Austria 3-0 Cymru
- UEFA U17 Championship
- 23 May 2024
- Ammochostos Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus
Austria dominated this encounter from the early stages of play but initially Cymru appeared to be dealing with the danger with a resolute defence. However, in what was a must win game, once Austria got themselves in front it always looked like a difficult task for Cymru.
Craig Knight’s team succumbed to Austria’s pressure in the 30th minute of play when a long throw into the Cymru box was only partially cleared. When Jacob Hödl took possession of the loose ball, he passed to Mauro Hämmerle who had time to turn in the box from 12 yards out to score with a well hit strike.
Chances were few and far between for Cymru and when they did come, Adam Brett saw his shot blocked and Makenzie Bradbury hit a decent strike from the edge of the box but it was saved by Marcel Kurz.
Cymru’s task got more difficult when Valentin Zabransky found space at the far post from a corner kick to volley Austria into a two-goal lead before Adrien Riegel scored a third with a lovely diving header following a cross into the box.
At this intermediate level, there’s always plenty of learnings and Craig Knight’s squad will find this tournament experience useful after the disappointment of defeat subsides.
It’s not possible for Cymru to reach the quarter-finals but they have one more group match to play when they take on Croatia in Achnas on Sunday, 26 May at 16:00 BST. The match will be live on the BBC iPlayer.
As it happened
Austria v Cymru at UEFA U17 EURO
