Northern Ireland v Austria

NORTHERN IRELAND v AUSTRIA OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME | £4

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE | LEAGUE B GROUP 1 NATIONAL FOOTBALL STADIUM AT WINDSOR PARK 11.10.20 | 19:45 #GAWA

CONTENTS

TEAMS

2

PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

3

IAN BARACLOUGH

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PATRICK NELSON

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NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD 20 DID YOU KNOW? STEVEN DAVIS SPECIAL 22 THE OPPONENTS - AUSTRIA 35 AUSTRIA SQUAD 36 FACTFILE AUSTRIA 38 INTERNATIONAL RECORD 47 MASCOTS 55

Irish Football Association President David Martin Deputy Presidents Jack Grundie and Crawford Wilson Chief Executive Patrick Nelson Advertising Irish Football Association Pictures Press Eye

Official Publication by Irish Football Association National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, Donegall Avenue, Belfast, BT12 6LW Head of Communications Danny Lynch Editor Nigel Tilson Design and Print Minprint Ltd, 401 Castlereagh Road, Belfast, Co Down, BT5 6QP Tel: 028 9070 5205 www.minprint.co.uk

Please note that the views in this programme do not necessarily reflect those of the Irish Football Association.

Paddy McNair is congratulated by his team-mates after scoring against Norway in Belfast last month.

Cover: Steven Davis reached a record 120 caps for Northern Ireland when he captained his country against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday. Design by Stuart Neill.

NORTHERN IRELAND

AUSTRIA

Ian Baraclough Manager

Franco Foda Manager

Michael McGovern Norwich City Bailey Peacock-Farrell Burnley Trevor Carson Motherwell Jonathan Evans Leicester City Craig Cathcart Watford Stuart Dallas Leeds United Shane Ferguson Millwall Conor McLaughlin Sunderland Jamal Lewis Newcastle United Michael Smith Heart of Midlothian Tom Flanagan Sunderland Daniel Ballard Blackpool* Steven Davis Rangers (captain) Niall McGinn Aberdeen Corry Evans Blackburn Rovers Patrick McNair Middlesbrough George Saville Middlesbrough Gavin Whyte Cardiff City Jordan Jones Rangers Jordan Thompson Stoke City Joel Cooper Oxford United Alistair McCann St Johnstone Kyle Lafferty Reggina Josh Magennis Hull City Conor Washington Charlton Athletic Liam Boyce Heart of Midlothian

Pavao Pervan Wolfsburg Alexander Schlager LASK Linz Cican Stankovic Red Bull Salzburg Aleksandar Dragovic Bayer Leverkusen Marco Friedl Werder Bremen Martin Hinteregger Eintracht Frankfurt Stefan Lainer Borussia Monchengladbach Christopher Trimmel Union Berlin Andreas Ulmer Red Bull Salzburg David Alaba Bayern Munich Julian Baumgartlinger Bayer Leverkusen Christoph Baumgartner Hoffenheim Philipp Lienhart Freiburg Stefan Posch Hoffenheim Florian Grillitsch Hoffenheim Raphael Holzhauser Beerschot Stefan Ilsanker Eintracht Frankfurt Karim Onisiwo Mainz Reinhold Ranftl LASK Linz Louis Schaub Luzern Xaver Schlager Wolfsburg Alessandro Schopf Schalke Adrian Grbic Lorient Michael Gregoritsch Augsburg Sasa Kalajdzic Stuttgart Christoph Monschein Austria Vienna

* On loan from Arsenal

Green and White

Black and Red

Referee Assistant Referee 1 Assistant Referee 2 Fourth Official Observer MATCH OFFICIALS

Petr Ardeleanu CZE Ivo Nadvornik CZE Jiri Molacek CZE Karel Hrubes CZE Vladimir Medved SVK

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PRESIDENT’S WELCOME

On behalf of the Irish Football Association it gives me great pleasure to welcome the players and officials of Austria to the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park in Belfast for this evening’s UEFA Nations League Group 1 game in League B.

It has been a challenging time for our sport throughout the last six months as the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way we carry out even the most basic things in the daily round of life. The effort put in by UEFA was rewarded with all the scheduled Nations League games in September being played. A spirited performance with 10 players for more than half the game in Bucharest achieved Northern Ireland’s first point in this the second edition of the Nations League and our first ever point in the competition; all four matches in 2018 ended in defeat. However, Norway arrived in Belfast a few days later and claimed all three points, winning by a 5-1 scoreline. Sandwiched between the first and second rounds of Nations League fixtures was the long-awaited and eagerly anticipated UEFA EURO 2020 play-off semi-final match in Sarajevo against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was staged last Thursday. The draw had been made in November of last year and, when we eventually got to play, the night in Sarajevo belonged to Northern Ireland. The game went the full distance with Northern Ireland coming out on top after an exciting penalty shoot-out. It was a magnificent achievement away from home against a very good side. Slovakia won the other semi- final and will travel to Belfast for the final next month. Two of the games in the 2018 Nations League were closely contested affairs against tonight’s visitors Austria, who won by the odd goal on both occasions. Of course those games were played at a point in time when there were full stadia.

