European Football Championship 2008 / Austria
The Austrian national football team at the 2008 European Football Championship in Austria and Switzerland .
qualification
As the host of the European Championship, the Austrian team did not have to play a qualification.
Austrian contingent
Coach Josef Hickersberger called 31 players, including eleven legionnaires, into the expanded squad for the home EURO. Eight of these players had to leave the team before the tournament. Ramazan Özcan was nominated for the squad due to the injuries of Helge Payer and Christian Gratzei . On May 28, the team boss announced the final 23-man squad, according to which, in addition to Gratzei and Payer, Andreas Dober , Andreas Ibertsberger , Franz Schiemer , Markus Weissenberger , Sanel Kuljic , Stefan Maierhofer and Marc Janko left the extended squad.
| No. | Surname | Club before the start of the European Championship | birthday | Games | Gates |
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| goalkeeper | |||||||||
| 1 | Alexander Manninger |
 AC Siena
|
06/04/1977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21st | Jürgen Macho |
 AEK Athens
|
08/24/1977 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23 | Ramazan Ozcan |
 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
|
06/28/1984 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Defender | |||||||||
| 3 | Martin Stranzl |
 Spartak Moscow
|
06/16/1980 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 4th | Emanuel Pogatetz |
 Middlesbrough FC
|
01/16/1983 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 5 | Christian Fuchs |
 SV Mattersburg
|
04/07/1986 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Ronald Gercaliu |
FK Austria Vienna
|
02/12/1986 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 13 | Markus Katzer |
SK Rapid Vienna
|
December 11, 1979 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15th | Sebastian Prödl |
SK Sturm Graz
|
06/21/1987 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 16 | Jürgen Patocka |
SK Rapid Vienna
|
07/30/1977 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17th | Martin Hiden |
SK Austria Carinthia
|
03/11/1973 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| midfield player | |||||||||
| 2 | Joachim Standfest |
FK Austria Vienna
|
05/30/1980 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6th | René Aufhauser |
FC Red Bull Salzburg
|
06/21/1976 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 8th | Christoph Leitgeb |
FC Red Bull Salzburg
|
04/14/1985 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 10 |
Andreas Ivanschitz 
|
Panathinaikos Athens
|
October 15, 1983 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 11 | Ümit Korkmaz |
SK Rapid Vienna
|
09/17/1985 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14th | György Garics |
SSC Naples
|
03/08/1984 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 19th | Jürgen Säumel |
SK Sturm Graz
|
09/08/1984 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| striker | |||||||||
| 7th | Ivica Vastić |
LASK Linz
|
09/29/1969 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 9 | Roland Linz |
 Sporting Braga
|
08/09/1981 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18th | Roman Kienast |
 Ham-Kam
|
03/29/1984 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20th | Martin Harnik |
SV Werder Bremen
|
06/10/1987 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22nd | Erwin Hoffer |
SK Rapid Vienna
|
04/14/1987 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Trainer | |||||||||
|
Josef Hickersberger
|
04/27/1948 | ||||||||
Games of Austria
Preparation and team hotel
Austria was the first of the 16 teams to start preparing for the home tournament with a short training camp in Lindabrunn , where the team only consisted of the players from the Austrian Bundesliga . As part of this training camp, the Hickersberger-Elf played a test match in Mattersburg against the regional league team SV Spittal an der Drau , which was won 6-0.
Then the team trained for five days of stamina and endurance in Sardinia , also without any legionnaires.
In the next training camp, which started again on May 19 in Lindabrunn, all 31 players took part for the first time. During this training camp, the Austrian selection played another test match against Cuba in Lindabrunn on May 23, in camera . This game, which was played in three segments of 35 minutes each, was won by Josef Hickersberger's team 4-1.
After that, the team trained in Graz from May 25th to 30th, during which time two preparatory games in the UPC Arena against Nigeria and Malta are on the agenda. Austria played 1-1 against Nigeria in front of 15,000 spectators. The goals were scored by Roman Kienast for Austria and Kalu Uche for Nigeria.
After the announcement of the 23-man squad, the game against Malta was still on the program on May 30 , which Austria won 5-1. The goal scorers were Roland Linz with two goals, as well as René Aufhauser , Ivica Vastić and Martin Harnik .
On June 2, the Austrian national team moved into their permanent quarters in Stegersbach .
Tournament course
After an unfortunate 1-0 defeat against Croatia with a penalty in the fourth minute and a 1-1 draw against Poland , the opposing lead was achieved from offside and the equalizer only in the third minute of stoppage time with a penalty from Ivica Vastić fell, the Austrian national team still had the chance to advance to the quarter-finals. However, you had to win the final group game against Germany . The “Miracle of Vienna” or “Second Cordoba ” hoped for by the media did not materialize. Austria lost against Germany 1-0 with a free-kick from Michael Ballack and was then eliminated.
On June 23, team boss Josef Hickersberger surprisingly announced his resignation, although he had already agreed to lead the team through the qualification for the 2010 World Cup after the Germany game . He was succeeded by the Czech Karel Brückner , who was also eliminated in the preliminary round with his home country.
Preliminary round
-
June 8 in Vienna : Austria - Croatia 0: 1 (0: 1)
- June 12 in Vienna: Austria - Poland 1: 1 (0: 1)
- June 16 in Vienna: Austria - Germany 0: 1 (0: 0)
For details see: European Football Championship 2008 / Group B
Trivia
- At 38 years of age, Ivica Vastić is the oldest player at the 2008 European Championship and, due to his goal against Poland, the oldest European Championship scorer of all time.
