Nations League
Kalajdzic sends Austria up, Ireland rue late miss
Austria’s 1‑0 win secured top spot in Group B3 and automatic promotion to Nations League A, leaving Republic of Ireland third and still needing a win in their final game. Republic of Ireland now sit third in Group B3 after their 1‑0 defeat by Austria, a result that Heimir Hallgrimsson described as painful.
Austria clinch top spot
Substitute Sasa Kalajdzic poked home the winner in Linz, with the narrow victory ensuring Austria claimed top spot and automatic promotion to League A. Chiedozie Ogbene squandered a late chance to equalise and Hallgrimsson was frustrated that they left the Raiffeisen Arena empty‑handed when they had chances to secure the win which would have kept their hopes of winning the group alive. He told RTE, “It was painful not to get anything from this match. I think we deserved at least a draw, but we needed the win for this game to count.”
He added, “I think we had the chances, the openings and the positions to do that, but this was not our day in goal‑scoring, so it is disappointing.” He said, “Everything that we asked the players to do, they did and I think they gave everything.”
Kalajdzic sinks Ireland's promotion hopes in Linz
Saturday’s defeat left Hallgrimsson’s side third in Group B3, a point behind Kosovo, who they face in their final game in Dublin on Tuesday. Hallgrimsson was left to rue Republic of Ireland’s inability to clear the corner that Kalajdzic scored from. He said, “We actually did have a lot of chances from that second ball in the box but it kind of never fell for our players in a good position.” He added, “They have a corner that they score from on the second or third touch.”
He warned, “That’s the game at this level. You need to be switched on and focused every second of the game.” Picking up a second win in the group against Kosovo would secure a second‑place finish, which brings a promotion play‑off and a move up to pot two for next month’s Euro 2028 qualifying draw. The Irish fell to a 1‑0 defeat in Pristina in September and Hallgrimsson needs his side to finish strongly at home and pick up a vital three points. He concluded, “It was always that [Kosovo] game that was more important, but we were just so close to winning this one and being able to win the group but this is football at this level, it is all down to details.”