukwuemeka entered the game alongside Marko Arnautovic and defender Michael Svoboda, who was making his first international appearance in a year and a half.
World Cup participant Ghana pulled one back through Jordan Ayew. The veteran beat Lienhart and Seiwald on the right flank and beat Wiegele with a well-placed shot into the far top corner (77'). Austria responded through Chukwuemeka. The 22-year-old from Borussia Dortmund, who was born in Vienna and recently switched from the English Football Association to the ÖFB, was perfectly set up by his club teammate Sabitzer and scored on his international debut with a powerful left-footed shot.
In the closing stages, defender David Affengruber also made his international debut, as did Sasa Kalajdzic, returning after more than two years out due to injury. The LASK striker narrowly missed the far post with a shot (85'). Rangnick made a total of ten substitutions. Only Seiwald played the entire match—and celebrated his first goal in his 45th international appearance in stoppage time with a well-placed long-range shot. This marked the ÖFB’s first victory in its second-ever match against Ghana.
Longest unbeaten ÖFB home streak
The Austrians suffered their last home defeat in October 2023 during the European Championship qualifiers at Vienna’s Prater against Belgium (2-3). Since then, there have been nine wins and three draws in ÖFB international matches on home soil. There have only been two instances of twelve consecutive matches without a loss in the association’s history: from 1922 to 1925 under head coach Hugo Meisl and from 1971 to 1975 under Leopold Stastny. With another victory on Tuesday (8:45 p.m.) in Vienna against South Korea, Rangnick’s squad would set a new record.
The result:
Austria – Ghana 5:1 (1:0)
Vienna, Ernst Happel Stadium, 40,200 spectators, referee Mohammed Khaled Al-Hoaish
Goals: 1-0 (13'/penalty) Sabitzer, 2-0 (51') Gregoritsch, 3-0 (59') Posch, 3-1 (77') Ayew, 4-1 (80') Chukwuemeka, 5-1 (90+2') Seiwald
Yellow cards: Posch and Partey, Sibo
Austria: A. Schlager (46. Wiegele) – Posch (81. Affengruber), Danso (46. Lienhart), Friedl (62. Svoboda), Mwene (46. Prass) – Seiwald, Grillitsch (46. Wanner) – Schmid (46. Wimmer), Baumgartner (62. Chukwuemeka), Sabitzer (81. Kalajdzic) – Gregoritsch (62. Arnautovic)
Ghana: Ati-Zigi – Yirenkyi (69. Senaya), Adjetey (69. Pfeiffer), Djiku – Fatawu (69. Königsdörffer), Sibo (69. I. Sulemana), Ayew (86. Baah), Partey (86. Owusu), Köhn (69. Mensah) – Semenyo (86. K. Sulemana), Adu (69. Opoku)
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