"Wenn wir diese Situation ohne Gegenspieler 100.000 Mal durchspielen, dann schießt du in 100.000 Versuchen nicht so ein Tor"
"I really wasn't doing well, I already saw myself packing my bags," says David Alaba.
Marcel Sabitzer adds: "After going 3:2 down, you're emotionally broken; in the 95th minute, you barely believe anything else is possible."
A Goal of Rare Significance
Rangnick reacts and brings on Sasa Kalajdzic. "I didn't even notice I was substituted. Sabitzer yelled at me, then I finally realized," laughs Mwene.
"But right after the kickoff, we had a hundred-percent chance through Lienhart, which awakened the emotion that maybe something was still possible," says Sabitzer.
Shortly thereafter, an action that the team manager still can't believe led to a goal.
"It's actually incredible what all had to come together there. From the long ball to Sabi, the cross to Gregerl, who lays it off with millimeter precision, and Sasa gets there with a run-up. If we were to play through this situation 100,000 times without an opponent, you wouldn't score a goal like that in 100,000 attempts," grins Rangnick.
"Such Small Miracles"
"There are small miracles somewhere," laughs Michael Gregoritsch.
The Ratings for the ÖFB Players >>>
3:3 – and then all hell broke loose. Alexander Schlager sprinted over 100 meters from his own goal to celebrate with his teammates.
"Ich habe ihm ein paar Watschen gegeben"
"I hoped the referee would blow the whistle right after that because I was completely out of breath. Not just the sprint, but everything that comes together. You can't imagine how a player feels on the pitch," says the ÖFB goalkeeper.
Alaba reports: "Like everyone else, I ran towards Sasa; half were on the ground, half on top of him. I gave him a few celebratory slaps. It was very emotional."
Memories of the Bosnia Match
Utter madness. These are moments that send a nation into ecstasy.
Gregoritsch thinks back to the match against Bosnia-Herzegovina when World Cup qualification was secured.
"In November, I wondered if such a moment would come again. Apparently, they keep coming," says the Styrian.
"You Can't Experience Something Like This Again"
Konrad Laimer, however, is not sure if something like this can be repeated: "You can't experience something like this again. All the circumstances, the course of the game, everything around it – it's madness."
Even an experienced coaching veteran like Rangnick is speechless: "I've been a coach for 40 years, but I can't even remotely remember a game that had such a dramatic and unexpected course."
