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For the first time in 28 years, Austria have qualified for the World Cup, and they did it in style, finishing top of a qualifying group that included Romania and Bosnia & Herzegovina, but six wins in eight games was enough to see them edge out the crowd. In particular, their defence was solid, allowing just four goals conceded in total, and though they have managed to qualify for the last 3 European Championships, its the World Cup that has consistently eluded them. Austria actually finished above France in Group D in the European Championships two years ago, and could be one of the dark horses of the tournament where they will be aiming to get out of the group stages for the first time since 1982.
San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Laimer, currently playing at Bayern Munich, featured in all eight qualifying matches for Austria scoring twice and assisting once from a defensive midfield role. Many of Austria’s veterans, such as Alaba, Sabitzer and Arnautovic, may not play every minute of every game considering the back-to-back nature of their matches, but Laimer, with the experience of playing in a top league as well as the Champions League, will surely help to steer the ship in a group that Austria should be expected to get out of.