Playing in an empty, or almost empty, stadium as we are doing tonight is strange and everyone at the association looks forward to supporters being permitted to return in large numbers some time soon. The staff at the Irish FA have been working closely with local government throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and we are in a position to facilitate 600 fans at tonight’s game. To the 600 drawn by ballot and in attendance tonight, I hope you enjoy an exciting game. Be safe around the stadium and also on you journey home. I am sure many of our supporters will not only be watching the game on television but availing of the opportunity to peruse this souvenir match programme issued online but also with a limited edition in print form. I hope it is an exciting game of football tonight and that our visitors have a safe journey home. I also hope it’s an entertaining encounter when Northern Ireland complete their October series of games with a visit to Norway on Wednesday. Finally, congratulations to Northern Ireland captain Steven Davis on becoming our country’s most capped player of all time when he made his 120th appearance in Sarajevo, playing the full 120 minutes. A memorable milestone for Steven and

richly deserved. David J Martin President Irish Football Association

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MANAGER’S VIEW

It’s hard to come back down to earth after achieving the kind of result we managed against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday night, but we must now switch our focus to the UEFA Nations League and tonight’s match against Austria.

The boys put in an incredible shift against the Bosnians in the UEFA Euro 2020 Path B play-off semi-final. We were off the pace in the first half, however we were much better after the break and got in their faces more. I thought across the 120 minutes we worked our socks off, created some good chances and showed incredible spirit. I asked the players to leave nothing on the pitch in Sarajevo and they most certainly delivered on that front. Our preparations for the game included practising penalties and those assigned to take spot-kicks showed true grit and determination, and plenty of skill, to help us secure a place in next month’s play- off final via a penalty shoot-out. It will be a huge night in Belfast when Slovakia come to town on 12 November, however right now it’s time to show our mettle in the Nations League. In the first edition of the competition back in 2018 our opponents tonight defeated Northern Ireland home and away. We would dearly love to add to our points tally in the second edition of the league, starting with this game tonight. Austria are a solid outfit with quality operators and I know my players will have to be at the top of their game if they are going to get a result against them. Naturally, we were in a celebratory mood after the game in Sarajevo, but the players are now fully recovered from their wounds of battle and ready to go again. We have done our homework on Austria, which of course we do on all our opponents, and we know

they have many strengths. But even the best teams have weaknesses and we will be trying to exploit those. After tonight we will be heading off to Norway for another League B Group 1 match and I’m confident we will produce a much better performance against the Norwegians this time than we did in Belfast last month. We, of course, used 17 players in the Bosnia game and I am aiming to dig deep into my squad reserves once again over the next two matches. I hope you all enjoy the game tonight and I hope we give the 600 fans who have been allowed into the ground something to cheer about. Finally, like so many other people have done in recent days, I would like to offer huge congratulations to our captain Steven Davis on breaking Pat Jennings’ long-standing caps record for Northern Ireland. Reaching the milestone of 120 caps, as he did last Thursday night, is no mean feat. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication over many years to set such records. Steven is a fantastic professional and an exceptional person who fully deserves all the plaudits which have come his way, from his various managers down the years, from his former and current team-mates and from the wider football family. Nice guys don’t always win but in this case the nice guy has smashed it. Ian Baraclough Northern Ireland Manager

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© 2020 adidas AG

GOOD EVENING

Although it isn’t our customary ‘full house’ tonight, I’m delighted that we have 600 supporters back in the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park this evening to see us take on Austria in the UEFA Nations League.

Following on from Ulster Rugby successfully hosting a similar number last week at Kingspan Stadium, we have been allowed to take tentative steps this evening to bring people into the ground, and we thank our NI Executive colleagues for working with us to achieve this. There is still a long way to go to beat Covid-19, and we all need to follow the rules and look after each other, but it’s a good step to take. We only arrived back in Belfast on Friday afternoon after the small matter of the UEFA EURO 2020 play-off semi-final in Sarajevo against Bosnia and Herzegovina. What a game that was: chances at either end, 1-1 after both 90 and 120 minutes, both teams giving their all, and eventually it was down to nerve-shredding penalties. We all know how this story ended, with Liam Boyce calmly breaking Bosnian hearts with his penalty which gave us an unassailable lead. It was a great night for all, and especially Ian Baraclough who managed the tactics of the game superbly, even down to the final substitutions to bring penalty takers onto the pitch. If I can mention the number 120 again, hats off to our captain Steven Davis on becoming our most capped player in history. His 120th cap in Sarajevo will be memorable for all the right reasons, and we look forward to seeing him for the 121st time tonight!

The job is not yet done, of course, either in the context of UEFA EURO 2020 qualification or the UEFA Nations League. A promising point against Romania was a good start for us in the Nations League, but with a depleted team we couldn’t match Norway last time out here in Belfast. We get a chance to show Norway more of what we are made of in Oslo this coming Wednesday, but tonight it’s all about taking on Austria, and hopefully taking revenge for our results against them in the last Nations League campaign. Naturally, after this week thoughts will turn to the EURO 2020 play-off final against Slovakia which will be here in Belfast on 12 November. That will also be a huge night, and let’s keep our fingers crossed that we will be able to allow supporters into that game as the atmosphere you generate definitely transmits energy to our players. We all know football though, it’s one game at a time, and tonight the game is against Austria. Enjoy tonight, whether you’re with us in person or with us in spirit!

Patrick Nelson Chief Executive Irish Football Association

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BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA 1 KRUNIC 13' NORTHERN IRELAND 1 McGINN 53' AET NORTHERN IRELAND WON 4-3 ON PENALTIES

EURO 2020 PATH B PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL 08.10.2020 Grbavica Stadium, Sarajevo

STATS

POSSESSION %

59

41

SHOTS

20

13

SHOTS ON TARGET

6

3

CORNERS

9

7

FOULS

15

18

TEAMS

1 Begovic 2 Nastic 4 Todorovic 7 Hotic 9 Hodzic 14 Gojak 16 Hadzikadunic 18 Djuric 20 Hajradinovic 21 Loncar 22 Piric 23 Milosevic 12 Sehic 15 Cipetic 3 Ahmedhodzic 17 Sanicanin 5 Kolasinac 13 Cimirot 6 Hadziahmetovic 10 Pjanic 8 Visca 11 Dzeko 19 Krunic Substitutes

1 Peacock-Farrell 14 Dallas 20 Cathcart 5 Evans J 3 Lewis 13 Evans C 8 Davis 6 Saville 7 McGinn 17 McNair 21 Magennis

Substitutes

2 McLaughlin 4 Flanagan 9 Boyce 10 Lafferty 11 Ferguson 12 McGovern 15 Thompson 16 Washington

18 Whyte 19 Jones 22 Ballard 23 Carson

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Words Nigel Tilson

BARACLOUGH’S BOYS EMERGE VICTORIOUS IN SARAJEVO SHOWDOWN Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough promised his team would give it their all in the UEFA Euro 2020 play- off match against Bosnia and Herzegovina – and they did not let him down.

