Poland vs Austria Player Ratings: Sabitzer and Arnautovic shine in impressive win
Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic scored in the second half to seal a win for Austria against Poland. These three points have boosted their chances to make it to the knockout stages of the Euro 2024.
Gernot Trauner scored the opening goal inside the first 10 minutes with a strong header at the near post. He was unchallenged for the cross from Phillipp Mwene and Szczęsny could not get close to the ball.
Krzysztof Piątek made things interesting with an equalizer at the half-hour mark. He pounced on the loose ball inside the box and slotted the ball past Pentz.
Marko Arnautovic’s smart move gave Baumgartner enough space and he made no mistake with a well-taken goal. His shot from near the edge of the box put Szczescy jumping the wrong way to make to 2-1.
Arnautovic was involved again as his header put Marcel Sabitzer through on goal. Szczesny ended up fouling the midfielder, before the striker slotted in from the spot with ease to make it 3-1.
Poland National Football Team Player Ratings vs Austria
GOALKEEPER
Wojciech Szczęsny – 6: Was sent the wrong way for the penalty and was caught napping for the second goal. Made decent saves in the game, but just not enough at the end.
DEFENDERS
Jan Bednarek – 6: Should have scored with his chance in the first half, but just that being his best contribution today will be a surprise to all.
Paweł Dawidowicz – 5.5: Poor in defense and did not win a single duel against the Austrian players.
Jakub Kiwior – 6.5: Best of the worst for the Polish side today and that is the only compliment he can get. Managed to do well against Baumgartner, but did not get any help.
MIDFIELDERS
Przemysław Frankowski – 6: Up and down the right flank throughout the game, but hardly created a chance for his forwards. Was weak defensively, and lost all but one of his duels.
Piotr Zieliński – 7: Was the biggest threat to the Austrian goal today as he kept shooting at all chances. However, only one was on target, while four were blocked.
Bartosz Slisz – 6.5: Sitting right above the defenders throughout the game and hardly got involved when needed. The two second-half goals could go down to his positioning on the pitch.
Jakunb Piotrowski – 6: Got hooked off at half time as he was ineffective in the first half. He managed just 11 passes in the match, and had his only shot blocked with ease.
Nicola Zalewski – 7: Did better than most of his teammates, but still not enough to get them over the line.
FORWARDS
Krzysztof Piątek – 8: Ther best Polish player on the pitch today. Got the goal because of his instincts, but hardly got any kind of service from his midfielders.
Adam Buksa – 6.5: Could not support Piatek in attack and is unlikely to start the next match with Robert Lewandowski back.
SUBSTITUTES
Jakub Moder – 6
Robert Lewandowski – 5
Karol Świderski – 5
Kamil Grosicki – 6
Kacper Urbański – 5.5
MANAGER
Michal Probierz – 7
Austria National Football Team Player Ratings vs Poland
GOALKEEPER
Patrick Pentz – 7: Could not do much for the Polish goal as the ball was bouncing around the box. Overall, had a good game and did not put a foot wrong.
DEFENDERS
Stefan Posch – 7.5: Rock solid at the back until the end and managed to keep Buksa and Zalewski silent for most of the match.
Gernot Trauner – 8: Scored the goal that gave Austria the lead in the first half. His header was unstoppable for Szczęsny but went off injured at the hour mark.
Philipp Lienhart – 7: Never gave Buksa and Piatek space and was shadowing them throughout the game. He was solid, but still the weakest of the Austrian defenders.
Phillipp Mwene – 7.5: Played just 63 minutes but was one of the best defenders on the pitch. Did not let Frankowski get past him and got the assist for the opening goal.
MIDFIELDERS
Nicolas Seiwald – 7: Was sharp from start to finish and kept the defense intact for Austria. He even took a long-range shot that was saved.
Florian Grillitsch – 6.5: Was taken off at halftime even though he was decent in the first time. He was intercepting the Polish attacks, but Rangnick decided that he needed to change the shape.
Christoph Baumgartner – 8: A brilliant game from the 24-year-old and scored the goal that gave his side control of the match.
Konrad Laimer – 6.5: Came close to making it 4 goals for Austria on the day, but his shot rolled across the post and out. Was decent, but could have been involved a lot more.
Marcel Sabitzer – 9: What a performance from the midfielder. He was running in behind at every chance and won the penalty that sealed the win for his side.
FORWARD
Marko Arnautović – 8: Even without the penalty, it was a top performance from the Austrian captain. He was troubling the Polish defence throughout the game and made space for Sabitzer to exploit.
SUBSTITUTES
Patrick Wimmer – 6
Kevin Danso – 6
Alexander Prass – 6
Romano Schmid – 7
Michael Gregoritsch – 6.5
MANAGER
Ralf Rangnick – 8
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