Serbia Beats Austria to Remain in Nations League Top Tier
Serbia defeated Austria 2-0 to secure their spot in Nations League A, with goals from Nemanja Maksimovic and Dusan Vlahovic sealing a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Serbia secured their spot in Nations League A with a convincing 2-0 win over Austria at Stadion Rajko Mitic, sealing a 3-1 aggregate victory. This result extended Serbia's unbeaten home run in the Nations League to six matches.
The tie was delicately poised after Thursday's 1-1 draw in Vienna, making it challenging to predict a winner. Both teams boasted strong recent records in the Nations League. However, Serbia's home advantage was somewhat diminished due to a UEFA sanction, which resulted in a reduced crowd. This seemed to affect the hosts in the first half, as Austria dominated proceedings and came close to scoring.
Austria thought they had taken the lead in the sixth minute, but Konrad Laimer's goal was disallowed due to offside. As the half progressed, Serbia began to gain momentum. Dusan Vlahovic's powerful left-footed shot from 25 yards narrowly missed the target. Austria responded with a close call of their own, as Romano Schmid's effort from the byline was pushed behind by goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic, ensuring the score remained level at halftime.
Serbia's first shot on target yielded the opening goal, albeit in unconventional fashion. Nicolas Seiwald's pass to Alexander Schlager was misjudged by the goalkeeper, and the ball ricocheted off the post. Nemanja Maksimovic reacted swiftly to direct the ball home, giving Serbia the lead in a somewhat comedic manner.
The goal seemed to galvanize the hosts, and they soon created another scoring opportunity. A through ball appeared to have released substitute Luka Jovic, but Schlager intervened decisively, sprinting off his line to clear the danger and narrowly beating Jovic to the ball.
Austria's task of mounting a comeback became increasingly daunting, and their challenge was compounded when Gernot Trauner received a straight red card with just over 20 minutes remaining. Trauner's cynical foul, committed as the last man, left Austria with a mountain to climb.
In the first minute of stoppage time, Dusan Vlahovic sealed Serbia's victory with a well-placed effort that found the bottom corner. This goal ensured Serbia's spot in League A for the 2026/27 cycle, while Austria will remain in League B. Vlahovic's goal was a fitting conclusion to the match, as he had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside.
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