Baraclough’s boys triumphed in the Path B Play-Off semi-final in Sarajevo last Thursday with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win after the game ended 1-1 after extra time. Liam Boyce, who along with fellow substitute Conor Washington entered the fray with just minutes to go, scored the all-important spot-kick which secured Northern Ireland’s place in the play-off final in Belfast on 12 November where they will face Slovakia, who defeated Republic of Ireland 4-2 on penalties in the other Path B last four game. That match ended 0-0 after 120 minutes. Northern Ireland were very much the underdogs going in to the Sarajevo showdown but they gave as good as

they got in a rugged encounter in front of 1800 Bosnian fans at the 13.000-capacity Grbavica Stadium. Steven Davis, as expected, broke legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings’ caps record for Northern Ireland. The captain now has 120 caps under his belt and the players he leads ensured he had a night to remember. The hosts took the lead on 13 minutes. Branimir Cipetic was played in down the right. Jonny Evans went to close him down but slipped and Cipetic headed for the bye- line before laying the ball back where Rade Krunic spun and slammed the ball home. Northern Ireland almost equalised minutes later when Corry Evans produced a super cross for Josh Magennis but the striker’s

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header from six yards was superbly pushed away by Bosnian keeper Ibrahim Sehic and the ball was cleared for a corner. In the 18th minute a tame effort from Corry Evans drifted wide. On 24 minutes Bosnia playmaker Miralem Pjanic, who had been producing some fine deliveries from set-pieces, fired just wide of the target from distance, and then Paddy McNair whipped in a dangerous cross which was palmed out by Sehic. Pjanic shot over the top as the game ebbed and flowed, while Krunic had an effort saved by Bailey Peacock-Farrell. A one-two between Pjanic and Krunic saw the latter bear down on goal but he was stopped in his tracks by Craig Cathcart. As injury time approached Jamal Lewis found McNair at the back post and his header back across the goalmouth was met by George Saville but his shot cannoned off a covering defender and went out for a corner. There was early second half pressure from Northern Ireland. Niall McGinn whipped in a cross down the left which was cleared away. McGinn then popped up with the equaliser on 53 minutes. A Jonny Evans free-kick was flicked on by Magennis and McGinn nicked the ball off Cipetic before it then hit off a Bosnian defender. The ball fell nicely into his path and he coolly tucked it past the keeper. A sweet finish. Peacock-Farrell produced a good stop from Krunic before both Davis and McNair had efforts on goal and a deflected Lewis shot looped over the bar. Then it was the hosts’ turn to apply pressure. Pjanic smashed a free-kick onto the bar and Amir

Hadziahmetovic had a rising shot palmed away by Peacock-Farrell, while Edin Visca fired a volley over the top, Gojko Cimirot had an effort saved by the Northern Ireland stopper and Edin Dzeko scooped a shot over on 69 minutes. Pjanic fired a free-kick wide of target before McNair unleashed a shot from the edge of the area which unfortunately struck Saville as it headed goalwards and it took the sting completely out of it. Both teams were cagey as the game approached the end of regulation time, and it was no real surprise the game entered extra time. The first chance of the extra period saw substitute Jordan Jones produce a stinging low drive which the Bosnian keeper did well to keep out, while Peacock-Farrell saved a Visca snapshot. Jones also produced the first effort of the second period of extra time, his deflected shot looping over the bar. Extra-time failed to produce a goal so it was on to penalties. Pjanic scored the first penalty for Bosnia before Stuart Dallas hammered his spot-kick into the back of the net. Then Haris Hajradinovic had his penalty saved by Peacock-Farrell before substitute Kyle Lafferty scored. Next up was Visca who smashed his spot-kick off the top of the bar before Saville skied his penalty. Dino Hotic then slotted his penalty home before Washington scored. Dzeko made it 3-3 on penalties but Boyce blasted his spot-kick past Sehic to ensure the shoot-out victory. Pictures William Cherry

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EXCLUSIVE RETAIL PARTNER

NORTHERN IRELAND 1 McNAIR 6' NORWAY 5 ELYOUNOUSSI 2', HAALAND 7', 58', SØRLOTH 19', 47'

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE LEAGUE B GROUP 1 07.09.2020 National Football Stadium at Windsor Park

STATS

POSSESSION %

56

44

SHOTS

8

12

SHOTS ON TARGET

3

8

CORNERS

4

0

FOULS

8

13

TEAMS

1 Peacock-Farrell 2 Smith 4 Ballard

1 Jarstein 14 Elabdellaoui 5 Hovland 3 Ajer 19 Henriksen 21 Normann 11 Elyounoussi 9 Sørloth 23 Haaland 2 Aleesami 8 Johansen

3 Galbraith 5 McLaughlin 7 McGinn 9 Boyce 10 Lafferty 12 McGovern 13 Evans 19 Cooper 21 McCalmont 20 Cathcart 11 Ferguson 8 Davis 15 Thompson 14 Dallas 17 McNair 6 Saville 16 Washington Substitutes

