Austria's return to the FIFA World Cup™ for the first time since France 1998 has proven a bittersweet experience. While there was huge satisfaction in reaching the knockout rounds, their in the Round of 32 was a tough pill to swallow.
"There's a certain emptiness in us, a certain grief. We're extremely disappointed, of course," captain David Alaba said after the game. "That's also the mood in the dressing room. But we have to be proud of us, just like over the past few weeks."
"I think the lads shouldn't be too down," Austria's top appearance maker and scorer Marko Arnautovic agreed. "Chin up – we've been able to write history again."
"As long as it's 1-0, you always feel like a match at this level can change in any moment. You have to believe," goalkeeper Alexander Schlager, who once again contributed a number of important saves, said. "Of course it gets more difficult at 2-0, but even there you have to keep risking it until the end – it's a knockout game.
"At 3-0, it was wrapped up. At the end of the day, it's very, very disappointing in this moment, because we would've really liked to keep representing our country. But we have to accept this as it is," Schlager concluded.
"Of course it's something special," Alaba said about Austria's World Cup return after 28 years. Despite going out to one of the teams considered favourites for the title, Alaba also made clear that they didn't just want to make up the numbers. "At this point, we have a team that thinks big and has big dreams. If you're not able to make these dreams come true, that really hurts."
"I don't want to hear anyone say that we could've done better," Arnautovic emphasised and moved the whole team into focus. "Each one of us should be proud of what he did. The boys did great and I'm very proud of them."
For Austria, it's not just the end of the World Cup, but also the end of an era: Arnautovic confirmed his announcement from a few months ago that his national team career ends now.
"I'm very sad, very emotional," Arnautovic, who scored 49 times in 137 games for Austria, with two goals coming at this World Cup, said. "A lot of tears. But then there's also that moment where I can say that I'm happy and lucky to have even had the honour of playing for this country for so many years."
The World Cup is over now, but Austria is already looking ahead: In September, they UEFA Nations League is on the schedule, and looking even further into the future, they will want World Cup participations to no longer be an exception, but become the rule again.
Sources: FIFA Official
