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EURO CUP 2016 | ||
| vs | HUNGARY | ||
| FIFA RANKING 11 | FIFA RANKING 18 | ||
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| TEAM PROFILES |
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| AUSTRIA UEFA EURO 2008 remains Austria's only tilt at the latter stages of the continental competition and it did not last long. In a tournament they co-hosted with Switzerland, Josef Hickersberger's young team paid for inexperience despite some spirited performances. They lost the opening game to Croatia and after picking up a draw against Poland, bowed out after the group stage following a 1-0 defeat by Germany. Until UEFA EURO 2016 Austria were never quite able to get across the line in qualifying, their 2012 campaign all too familiar when after a bright start they slipped to fourth. They came close, however, ending a point short of an automatic berth for the 1980 finals and twice defeats in the UK – 1-0 by Wales (1976) and 5-3 in Northern Ireland (1996) – ended their interest. HUNGARYFlórián Albert inspired Hungary as they finished third in 1964 and fourth in 1972. In 1964 they overcame Wales, East Germany and France before suffering a 2-1 extra-time semi-final defeat by Spain. Three days later Hungary prevailed 3-1 in extra time in the third-place play-off with Denmark, Dezső Novák scoring twice. In 1972 they overcame Romania in a quarter-final replay, but a late penalty miss by Sándor Zámbó confirmed defeat against the USSR and this time the third-place play-off ended in a 2-1 reverse to hosts Belgium. Hungary's next ten qualifying campaigns were unsuccessful, though under Sándor Egervári they finished a creditable third behind the Netherlands and Sweden in their UEFA EURO 2012 section. The highlight came in the home fixture against Sweden when Gergely Rudolf's 90th-minute goal earned a 2-1 victory. It was Hungary's first competitive win against a team above them in the FIFA world rankings this century. |
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BEST RESULT |
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| AUSTRIA | HUNGARY | ||
| group stage 2008 |
third place 1964 |
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| KEY PLAYERS | |||
| AUSTRIA Still only 23 David Alaba has matured into a wonderful player with solely Jordi Alba challenging him for the title of best left-back in the world. But Bayern Munich have exploited his class to field him as a left-sided centre-back, left-sided or central midfielder and in the No10 role. Austria’s captain, Leicester City’s Christian Fuchs, plays at left-back for Koller and Alaba is used as a midfielder where his vision, tackling, pace, energetic pressing and eye for goal make him among the most extravagantly gifted in the game. Alaba has won the past four Austrian player of the year awards, three German Doubles, the Champions League and the Fifa Club World Cup. Marcel Sabitzer is a pacey, direct, goalscoring left-winger with a trick and exceptional dribbling skills who can also play through the middle. He was linked with Manchester United and Juventus at the age of 18 but moved to RB Leipzig instead in 2014 because he feared being stuck in the reserves at a major club. Spent last year on loan at Red Bull Salzburg, scoring 19 times in 33 league games and, at the age of 21, is back on the radar of Europe’s elite sides. |
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| HUNGARY Captain Balazs Dzsudzsak was seen as a classic, orthodox Dutch-style left-winger during his three seasons with PSV when he scored 44 goals in 114 Eredivisie appearances and led the league for assists. Linked with Roma, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool his ‘big’ move came when temporarily wealthy Anzhi Makhachkala recruited him during an incontinent spending spree. He stayed only a year before moving to Dynamo Moscow for three seasons and left them for Bursaspor last summer. Still only 27 he maintains the pace and crossing ability to trouble full-backs and work the wide play-maker role in the manner Christian Eriksen does at times for Spurs. He also possesses a fiery streak and is never short of a word. A 21-year-old midfielder whose club and national side team-mates nicknamed ‘Scholes’ would make anyone sit up and take notice – even when you discover that he was originally likened to the Manchester United pocket general because of a similar hairstyle and colouring. And yet Laszlo Kleinheisler, the Videoton central midfielder, does shoot with the same vicious power of Scholes but gets about the pitch more and is not as much of a liability/menace in the tackle. |
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