Substitutes

4 Hanche-Olsen 6 Gabrielsen 7 King

10 Fossum 12 Nyland 13 Løvseth Rossbach 15 Berge 16 Svensson 17 Linnes 18 Berg 20 Thorsby 22 Meling

22 Lavery 23 Carson

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See website for more information. Limited places available. T&Cs apply © 2020 McDonald’s

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NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD

MICHAEL McGOVERN GOALKEEPER

JONATHAN EVANS DEFENDER

TREVOR CARSON GOALKEEPER

BAILEY PEACOCK-FARRELL GOALKEEPER

Club

Club

Club

Club

Norwich City

Burnley

Motherwell

Leicester City

Age Caps Goals 36 31 0

Age Caps Goals

Age Caps Goals 32 5 0

Age Caps Goals 32 84 4

23 16

0

SHANE FERGUSON DEFENDER

CRAIG CATHCART DEFENDER

STUART DALLAS DEFENDER

CONOR McLAUGHLIN DEFENDER

Club

Club

Club

Club

Watford

Leeds United

Millwall

Sunderland

Age Caps Goals 31 52 2

Age Caps Goals 29 46 3

Age Caps Goals 29 43 1

Age Caps Goals 29 38 1

JAMAL LEWIS DEFENDER

MICHAEL SMITH DEFENDER

TOM FLANAGAN DEFENDER

DANIEL BALLARD DEFENDER

Club

Club

Club

Club

Newcastle United

Heart of Midlothian

Sunderland

Blackpool*

Age Caps Goals 22 13 0

Age Caps Goals 32 11 1

Age Caps Goals 28 5 0

Age Caps Goals 21 2 0

*On loan from Arsenal

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All caps and goals correct before Northern Ireland’s game v Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday

STEVEN DAVIS MIDFIELDER

CORRY EVANS MIDFIELDER

NIALL McGINN MIDFIELDER

PATRICK McNAIR MIDFIELDER

Club

Club

Club

Club

Rangers

Blackburn Rovers

Aberdeen

Middlesbrough

Age Caps Goals 35 119 12

Age Caps Goals 30 61 2

Age Caps Goals 33 60 4

Age Caps Goals 25 36 4

GEORGE SAVILLE MIDFIELDER

GAVIN WHYTE MIDFIELDER

JORDAN JONES MIDFIELDER

JORDAN THOMPSON MIDFIELDER

JOEL COOPER MIDFIELDER

Club

Club

Club

Club

Club

Middlesbrough

Cardiff City

Rangers

Stoke City

Oxford United

Age Caps Goals

Age Caps Goals 24 10 2

Age Caps Goals 25 9 0

Age Caps Goals 23 8 0

Age Caps Goals 24 0 0

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23 0

ALISTAIR McCANN MIDFIELDER

KYLE LAFFERTY FORWARD

JOSH MAGENNIS FORWARD

CONOR WASHINGTON

LIAM BOYCE FORWARD

FORWARD

Club

Club

Club

Club

Club

Charlton Athletic

Heart of Midlothian Age Caps Goals 29 22 1

St Johnstone

Reggina

Hull City

Age Caps Goals 20 0 0

Age Caps Goals 33 76 20

Age Caps Goals 30 51 7

Age Caps Goals

28 23 4

21

All caps and goals correct before Northern Ireland’s game v Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday

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DID YOU KNOW?

Words Marshall Gillespie

RECORD BREAKER STEVEN DAVIS *

Steven Davis has captained his country a total of 67 times, more than any other player. He was first given the armband by then manager Lawrie Sanchez for a friendly international against Uruquay in New Jersey on 21 May 2006 which ended in a 1-0 defeat. His complete record as skipper of the national team is: P W D L F A 67 23 17 27 73 78

In his 119 full international appearances to date Steven

Davis has played a total of 10,013 minutes for his country with exactly 7,500 of those minutes having come in competitive matches. The only other player to have played more international minutes for Northern Ireland is of course the great Pat Jennings who amassed a total of 10,478 minutes.

Davis has started 112 of his 119 matches for Northern Ireland and has only been substituted on nine occasions. The only time that he has been an unused substitute was in a World Cup Qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku on 9 October 2004, exactly four months before he made his full international debut at home to Canada

on 9 February 2005. His full record reads:

P W D L W% D% L% 119 40 27 52 33% 23% 44%

*All statistics were correct prior to Northern Ireland’s UEFA EURO 2020 Path B Play-Off Semi-Final against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday.

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The Ballymena-born midfielder has 12 goals to his credit at full international level, which puts him joint fifth in the all-time list of Northern Ireland scorers. Ten of his goals have been scored at the National Stadium at Windsor Park, six of them in the month of October and four of them on the 8th of that month. Hopefully he took that tally to five on Thursday past! Below is a full list of the goals he has scored for Northern Ireland: 8 Oct 2005 v Wales (h) lost 3-2 50 mins 15 Oct 2008 v San Marino (h) won 4-0 75 mins 10 Aug 2011 v Faroe Islands (h) won 4-0 66 mins 7 Oct 2011 v Estonia (h) lost 2-1 22 mins 15 Oct 2013 v Israel (a) drew 1-1 72 mins 8 Oct 2015 v Greece (h) won 3-1 35 & 58 mins 13 Nov 2015 v Latvia (h) won 1-0 55 mins 8 Oct 2016 v San Marino (h) won 4-0 26 mins (P) 1 Sep 2017 v San Marino (a) won 3-0 78 mins (P) 11 Sep 2018 v Israel (h) won 3-0 13 mins 21 Mar 2019 v Estonia (h) won 2-0 75 mins (P)

To date 57 of Steven Davis’ 119 Northern Ireland games have been played at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park. A total of 62 have been played away from Belfast, seven of which took place at neutral venues. Davis has ended up on the winning side in 49% of those 57 home matches, 18% of them have resulted in draws and 33% have ended in defeats.

