Wir können nicht dem Schiri die Schuld geben, sondern uns selbst.
Left-back David Puczka actually "didn't want to say too much" about the referee's performance. But: "Everyone knows what happened. Everyone saw it."
The Genoa player would have certainly wished for VAR in this match, which was not available.
"There were some questionable decisions. But he generally misjudged a few situations. However, I think we can't blame the referee, but ourselves for not capitalizing on our chances," emphasizes Weinhandl.
Otherwise, according to the Sturm youngster, there was little that didn't go well. "We played really well."
In the 20 minutes after conceding the goal, Austria pushed for the equalizer, which they eventually achieved. Debutant Weinhandl shot from long range, and substitute Erik Kojzek decisively deflected it with his heel (69th minute).
Until the end, in a match that became increasingly wild as it progressed, a 2-1 win for Perchtold's eleven was within reach. But it didn't happen. Not even from Puczka's free-kick in the last minute.
What goes through your mind in such a situation? "I thought to myself: I have to put this in now, because otherwise it will be harder. But unfortunately, you can't wish for it to be exactly as it should be."
"Somehow it's mathematically possible"
And because things didn't go as many Austrian fans would have wished, their Euro qualification is no longer in their own hands.
On the contrary: The U21 team would have to win big in their last qualifying match against Wales to still jump to second place. At the same time, a clear defeat for Denmark against Belgium, currently in second place, would be necessary.
Even then, Perchtold's squad would have to enter the playoffs, where eight teams compete for the remaining four tickets.
That's why the team wants to give their all once again in Wales. "Somehow it's mathematically possible. We want to win the game on Tuesday," said Schuster. Weinhandl adds: "We'll do our job – and then we'll see where we stand."
A Promising Future
The current state of the U21 national team is good, despite the unlikely Euro qualification.
This was demonstrated by the performance against Denmark alone. Although the result is the same as in the first leg in March, a clear upward trend can be observed in terms of performance, as they were clearly the weaker team in Denmark back then.
Schuster nevertheless paints a positive picture for the future: "Every player has developed over the last year. We also have a really good team right now. More could have been achieved today. Even a slightly better performance in terms of play would have been possible. We didn't succeed today – but for the next few years, things are looking pretty good."
