Red-White-Red Jubilation
A “Big Step” at the World Cup—Now a “Phenomenon” Awaits
Austria’s return to the World Cup stage has been a success. Now, on Monday (7 p.m./live on the sportkrone.at live ticker), the match against world champion Argentina promises to be the biggest highlight in Group J.
The ÖFB squad kicked off the final round in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada on Tuesday in Santa Clara with a 3-1 win over Jordan. Austria’s first World Cup victory in 36 years was secured thanks to goals by Romano Schmid (21’) and Marko Arnautovic (102’/penalty kick), as well as an own goal by Yazan Al Arab (76th minute). Ali Olwan (50th minute) had temporarily equalized for the spirited Jordanians in front of 68,527 spectators.
“It’s definitely a big step forward,” said head coach Ralf Rangnick jubilantly. Captain David Alaba added: “We wanted to win our first game in this tournament to get off to a good start. We succeeded!”
Messi’s Show in the First Match
However, the leader in Group J is World Champion Argentina after a 3–0 victory—complete with a Lionel Messi masterclass—against Algeria. “This can’t be true. This phenomenon, who will soon turn 39, manages to score a World Cup—and he does it with absolute ease, even though he’s only just recovered from a muscle injury a few days ago. A timeless genius,” raves the Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo,” for example.
And the Argentine outlet “Ole” fires back at Messi’s critics: “That he’s old, that he plays in a lower-tier league, that he doesn’t run like he used to. That he no longer wins one-on-one situations, that he’s just coasting on his last name, that he’s leaving no room for new talent. Welcome back, you experts in pessimism. Get ready—the No. 10 is here.”
Alaba is amazed by Messi
With his hat trick, Messi tied German Miroslav Klose’s record with 16 World Cup goals. Will his winning streak continue in Monday’s second group stage match? The Austrian national team has been warned. “Unbelievable,” Alaba marvels. “The fact that he’s started off with another hat trick right away is insane. Thank goodness he did it today and—let’s hope—not next week.”
Now the full focus is on the match against the defending champions. “We’re preparing for Argentina,” says Rangnick. “We saw today what kind of quality Argentina has. They’re a classic possession-based team.” One thing is certain: after their successful opener, our ÖFB team is capable of anything.
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