During his long and distinguished international career Davis has only been yellow carded on seven occasions. His first booking came in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Slovenia on 11 October 2008 with his last caution coming against the Dutch in the scoreless draw in Belfast on 16 November 2019.

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DID YOU KNOW? RECORD BREAKER STEVEN DAVIS *

Words Marshall Gillespie

By the time you read this Steven Davis will have, hopefully, made his 120th appearance for Northern Ireland. In overtaking Pat Jennings’ long standing record he will, along with Wayne Rooney, be the second highest capped player ever in the United Kingdom, leaving him just five shy of the overall record held of course by England goalkeeper Peter Shilton. He is also one of only 13 players to have made 100-plus full international appearances for one of the home nations. The full list is: Peter Shilton England 125 Wayne Rooney England 120 Steven Davis Northern Ireland 119 Pat Jennings Northern Ireland 119 David Beckham England 115 Steven Gerrard England 114 Aaron Hughes Northern Ireland 112 Bobby Moore England 108 Ashley Cole England 107 Bobby Charlton England 106 Frank Lampard England 106 Billy Wright England 105 Kenny Dalglish Scotland 102

Davis won his first full international cap against Canada when he was an Aston Villa player back in February 2005; he eventually went on to make another 19 appearances for his country while at Villa Park. His next stop was Fulham and Craven Cottage where he played under former international boss Lawrie Sanchez and where he won a further six international caps. The now 35-year-old clocked up another 55 games for Northern Ireland during seven years at Southampton and a further 38 matches over two separate spells with his current employers Rangers.

*All statistics were correct prior to Northern Ireland’s UEFA EURO 2020 Path B Play-Off Semi-Final against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday.

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Despite finding the net 12 times during his 15-year career as a senior international, Davis only ever scored once for Northern Ireland in his 31 games at underage level. That solitary goal came in a 5-1 win over Finland in an Under-15 Schoolboys international on 3 October 2000. Here is his full list of appearances at underage level: Under-15: 8 caps 1 goal Under-16: 3 caps 0 goals Under-17: 8 caps 0 goals Under-19: 8 caps 0 goals Under-21: 3 caps 0 goals Under-23: 1 cap 0 goals

Steven Davis’ first ever assist for his country came in that historic 1-0 victory over England in September 2005 when his sublime chip set up David Healy for the winning goal in the 74th minute. Since then the Northern Ireland legend has weighed in with nine more assists. His most recent one was for Paddy McNair’s second goal in the 3-2 friendly victory in the Czech Republic on 14 October last year.

Since Davis first pulled on the green shirt at senior international level he has missed just 17 internationals. In his absence Northern Ireland managed to record a victory in just three of those internationals, six of them ended in stalemate and eight resulted in defeat. During Michael O’Neill’s eight-year stint in the hotseat Davis missed just seven of his 72 matches in charge.

In June 2017 the Northern Ireland skipper was

recognised for his services to football and awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

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A SUMMER SIZZLER BACK IN ’82

Northern Ireland’s and Austria’s performances at the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain both culminated in a run to the last 12 of the tournament and a second group phase meeting in Madrid – and it was a humdinger of a game.

Both nations took their place at Espana ’82 boasting some real star players in their ranks. Herbert Prohaska, who was subsequently voted Austria’s ‘Golden Player’ at the UEFA Jubilee Awards in 2004 and the Austrian Football Association’s Footballer of the (20th) Century a year later, was the standout name in the ‘Unsere Burschen’ (Our Boys) squad. Legendary goalkeeper Pat Jennings, midfielder Sammy McIlroy and then 17-year-old, uncapped Manchester United striker Norman Whiteside were included in Billy Bingham’s 22, meanwhile. A goal from Walter Schachner gave Austria – who were joint-managed by Felix Latzke and Georg Schmidt at the tournament – a 1-0 victory over Chile in their opening Group 2 Espana ’82 match while Northern Ireland started their campaign with a goalless draw with Yugoslavia in Group 5. Das Team made it two wins from two against Algeria and progressed to the second group phase prior to their third group game and an infamous 1-0 defeat to West Germany dubbed the ‘Disgrace of Gijón’. Northern Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Honduras was followed by Gerry Armstrong’s famous goal and the 1-0 victory over Spain in Valencia, as Bingham’s side made it through to the last 12. Austria and Northern Ireland were joined by France in the three-team Group D. After Austria lost 1-0 to France in the opening group fixture, they played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Northern Ireland at Atletico Madrid’s former Estadio Vicente Calderón on 1 July 1982. Billy Hamilton gave Northern Ireland a first half lead before Bruno Pezzey levelled for Austria five minutes after the break.

Billy Hamilton scored twice against Austria at the 1982 World Cup finals

Rienhold Hintermaier put the Austrians 2-1 up 18 minutes later before Hamilton’s second goal of the evening levelled things up with 15 minutes of the 90 remaining. A point from two matches saw Austria depart the tournament but, with one game remaining, Northern Ireland knew a victory over France would guarantee them top spot in Group D and a place in the World Cup semi-finals. Alas a Les Bleus side containing the likes of Michel Platini and Jean Tigana proved to be too tough an opponent for Bingham’s team and the French won 4-1 thanks to braces from Alain Giresse and Dominique Rocheteau. Gerry Armstrong got a second half consolation in the match in Madrid. Italy went on to win that summer’s World Cup with a 3-1 win over West Germany in the final, while France finished fourth. While Billy Bingham also, of course, led Northern Ireland to the 1986 FIFA World Cup finals, Northern Ireland have not made it to the tournament since, while post-1982 Austria have only appeared in two tournaments (1990 and 1998), in which they failed to progress beyond the group stage. Words Andy Greeves

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SCOUTING REPORT Andy Greeves takes a closer look at Austria ahead of tonight’s UEFA Nations League clash in Belfast.

