With an expectant home crowd hoping to see Austria wrap up first place in the group, Ralf Rangnick’s men almost got off to a perfect start when Christoph Baumgartner’s early shot was deflected towards the bottom corner, but Caoimhin Kelleher was alert to keep it out.
Nevertheless, despite the early dominance, Austria struggled to create many clear chances, allowing Ireland to slowly grow into the game.
Troy Parrott had the visitors’ best effort with a fierce strike from the edge of the area, but Alexander Schlager was equal to it as he helped it over the bar.
At the other end, Christoph Lang had the best chance of the half as the ball broke to him in the area and he smashed his volley into the ground, meaning Kelleher had to adjust to make a fantastic reflex save.
After the break, the hosts reestablished their dominance, but they lacked the necessary quality in the final third to break the deadlock.
Baumgartner had two good chances just after the hour mark, yet he fired straight at Kelleher before screwing a finish well wide a few minutes later.
Ireland looked threatening in the final third, with Adam Idah missing a glorious opportunity as he mishit a volley over the bar after Schlager could only parry Parrott’s shot back into the area. Nevertheless, with the game seemingly headed for a stalemate, the hosts finally found a way past Kelleher with just over 10 minutes to go.
Michael Gregoritsch kept a corner alive at the back post, and Sasa Kalajdzic was on hand to stab the ball home from a yard out.
Still, the visitors refused to give up, and Schlager was still required to make one more vital save, denying Chiedozie Ogbene from point-blank range.
Ultimately, Schlager’s heroics allowed Austria to cling on to the win, meaning they can play without pressure in their Matchday 6 clash against Israel. The same can’t be said for Ireland, though, who now face a winner-takes-all clash versus Kosovo for second place while also being in danger of finishing bottom should they lose and Israel defeat Austria.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alexander Schlager (Austria)
