On 16 October, one of the matches of Euro-2024 on football took place. Team Azerbaijan and Team Austria met.
Euro-2024
Azerbaijan - Austria - 0:1 (0:0)
Goals: M. Sabitzer (48)
Warnings: Baumgartner (53), C. Diniyev (57), A. Krivotsyuk (84), Toral Bayramov (88), Burgstaller (90+5), M. Sabitzer (90+3), Sheydayev (90+3), Burgstaller (90+2).
Azerbaijan vs Austria: hard fought game ended with a short-lived victory In the long-awaited match of the European Championship qualifying tournament at the Tofig Bahramov Respublika stadium, fans saw an exciting encounter between the national teams of Azerbaijan and Austria. In the first half, both teams demonstrated tactical discipline and organisation, which led to a goalless score at half-time. Azerbaijan showed a confident defence, confusing Austria's attacking players and depriving them of clear opportunities. On the opposite side of the pitch, Azerbaijan were unable to create any meaningful chances against a well-constructed Austrian defence. The second half started with a burst of energy as Austria made a triple substitution in the 46th minute. This injection of fresh energy and attacking intent had an immediate impact. In the 48th minute, Austria were awarded a penalty kick and Marcel Sabitzer made no mistake, calmly slotting the ball into the net and giving his team a decisive lead. As the game progressed, tensions began to rise and the referee was forced to issue several yellow cards. Christoph Baumgartner and Marcel Sabitzer were cautioned for Austria, while Kavid Diniev was cautioned for Azerbaijan. These disciplinary measures only exacerbated an already fierce battle between the teams.
Azerbaijan tried to turn the tide of the match by making their own substitutions. In the 65th minute Kavid Diniyev was replaced by Elvin Safarov, and in the 79th minute Ali Isayev replaced Mahir Emreli. The Azerbaijanis hoped that fresh energy would help them win the game back, but Austria took control of the match with the introduction of Guido Burgstaller in the 82nd minute. In response, Azerbaijan made a substitution: Rufat Dadashov and Emin Kafarkuliyev replaced Mahir Qurbanli and Rashad Sheydayev respectively in the 83rd minute. The tension of the match continued to grow, and the referee issued several more yellow cards. Among them were Anton Krivotsyuk, Tural Bayramov and Rashad Sheydayev (Azerbaijan), as well as Guido Burgstaller and Marcel Sabitzer (Austria). However, in the last minute of the main time Austrian Burgstaller received a red card, leaving his team to play the match with ten men. Despite Azerbaijan's attempts to level the score, the Austrian defence stood firm and secured a 1-0 victory. The match showed the determination and fighting spirit of both teams, and in the end Austria became the deserved winner. In general, the European Championship qualifying match between the national teams of Azerbaijan and Austria was a tense struggle that kept the fans in suspense. Tofig Bahramov Stadium "Respublika" became a perfect backdrop for a tense match, and both teams demonstrated their skill, resilience and desire to achieve victory.
In the next round the following matches await the rivals: Azerbaijan - Sweden, Estonia - Austria.
| Azerbaijan national team | Austrian national team | |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Blows in the centre of the net | 3 |
| 5 | Kicks | 13 |
| 1 | Blocked shots | 4 |
| 3 | Penalty kicks | 10 |
| 2 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 3 |
| 11 | Offences | 11 |
| 4 | Corner | 9 |
| 0 | Offsides | 3 |
| 54% | Ball possession | 46% |
| 3 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 2 | Keeper saves | 0 |
| 436 | Total assists | 373 |
| 359 | Accurate assists | 307 |
| 82% | Accuracy of passes | 82% |