Photo: AFBÖ/David Bitzan
Austria set up an IFAF 2024/25 European Championships semifinal with traditional rival Germany and sent a message by firing 78 unanswered points past Serbia at a sold-out win2day Gameday in Salzburg in front of 1,500 spectators.
“It was a wonderful football afternoon,” said Austria head coach Max Sommer. “The boys came out and set off fireworks – exactly what these fans and the stadium deserved. I’m very happy that we showed such great football over four quarters and hope that everyone who was here today will continue to support Team Austria in the future.”
Austria left no doubt about the outcome of the game early on and immediately got the ball back after the kickoff thanks to a tackle by Franz Korger. Two touchdowns from receiver Yannick Mayr and one by Fabian Eder and extra points and a field goal by kicker Oskar Herz made it 24-0 after the opening quarter.
Running back Sandro Platzgummer extended the lead to 30-0 with a remarkable run on his eagerly awaited national team comeback before touchdowns from Philipp Haun and Fabian Eder led to a 43-0 halftime advantage.
Not long after the start of the third quarter, defensive back Florian Albrecht came up with an interception and on the next play quarterback Alexander Reischl hit receiver Emil Eckerstorfer to make it 49-0. Oskar Herz increased the lead to 50 points and before the end of the third period, Haun returned a punt to the end zone and Austria led 57-0.
The fourth quarter saw touchdowns from running backs Tobias Bonatti and Lukas Haslwanter and receiver Nils Keimel complete the rout.