Austria wins 4-0 against San Marino – but the sadness remains!

Austria wins 4-0 against San Marino – but the sadness remains!

On June 11, 2025, the Austrian national soccer team won 4-0 against San Marino in the third game of the World Cup qualification. However, this result was overshadowed by the tragic events of a shooting spree in Graz that plunged the nation into mourning. Team boss Ralf Rangnick opened the press conference before the game with a serious reference to this terrible day for Austria. He commented on the events of the last few days as one of the most difficult phases of his coaching career.

Before the match, the players found out about the tragic incident, which led to a special atmosphere in the team. Rangnick decided to forego the usual team meeting, while the players appeared on the pitch wearing a mourning ribbon and held a minute's silence for the victims. This gesture demonstrated not only respect for the deceased, but also the emotional weight that weighed on the game.

Victory with mixed feelings

The ÖFB selection showed a serious performance in the first half. Marko Arnautovic distinguished himself twice by scoring goals in the 3rd and 15th minutes, followed by Michael Gregoritsch (15th minute) and Christoph Baumgartner (27th minute). Despite the clear result, the team lost its rhythm a bit in the second half after many substitutions. Rangnick assessed the overall performance as “absolutely fine”, even though he did not deny his own experience of playing with the tragic events mentioned.

Austria is currently in second place in Group H with 6 points, while Bosnia-Herzegovina is top of the table with 3 wins from 3 matches. However, Romania, which is level on points with Austria, has already played 4 games. They also won 2-0 against Cyprus. For Rangnick, this victory is a step in the right direction, even if thoughts of what happened in Graz are still present.

An appeal to society

In his address, Rangnick highlighted the need to protect not only democracy, but also society, especially in view of current trouble spots such as the Ukraine war and the conflicts in the Middle East. He called for children and young people to be raised with trust and empathy. His experiences show that society must also learn from such tragedies in order to prevent future incidents.

David Alaba and Xaver Schlager may also be able to be used again before the next training course in September, in which Austria will play against Cyprus and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Rangnick expressed confidence that the team can qualify for the World Cup if it is complete. Despite the challenges, hope remains for sporting success and positive development amid tragedies that impact the life of a nation.

To find out more about the background to the rampage and the reactions to it, please refer to the reporting by South Tyrol News and the details about the game itself Sports1 referred.