Austria may have come up just short in their quest to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup™, but what they achieved in Qatar will go down in the nation’s football folklore.
No Austrian team had ever reached a World Cup final before and, while hurting in the aftermath of their defeat to Portugal, coach Hermann Stadler was able to put their accomplishment into perspective.
“I am very proud of my team,” he said. “What the players achieved at this World Cup was magnificent. It is the greatest success in Austrian football history. That is fantastic. If someone had told me beforehand that we would be runners-up in the World Cup, I would have signed up for that straight away. The way the lads improved from game to game and performed as a team, the way they maintained that mentality and team spirit from the first game to the last… It was fantastic. I can only pay my team the highest compliment.”
Austria finished the tournament having won seven of their eight matches, scoring 17 times and conceding just twice.
In the final at the magnificent Khalifa International Stadium, they were edged out 1-0 by an outstanding Portugal side, who were crowned European U-17 champions earlier this year.
The game was ultimately settled by an Anisio Cabral goal just after the half-hour mark, but Austria fought tooth-and-nail to get back on level terms – and came agonisingly close late in the piece when Daniel Frauscher struck the post.
Stadler added: “My players gave their all, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough. Even though we really put Portugal under pressure in the second half. Today the disappointment prevails, but tomorrow the world will look very different again.”
His feelings were echoed by captain Jakub Pokorny. “Obviously, I’m a bit sad now, but it was an incredible tournament,” he said. “In the end it hurts, but I’m just so proud of the team. The group was so good together. It means so much to me to captain this team.”
While Austria had to settle for silver, goalscoring sensation Johannes Moser will return home with the adidas Golden Boot prize. He fired eight goals at the tournament and follows in the footsteps of the likes of Victor Osimhen and Cesc Fabregas, who also won the award.
Moser described being presented with the accolade as “a little good feeling in a tough moment”.
“The emotions are high,” he added. “But we have to be proud of what we achieved. It’s not every day Austria is in a World Cup final. We are sad we lost but in the next days we will be happy we got this far and very proud. Every player has good qualities in this team. We are one family and we fought for each other.”
Moser also won the adidas Silver Ball award, and coach Stadler paid tribute to the winger’s exceptional efforts.
“Johannes played a superb World Cup,” he said. “You have to remember that he was injured before this World Cup. Our (opening) match against Saudi Arabia was his first game after six weeks out, which made his performance all the more remarkable. He won the Golden Boot with eight goals and was voted the second-best player. He can be very proud. He really is an outstanding player. But it wasn’t just him who performed well, the whole team did, every single one of them. We can return home with our heads held high.”
