Austria rein in Finland
Friday, March 19, 2010
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Austria 3-3 Finland
Ernst Weber's side trailed 3-1 with 12 minutes but Raphael Holzhauser converted a penalty and Dominik Traunmüller levelled.
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A late Austria comeback ensured they shared the UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round Group 3 points in their opening fixture.
Finland led 3-1 early in the second half but with 12 minutes left Raphael Holzhauser pulled one back from the penalty spot and in added time Dominik Traunmüller levelled. That goal could prove vital as on Sunday Austria take on mini-tournament hosts Greece, who beat the Republic of Ireland 3-0.
The game was lively from the off and Finland opened the scoring on eight minutes when Joni Makela flicked a loose ball past goalkeeper Richard Strebinger. Austria levelled with a header by Dominik Burusic (17) but were behind again just before the half-hour when a blistering shot from Aleksi Paananen landed in the top left corner.
It was 3-1 by half-time as Tim Varynen was tripped in the area by Hozhauzer and stepped up to convert the penalty. Hozhauzer made amends from the spot and although Austria missed a last-minute chance to equalise when Chabi Seifedin headed wide with only the keeper to beat, Traunmuller struck from close range to earn a point.