They managed 59% possession in their 2-1 victory in Norway and were unlucky to lose 3-2 to Romania, having had 63% possession and 19 shots on target to Romania’s 13. David Alaba has been playing as a centre half for Bayern Munich of late but is likely to operate as left back for Austria today if selected. STRENGTHS Austria have a fluid approach to their game which can help them overload their opponents in attacking situations. In the away victory against Norway last month it was common for midfielder Stefan Ilsanker to drop into a back three for Das Team alongside centre backs Stefan Posch and Martin Hinteregger, enabling full backs Stefan Lainer and Andreas Ulmer to position themselves in advanced areas of the pitch. Talisman Marko Arnautović was absent for those recent matches against Norway and Romania and is also missing again tonight. Marcel Sabitzer of RB Leipzig was expected to lead the line instead but he is also out. Augsburg striker Michael Gregoritsch, who scored in the Nations League match against Norway last month, could well be operating as the lone striker. At the other end Austria’s backline is well organised while midfielders such as Julian Baumgartlinger and Stefan Ilsanker are able to sit deep and provide defensive cover as and when required.

LOWDOWN Austria are familiar opponents for Northern Ireland, with the two nations having met in UEFA Nations League Group B3 in 2018. ‘Das Team’ won both head-to-head fixtures with the boys in green and white during the campaign although it was Bosnia and Herzegovina who topped the group to gain promotion to League A. Towards the end of last year Franco Foda’s side achieved qualification to the subsequently delayed UEFA Euro 2020, which will be held in the summer of 2021. Austria won six and drew one of their 10 qualifying matches to finish as runners-up in Group G and achieve an automatic spot at the tournament along with group winners Poland. TACTICS Austria have typically operated in a 4-2-3-1 formation since Franco Foda took charge of the national side in January 2018. Ahead of the November 2018 clash between Northern Ireland and Austria, it was mentioned in this Scouting Report series that Das Team were compact with a relatively direct style of play. Recent performances have demonstrated something of a shift in approach from Foda’s side, who dominated possession and produced good passing displays in their recent UEFA Nations League matches away to Norway (4 September) and at home to Romania (7 September).

POSSIBLE LINE-UP GK Alexander Schlager RB Stefan Lainer CB Stefan Posch CB Martin Hinteregger LB David Alaba DM Julian Baumgartlinger DM Stefan Ilsanker AM Christoph Baumgartner AM Florian Grillitsch AM Xaver Schlager FWMichael Gregoritsch

Many thanks to journalist Fabian Zerche (www.spox.com/at) for his assistance in the writing of this article. Many thanks to journalist Fabian Zerche (www.spox.com/at) for his assistance in the writing of this article.

AUSTRIA: HOME OF MOZART, COFFEE AND FOOTBALL EXCITEMENT? I would like to admit I have always had a soft spot for our Austrian opponents. Not only because I enjoy the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or the coffee shops of Vienna.

Nor is it because of the beautiful buildings or the Lippanzanner stallions, or getting my teeth round a delicious chocolate Sacher torte, albeit they are good reasons to enjoy Vienna. My fondness is more football related. It was Austria whom Northern Ireland faced way back in September 1983 in my first international match after starting to work for the IFA. Goals from Billy Hamilton, Norman Whiteside and Martin O’Neill saw us come through with a 3-1 victory. What a baptism to international football from the inside! I had already cheered on the wee team in green against the Austrians in Madrid a year earlier in the summer of ‘82 when Billy Hamilton scored twice in a 2-2 draw at the World Cup finals. That arm twirling celebration will surely live on with all who were lucky enough to enjoy it! Since then we have had other memorable nights jousting with the Austrians: Keith Gillespie’s stunning goal in Vienna in a 2-1 win in 1994 and Michael O’Neill (I wonder what became of him?) scoring twice at a windswept and rain-lashed Windsor Park in a 5-3 goal fest in the return match in ‘95. The lasting memory of that night of strong winds and driving rain in 1995 is Jackie Fullerton and George Best (co-commentator) wrapped up in numerous coats, scarves, hats and gloves against the elements perched in the little wooden commentary box which sat precariously on top of the old South Stand.

The rain was so heavy that to see the action below they had to take out the pane of glass from the window frame, which meant more rain was pouring in on them. Finally, who could forget the dramatic last minute equaliser in 2004 (3-3 draw) when Stuart Elliott ‘bundled’, I think that is the best description, ball and goalkeeper over the line in the 95th minute? All eyes turned to the Australian referee (with Dutch assistants) who was on an exchange visit organised by FIFA, but the Aussie whistler pointed to the centre spot: GOAL. I have always thought that Australians make the best referees! Those were all exciting matches which evoke powerful memories. Matches are currently not quite the same as they were. The lack of fans, of course, has an effect on the atmosphere. Players screaming to each other in an empty stadium lacks the appeal of the full stadium. And it’s not much fun doing the bouncy on your own. Maybe tonight’s fare on the field will provide more memories that we can all recall in years to come whenever the Austrians return to Belfast. Do you remember the 2020 match? Let’s hope so! Words William Campbell

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Stuart Elliott scored an injury time equaliser for Northern Ireland against Austria in 2004.

