Austria cruise to victory in Kazakhstan to put Nations League promotion within reach
Austria knew a win would put promotion to League A in their own hands ahead of Sunday’s clash with group leaders Slovenia, but they would have to deal with freezing conditions in UEFA’s easternmost member state to do so.
The opening stages were quiet, with Patrick Wimmer’s effort that was saved by Stas Pokalitov in the 13th minute being the first shot on target.
However, before the quarter-hour mark, the visitors were in front through Christoph Baumgartner, who showed fantastic composure to create some space for himself in the box before slotting into the corner.
Kazakhstan’s only shot on target in the first period came when Alexander Schlager parried Askhat Tagybergen’s effort from distance to safety, but otherwise, it was one-way Austrian traffic.
Their task was made significantly easier when Aleksandr Marochkin was sent off for bringing down Baumgartner as the last man midway through the half, and Michael Gregoritsch produced a stunning strike from the subsequent free-kick to double his side’s advantage.
Now, it was not a matter of who would win, but how many Austria would triumph by, and only a combination of Pokalitov saves and poor finishing – especially from Wimmer, who hit the post with the goal at his mercy after the Kazakh goalkeeper had denied Konrad Laimer – prevented Austria from extending their lead further.
The chances continued to fall the away team’s way after the interval, but they often lacked precision, with Pokalitov thwarting Stefan Posch, Baumgartner, and Romano Schmid before Gregoritsch skied over the bar from a dangerous position.
Substitutes Junior Adamu and Kevin Stoger missed the target with varying efforts late on, meaning Austria were unable to add extra gloss to the scoreline. However, the three points were never in doubt, and this result sets up an intriguing clash with Slovenia at the weekend, where another win will be necessary if the Balkan nation beat Norway later on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s relegation to League C is confirmed, with Stanislav Cherchesov’s men so far managing just one point and failing to score during this UNL campaign.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Christoph Baumgartner (Austria)