Marko Arnautovic (right) was the man of the match. © ANSA / MARIOS GREGORIOU

Austria opens the World Cup door wide

Austria's national football team is very close to qualifying for its first World Cup since 1998. The Austrians won their World Cup qualifier away against Cyprus 2-0 (1-0) on Saturday.

15 November 2025

From: apa

Marko Arnautovic was the match-winner in Limassol with a brace (18th minute/penalty, 55th minute). The Austrian national team now holds all the cards in Group H and can clinch qualification on the final matchday against Bosnia.

Arnautovic captained the Austrian national team at the Alphamega Stadium, replacing the suspended David Alaba. With Phillipp Mwene also serving a suspension, Konrad Laimer made his first appearance for the national team at left-back – a position in which he has already impressed at Bayern Munich. In central defense, head coach Ralf Rangnick partnered Philipp Lienhart with Kevin Danso. Ahead of them, Xaver Schlager impressed in defensive midfield after recovering from recent calf problems. The average age of Austria's starting lineup was 28,3 years.

The experienced Austrian national team registered the first shot on goal through Marcel Sabitzer (4th minute), but didn't pose a real threat in the first quarter of an hour. However, after Anderson Correia brought down Christoph Baumgartner just inside the penalty area, the 1.700 traveling Austrian fans were able to cheer: Arnautovic fired the penalty sharply and precisely into the right corner. The Austrians had a better grip on the game than in the first leg in Linz in September, which Sabitzer had also decided from the penalty spot after a foul on Baumgartner (1-0).

Christoph Baumgartner was brought down in the penalty area. © APA/afp / JEWEL SAMAD

In Limassol, the Austrian national team could have been leading by a wider margin before halftime. Stefan Posch headed wide of the far post after a cross from Sabitzer (23'), and Sabitzer himself failed to beat Cyprus' goalkeeper Fabiano after a superb outside-of-the-boot pass from Laimer (26'). Laimer also set up Nicolas Seiwald, but his shot was too central (43'). The Cypriots played on the counter-attack and only managed one shot on goal in the first half, by Christos Shelis (33', wide).

Arnautovic with eight qualifying goals

After the change of ends, Romano Schmid headed home a Sabitzer cross (48th minute) before Arnautovic struck again. Danso won a challenge in the opposition half, and his long ball found its way to the Austrian record goalscorer. He sent Nikos Panagiotou the wrong way and calmly slotted the ball into the far corner. It was the 36-year-old's 47th goal for the national team and his eighth in the current qualifying campaign.

Shortly after, the final whistle blew, with Michael Gregoritsch and Patrick Wimmer coming on for Arnautovic and Xaver Schlager (60'). After a blocked shot by Gregoritsch, Wimmer hit the post (80'). Cyprus, ranked 125th in the FIFA world rankings, didn't create such clear-cut scoring opportunities. The Austrians won their eighth competitive match against the Mediterranean islanders.

Marko Arnautovic scored a total of eight goals in qualifying. © ANSA / MARIOS GREGORIOU

With their sixth win in seven qualifying matches, the Austrian national team has secured at least second place in their group and thus a spot in the World Cup play-offs in March. This also means that Rangnick will remain as head coach until then. The German's contract would automatically extend until next summer's tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada if Austria qualifies for the World Cup. If Bosnia wins against Romania, Austria must not lose their match against Bosnia on Tuesday (8:45 pm) in Vienna to avoid jeopardizing their place in North America.