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Words Liam Blackburn

AUSTRIA THE COACH Heading into this international break no manager in Austria's history – not even the great Hugo Meisl or Ernst Happel - had a better win percentage than Franco Foda, the current man at the helm.

Foda won 15 of his first 24 games in charge since being appointed three years ago, giving him a win percentage of 62.5%. Austria have already beaten Uruguay, Russia, Germany, Sweden, Northern Ireland and Norway so far under Foda. He left his job at Austrian Bundesliga club Sturm Graz to take the international post in October 2017, succeeding Marcel Koller after the Swiss coach’s six years in charge was brought to an end as Austria missed out on a place at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Foda is the first German to coach Austria and was initially considered as a contender for the post in 2011, only for the national federation to opt for Koller instead. "He is someone who holds good qualifications. He knows Austrian football as a player and a coach," Austrian Football Federation president Leo Windtner said of Foda upon his hiring. He enjoyed coaching success with Graz, leading them to the Austrian Bundesliga title in 2011, having won the domestic cup the season before. Foda spent the 2012-13 campaign back in Germany in charge of Kaiserslautern, where he had two stints as a player, though he soon returned to Graz after failing to win promotion back to the Bundesliga. He left Graz at the top of the table when Austria came calling in 2017 and he had a win percentage

of over 50% during his most recent stint in charge of the club. Austria were 39th in the FIFA world rankings when Foda was appointed and, thanks in part to their qualification for Euro 2020, they had risen to 27th in the most recent rankings. Foda has preferred to use a 4-2-3-1 formation while in charge of Austria and has typically deployed the versatile Bayern Munich man David Alaba on the left-hand side of the attacking midfield trident. » Foda began his playing career in his native country and he was handed two caps for West Germany in 1987 when the great Franz Beckenbauer was their coach. » As a player he spent most of his time in Germany, playing for Kaiserslautern, Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart and winning two domestic cups. » After a short spell in Switzerland with Basel, he ended his playing days with Sturm Graz and then went into coaching with the Austrian club in 2001. » His son, Sandro, played for Graz when his father was manager between 2007 and 2012 and has already followed his dad into the coaching world.

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AUSTRIA SQUAD

Words Liam Blackburn

GOALKEEPERS

ALEXANDER SCHLAGER LASK LINZ

PAVAO PERVAN WOLFSBURG

CICAN STANKOVIC RED BULL SALZBURG

Age 32 Caps 1 Goals 0

Age Caps 4 Goals 0

27

Age Caps 3 Goals 0

24

Former LASK Linz stopper who has featured fleetingly for Bundesliga club Wolfsburg since a 2018 transfer. Pervan won his maiden call-up for his country in Franco Foda's very first squad back in 2017, though he has made just one appearance, in a 1-0 loss to Latvia last November.

Schlager started both of Austria's opening two Nations League fixtures last month having won his first cap in the Euro 2020 qualifier against North Macedonia when Foda's side booked their passage to next summer’s finals. The goalkeeper has previously won caps for Austria at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level.

Now entering his third season as Salzburg's number one, Stankovic has won five successive domestic titles with the Austrian Bundesliga club between 2016 and 2020. Stankovic has kept three clean sheets in his four senior Austria caps, with all of those games coming in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.

DEFENDERS

ALEKSANDAR DRAGOVIC BAYER LEVERKUSEN

MARCO FRIEDL WERDER BREMEN

MARTIN HINTEREGGER EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

Age Caps

29 81

Age Caps 0 Goals 0

22

Age Caps

9

47

Goals 1

Goals 4

The player with the most caps in Foda's squad, Dragovic has been a regular for his country since first appearing in 2009. The vastly experienced defender, who spent the 2017-18 season on loan with Leicester City, was sent off in the 2-0 loss to Hungary at Euro 2016 having picked up two cautions.

Friedl was part of Bayern Munich's academy and the left-back appeared in the Champions League for the club. He moved to Bundesliga rivals Werder Bremen, initially on loan, before a permanent deal was struck, and he will hope to earn senior Austria honours soon after being an unused substitute twice in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.

Played in eight of his country's 10 Euro 2020 qualifiers, scoring his fourth international goal in the 3-1 win over Israel a year ago. Centre-back Hinteregger netted eight times in the league for Frankfurt last season, including twice in a 5-2 loss to Bayern Munich when he also scored an own goal.

STEFAN LAINER BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH

PHILIPP LIENHART FREIBURG

STEFAN POSCH HOFFENHEIM

Age Caps

28 20

Age Caps 1 Goals 0

24

Age Caps 7 Goals 1

23

Goals 1

Picked a good time to score his first international goal as his effort in the 2-1 win over North Macedonia helped Austria book their ticket to the Euro 2020 finals. Right-back Lainer completed 90 minutes in both of the previous Nations League games against Northern Ireland in 2018.

A central defender who previously played for Real Madrid. Lienhart's sole senior appearance for Los Blancos came as a substitute in a Copa del Rey tie when Rafael Benitez was in charge. Now with German club Freiburg, he is still yet to win a senior cap under Foda following his 2017 debut.

Foda picked Posch as one of his centre- backs in each of Austria's first two Nations League games. Posch started 27 Bundesliga games for Hoffenheim last season and featured in their 4-1 league win over Bayern Munich last month. He scored the winner against Slovenia in a Euro 2020 qualifier last year.

CHRISTOPHER TRIMMEL UNION BERLIN

ANDREAS ULMER RED BULL SALZBURG

DAVID ALABA BAYERN MUNICH

Age Caps 7 Goals 0

33

Age Caps

34 19

Age Caps 72 Goals 14 28

Goals 0

Trimmel was called back into the squad last year after a nine-year absence, having won the first of his caps in 2009. A regular with Bundesliga club Union Berlin, only one of Trimmel's seven international appearances have come as a starter, when he played against Latvia in a much- changed team.

