Hoffer strike spoils Polish party

Erwin Hoffer scored the only goal with 15 minutes remaining as Austria dealt UEFA Under-19 European Championship hosts Poland a defeat amidst a party atmosphere in Poznan.

Cool finish
In a match short on clear chances Hoffer pounced on a long ball over the Polish back line midway through the second half and adroitly lobbed it over the onrushing Przemyslaw Tyton. It proved sufficient to edge a tight encounter and see Austria move alongside Belgium - 4-2 victors against the Czech Republic in the section's other fixture - at the Group A summit, while silencing the vast majority of the 15,000-strong crowd at a teeming Stadion Miejski.

Rapid start
With SK Rapid Wien's Veli Kavlak orchestrating things from midfield, Austria had also made the brighter start. They came close to breaking the deadlock on eleven minutes when another Rapid starlet, Hoffer, collected a fine through-ball from Tomas Simkovic and forced a strong save from Tyton. The effort temporarily stopped the colourful Mexican waves reverberating around the ground, but they soon resumed when Dawid Janczyk fired just wide of the upright as the Poles worked an opening of their own.

Superb block
Kamil Oziemczuk then forced goalkeeper Bartolomej Kuru to parry but the glut of goals that had marked the start of this tournament - with the earlier three games producing 18 strikes - always looked likely to stop in Poznan. Midway through the half the nimble Simkovic danced into the area but saw his effort superbly blocked by Poland centre-back Jaroslaw Fojut; the cue for a quiet period as both sides struggled to produce telling passes in the final third.

Striking performances
Hoffer reignited the encounter on 38 minutes when he flashed a shot just over the crossbar and was more accurate 60 seconds later when his blistering effort brought an awkward save from Tyton. At the other end, the powerful Janczyk was also causing problems for an Austrian defence bereft of the suspended Michael Madl, but chances were at a premium, and when one finally arrived for the home team on the stroke of half-time it fell to Andrew Konopelsky who flashed wide.

Missed chances
The sides picked up where they left off after the restart and it looked ominous when a well-worked corner ended with a Fojut effort that came within three rows of clearing the two-tiered stand. At the other end substitute Rubin Okotie fired wide before Hoffer pounced to secure the points for Austria. The victors now face the Czech Republic on Thursday when Poland meet Belgium.