Football is definitely unpredictable and at times unfair, which was reinforced in the game between Osijek and Vienna’s Austria. Not that the win was undeserved, but it is a fact that one small misplay spiraled into a loss for Osijek. In the 19th minute, Barisic hit the goal-bar in his penalty opportunity, the ball having bounced off and rolled in parallel with the goal line, not resulting in a score.
If Osijek had raised their advanteg to 2:0, the Austrians would have hardly evaded a loss, and who knows, maybe Osijek would have celebrated. Zekic said it best when he stated that we will never know. Enemy striker Monschein struck gold when he hit the goal-bar and the ball waltzed into the net, equalizing the score. We can safely say that centimeters decided the outcome, with luck siding with the Austrians.
Many unutilized opportunities
If Osijek had had a lead of 2 during the first half, it would have propelled them to a safe win, making the opposing team encumbered with the pressure to play better. The contrary occurred, realizing Fink’s plan. His team brought him the first goal on Osijek’s ground in this qualifying round in their 4th game. Osijek had many chances and managed to handle Hadzikic, but it stayed at chances, nothing more. If only Ejupi had managed to score a goal, it would have been a sight for sore eyes, because it isn’t same to go into a re-match with a previous score of 1:2 and 2:2. Grezda, Sorsa and Barisic had good opportunities as well, at the very end, when a goal was almost sure. The Austrians hade some chances too, but to them, misses weren’t destiny-deciding. We had gotten the impression that we spectated two equal teams, so the question of who will pass into the Euro-league stays unanswered.
The European Experience Means A Lot
Facts were known about the Austrians in European Cups and they showed up great, which Osijek’s brains knew and mentioned in analyses. Captain Holzhauser, ex-player for Stuttgart, lead the charge without anything specific, but his being on point with the ball-game and deadly strike. The Austrian coach, Fink, celebrated his experienced back player Westermann who had just arrived in Austria and, with his calmness and skill, held the backline as he did against Osijek. He played for Schalke, HSV, Betis, Ajax and has 27 games under his belt for the A-team of Germany, and it showed.
Regardless, Osijek could have landed a K.O. against the Austrian vicechampions. It gives the team hope that in the re-match in St. Poelten, Osijek might parry Austria’s strikes and win. If Austria celebrated in Gradski Vrt, why wouldn’t Osijek win over there, as they did against PSV? In 90 minutes time, many a miracle is possible, the important thing being that they believe in themselves.