The veteran defender has made more than 300 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg and has won nine titles with the club, and he also claimed a championship winners' medal with Austria Vienna. Ulmer started both games against Northern Ireland in 2018 and played in all but two of the Euro 2020 qualifiers.

The standout name in this Austria squad, Alaba won a treble with Bayern Munich last season when he switched to centre-back. He is the youngest player to ever feature for his country after debuting back in 2009 and has been named Austrian Footballer of the Year a record six times.

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All caps and goals correct before Austria’s game v Greece last Wednesday

MIDFIELDERS

JULIANBAUMGARTLINGER BAYER LEVERKUSEN

CHRISTOPHBAUMGARTNER HOFFENHEIM

FLORIAN GRILLITSCH HOFFENHEIM

Age Caps

32 76

Age Caps 2 Goals 1

21

Age Caps

25 17

Goals 1

Goals 1

Baumgartlinger has spent the majority of his career in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz and 1860 Munich, though he has also played for Austria Vienna. The midfielder played every minute of Austria's three games at the Euro 2016 finals. His lone international goal came in a 2014 friendly win over Czech Republic.

One of three Hoffenheim players in this squad, attacking midfielder Baumgartner only made his debut for Austria last month but he played in both of the Nations League games, against Norway and Romania. He scored against the Romanians having found the net seven times in the Bundesliga in 2019-20.

Grillitsch has been a regular in the Bundesliga over the previous five campaigns, initially for Werder Bremen and then for Hoffenheim. Having previously represented Austria at Under-17, Under-19, Under-20 and Under-21 level, he has only featured fleetingly under Foda, making three appearances in the Euro 2020 qualifiers.

RAPHAEL HOLZHAUSER BEERSCHOT

STEFAN ILSANKER EINTRACHT FRANKFURT

KARIM ONISIWO MAINZ

Age Caps 0 Goals 0

27

Age Caps

31 43

Age 28 Caps 8 Goals 1

Goals 0

One of two new call-ups in Foda's squad. Holzhauser has been rewarded for some stellar early season form with Belgian top flight club Beerschot. He scored five times in his first seven appearances of the campaign. Once on the books at Stuttgart, Holzhauser previously reached double figures with Austria Vienna in the 2017-18 season.

A defensive midfielder who made the move from Red Bull Salzburg to sister club RB Leipzig in 2015 before joining Frankfurt last term. Ilsanker appeared in eight of the 10 Euro 2020 qualifiers, though he started only half of those. Played in both games against Northern Ireland in 2018.

Onisiwo scored his first senior international goal last month 20 minutes after coming on in the loss to Romania. He won his maiden senior cap in 2015 in a friendly against Switzerland and won a recall under Foda in 2019 after three years out of the Austrian team.

REINHOLD RANFTL LASK LINZ

LOUIS SCHAUB LUZERN

XAVER SCHLAGER WOLFSBURG

ALESSANDRO SCHOPF SCHALKE

Age Caps 1 Goals 0

28

Age Caps

25 14

Age Caps

23 13

Age Caps

26 22

Goals 5

Goals 1

Goals 4

Long-serving LASK Linz midfielder who has spent his entire club career in his native land, having previously played for Sturm Graz. Prior to this window his international career was only 13 minutes long as his sole appearance came as a late substitute in the 1-0 loss to Latvia last November.

The German-born attacking midfielder enjoyed a purple patch in international football between September 2017 and March 2018 when he scored five times, with one of those the winner against Uruguay in Foda's first game at the helm. Only started one game across the Euro 2020 qualifiers and the last Nations League campaign.

Schlager's only international goal to date came in Belfast two years ago in Austria's 2-1 win. The central midfielder started both of the first two Nations League games. Won four Austrian Bundesliga titles with Red Bull Salzburg before making the move to the German top flight in 2019.

Schopf scored Austria's only goal at Euro 2016 in their 2-1 loss to Iceland and he was on target in the 2-1 victory over Germany in June 2018. He was part of Bayern Munich's youth team, though he never appeared for them at senior level, and has been with Schalke since 2016.

STRIKERS

ADRIAN GRBIC LORIENT Age Caps 2 Goals 0

MICHAEL GREGORITSCH AUGSBURG

SASA KALAJDZIC STUTTGART

CHRISTOPH MONSCHEIN AUSTRIA VIENNA

24

Age Caps

26 19

Age Caps 0 Goals 0

23

Age Caps 1 Goals 0

27

Goals 3

Having previously represented Austria at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level, Grbic won his first senior caps as a substitute in the Nations League games against Norway and Romania last month. A prolific scorer for Stuttgart's youth team, he found the net 17 times for Ligue 2 club Clermont last season to earn a move to Lorient.

Gregoritsch is the son of the country's current Under-21 boss Werner Gregoritsch. He already has one goal in this Nations League campaign after registering against Norway. Gregoritsch, who spent part of last season on loan with Schalke, became the youngest scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga when he found the net as a 15-year-old.

The Stuttgart striker is the other player in this squad who has been called up for the first time in his career. Kalajdzic has been rewarded after scoring in both of his first two Bundesliga appearances of the campaign. He missed most of Stuttgart's promotion season last term through injury.

Monschein was the joint top scorer in the Austrian Bundesliga last season after scoring 17 times in 35 appearances for Austria Vienna. He began this campaign with three goals in three games. The striker made his international debut last month as a substitute in the defeat against Romania.

37

All caps and goals correct before Austria’s game v Greece last Wednesday

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