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LIVE: Can the ÖFB U-21 Team Pull Off a Miracle in the European Championship Qualifiers?

Austria secures a decisive victory over Wales.(Bild: ÖFB/Johannes Friedl )

With a 7-1 victory over Wales, Austria’s U21 team has wrapped up qualification for the 2027 European Championship in Albania and Serbia! However, the lopsided away win wasn’t enough to secure a spot in the tournament—because in the other match, Denmark and Belgium played to a 0–0 draw, sending the Danes to the playoffs and securing Belgium’s spot in the European Championship. A result that brings back memories of the legendary “Disgrace of Gijón” in 1982. 

Goalscorers: 0–1 Luca Weinhandl (3'), 0–2 Jacob Hödl (20'), 1–2 Calum Agius (30'), 1–3 David Puczka (41'), 1–4 Oluwaseun Adewumi (56'), 1–5 Noah Anyadike (71'/own goal), 1–6 Erik Kojzek (84'), 1–7 Jannik Schuster (86').

Nevertheless, the dream of reaching the European Championship remains unfulfilled for Austria’s U21 national soccer team. The Austrians had been hoping for a Danish loss and would have had to make up a total of nine goals to still make it to the playoffs. ÖFB U21 head coach Peter Perchtold made two changes to the starting lineup compared to last Friday’s 1–1 draw against the Danes in the qualifying showdown in Vienna. Oluwaseun Adewumi started on the right wing in place of the injured Thierry Fidjeu-Tazemeta, while Erik Kojzek was chosen over Furkan Dursun as the center forward.

Sturm Graz duo kicks off the scoring spree
Sturm Graz youngster Luca Weinhandl put the ÖFB squad ahead as early as the third minute in the rain in the small town in northeastern Wales. After a run into the penalty area, the 17-year-old found Kojzek, whose skillful layup with the sole of his foot he then finished off himself into the net. Weinhandl’s club teammate Jacob Peter Hödl extended the lead in the 20th minute after receiving a pass from Nicolas Bajlicz, dribbling past his defender, and firing a well-placed shot into the far corner.

The Austrians had further chances through Hödl (19th minute) and Adewumi (33rd minute), but conceded an avoidable goal: After a long goal kick by the Welsh side, LASK goalkeeper Lukas Jungwirth—who had been loaned from the senior team to the U21s a week earlier—failed to hold onto a shot by Tanatswa Nyakuhwa, and Calum Agius pounced on the rebound (30'). However, David Puczka made it 3–1 before halftime. The Genoa left back scored off a header assist from Kojzek (41').

Unfortunately, the victory over Wales wasn’t enough in the end.(Bild: GEPA)

After the break, Adewumi added another goal following a slapstick sequence. After a Puczka corner hit the post, shots by Christopher Olivier and captain Jannik Schuster were blocked. Adewumi then guided his third follow-up attempt past Wales goalkeeper Joe Duncan and off the crossbar into the net for his first goal with the U21 team. Kojzek was denied by Duncan (59th minute); at the other end, Jungwirth made a save against Welsh Wacker Innsbruck forward Gabriele Biancheri (57th minute).

’sbiggest U21 win in five yearsRapid forward Nikolaus Wurmbrand made it 5–1 just two minutes after coming on as a substitute with a deflected shot from a tight angle. UEFA initially ruled the goal an own goal by Noah Anyadike (71'). In the closing minutes, he brought down Oghenetejiri Adejenughure in the penalty area, and Kojzek confidently converted the resulting penalty kick (84th minute). The Partizan Belgrade forward finished the qualifiers with three goals, tying with Puczka as the ÖFB’s top scorer.

But that wasn’t all: After a corner kick by Bajlicz, Schuster powered the ball over the line from point-blank range to seal the final score (86th minute). It was the biggest win for Austria’s U21 team since 2021—more than five years ago. In their first seven qualifying matches, Perchtold’s squad had scored a total of eight goals; now, in the final match, they scored nearly as many. In the end, however, 14 points from eight games weren’t enough. A heavy burden: In October 2025, they had lost 0–2 to the Welsh in Linz.