Two First-Career Goals

Austria beats Hartberg and gets on the board for the first time

Hettwer celebrated the 2-0 lead for the Veilchen.(Bild: APA/ERWIN SCHERIAU)

Austria Vienna won the matchup between the two teams that had been without points or goals so far in the Austrian Bundesliga. The Violets won 2-0 (0-0) at TSV Hartberg on Sunday, handing the bottom spot to the Styrians. Daniel Nnodim (33') and Julian Hettwer (76') scored their first league goals, ensuring that Austria—following its successful Conference League qualification—also got on the board in the league and built confidence ahead of Thursday’s match in Braga.

Austria coach Stephan Helm had to replace suspended defensive leader Aleksandar Dragovic and, three days after the European Cup victory against Beitar Jerusalem, rotated seven new players into his starting lineup. No wonder the visitors’ game didn’t quite click. Hartberg created the first promising chances with shots from Marco Hoffmann (12th minute) and Paul Komposch (16th minute).

Teenager Nnodim Seals the Win
After about 20 minutes, Austria gained more control of the game and took the lead with their first real chance, courtesy of Nnodim. The 18-year-old homegrown player took aim from 20 meters and slotted the ball perfectly into the corner. Hartberg fought to avoid a third loss, but Austria didn’t allow them many opportunities and repeatedly exploited the open spaces on offense. Johannes Eggestein, who had come on as a substitute shortly before, narrowly missed the target (63'), but Hettwer didn’t let his chance slip away. After a perfect pass from captain Manfred Fischer—who had entered the game around the one-hour mark—he lobbed the ball over goalkeeper Armin Pecsi. At the other end, goalkeeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger saved a shot from Angelo Gattermayer (79') and got to the ball just in time before the striker could reach it (83').

While Austria was able to make the trip home with a sense of relief, Hartberg’s poor start—with zero points and zero goals from three matches—is now complete. However, their schedule, featuring matches against Salzburg, Sturm, and Austria, was certainly a tough one.

TSV Hartberg – FK Austria Vienna 0–2 (0–0)
Hartberg, Profertil Arena, 3,600, Referee: Ristoskov.

Goals: 0 –1 (33') Nnodim, 0–2 (76') Hettwer

Hartberg: Pecsi – Komposch, Spendlhofer, Wilfinger, Coulibaly (64’ Gerstl) – Karner (64’ Onuoha), Kainz (75’ Feldhofer), Markus, Lukic (84’ Diarra) – Hoffmann (75' Urrutia), Gattermayer

Austria: Sahin-Radlinger – Ranftl, Handl, Buhari – Nnodim (75' Maybach), Lee K., Wustinger (61' Markovic), Lee T. – Hettwer (85' Feddersen), Saljic (61' Fischer) – Boateng (61' Eggestein)

Yellow cards: Gattermayer, Coulibaly, and Boateng