Thanks to Kalajdzic! Austria promoted in the Nations League

Austria have earned promotion to League A of the UEFA Nations League!

Following a 1-0 home win over Ireland in Linz, the ÖFB team can no longer be caught at the top of League B3.

Austria controlled proceedings in an intense opening phase. Starting debutant Lang collided with opponent Collins (9'), but was able to continue and subsequently had the best chances of the first half—most notably in the 36th minute, when Kelleher had to turn away a bouncing effort.

Overall, however, the hosts' momentum quickly faded as they struggled to find solutions against a compact Irish side, who also threatened through Parrott (24', 29'). Both teams were prone to defensive errors, and the ÖFB side were met with scattered boos at half-time.

Kalajdzic forces it over the line

Things clicked better for the hosts after the restart, even if the breakthrough took a long time coming. Gregoritsch (49'), Danso with a header (60'), and the often unlucky returnee Baumgartner (62', 64') came closer and closer. The best opportunity arrived from a clever free-kick routine finished by Gregoritsch (72'), but Kelleher pulled off a fine save.

In the 78th minute, the goalkeeper was finally beaten: following a scramble in the box, Kalajdzic—brought on in the 61st minute for his LASK teammate Lang—bundled the ball over the line.

In the closing stages, Schlager was called upon to produce a sensational save to deny an Ogbene header (87').

With this victory, Austria seal top spot in League B3 and promotion to League A ahead of their final match against Israel in Debrecen.