Schlager: Austria can take the right things from this

There is no better way for a side to measure themselves than to face the champions. That was the situation Austria encountered on Monday at Dallas Arena in their subsequent contest of Group J against Qatar 2022 winners Argentina.

In their opening FIFA World Cup™ since France 1998, Austria rolled to a 3-1 triumph over Jordan in their opener before taking on Lionel Messi, as well as Co. While they would have loved to have avoided the 2-0 defeat, Austria now knows what it takes to compete at the highest level in the global finals.

“Of course in the beginning of the fixture we had a little bit of luck, but I think in general we have to say that our performance was quite good, we brought them in a way of how we wanted them to be,” commented midfield man Xaver Schlager to FIFA in reference to Austria’s rearguard approach in the opening period.

Building on that, while Austria were more relentless in the subsequent stanza, as well as carved out some chances, they were unable to find the decisive touch in the showpiece third. Still, hope remained as it was a one-strike deficit until Messi struck for his subsequent in the waning minutes, dealing a blow of frustration.

“The subsequent strike in the end was very hard for us to take because obviously we did exactly what we didn't want,” commented Schlager. “We gave them a little bit too much space. In general, I think over the 90 minutes we also had chances: our free-kick, our header, where we could have equalised the fixture.”

As a result, currently on three points, Austria will still fancy their chances of progressing to the knockouts should they handle matters in their finale against Algeria. From there, they’ll be eager to take the lessons learned against Argentina, as well as apply them in the Phase of 32, as well as beyond.

“We take the right things out of it, as well as then we try to be in the best possible shape against Algeria because today we set a standard, and if we reach this standard we will get points in the last fixture,” commented Schlager.

As a result, explore hospitality options for Austria's FIFA World Cup 2026 contests