After a Dramatic Rescue

Wife Gave ÖFB Hero His Best Moment

ÖFB savior Sasa Kalajdzic was celebrated by his teammates.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Sasa Kalajdzic slept well—even though there were far more messages on his cell phone than on a typical Sunday. The phone call with his wife, Lorena, was the best moment for the long-suffering striker.

With his late goal to tie the game 3–3 against Algeria, the 28-year-old went from being a long-injured striker prospect to Austria’s World Cup hero in a matter of seconds. “What means the most to me is that I was able to bring joy to so many people,” Kalajdzic said after returning late at night from Kansas City to the ÖFB team camp in Santa Barbara.

It’s difficult to respond to all the messages. “But I’m grateful for every congratulation.” He has already spoken on the phone with LASK coach Dietmar Kühbauer, with whom he won the league and cup titles before the World Cup. But the best moment so far has been the call from his wife, Lorena. “Because she’s the only one who knows exactly how I’ve been feeling the whole time,” explained Kalajdzic, whose professional career has been set back by no fewer than three cruciate ligament tears. “For me, there’s nothing better than sharing this moment with someone you love so much.”

According to Kalajdzic, the shock over the events in Kansas City had already subsided a bit by the next day. “But it’s still surreal what happened. It was certainly memorable.” Among the emotions, relief prevailed over joy. “I felt like we were just breathing a sigh of relief that we didn’t have to pack our bags,” revealed the two-meter forward. “We’re glad we got off with a slap on the wrist. Now we’re really still in the tournament.”

Spain as a tough hurdle
Now Spain awaits—for Kalajdzic, one of the top favorites of the tournament. “If you want to make a splash at the World Cup, you have to beat opponents like that,” said Austria’s hero. “We’ll take this emotion with us and try to turn it into strength and energy to make life as difficult as possible for the Spaniards.” When it comes to defending, the Austrian national team is at the top of its game. Added to that is the determination they demonstrated against Algeria. “When it comes to character and mental strength, we’re right up there.”

The goal now is to go as far as possible in the tournament. “We’re going there not to watch, but to advance,” Kalajdzic emphasized. “We want to keep writing our fairy tale and continue this adventure.” For him personally, it’s wonderful to feel like an essential part of the team again after all the injuries.

The forward doesn’t yet know what the future holds for him after the World Cup. His loan with LASK has ended, and his contract with Premier League relegated team Wolverhampton Wanderers still has one year remaining. Kalajdzic: “Nothing has changed; for me, it’s all about the here and now. The here and now is the very best.”