Austria team guide
Friday, May 1, 2015
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Semi-finalists for the third time in 2014, Austria won five of their six qualifying games including a thumping 5-1 defeat of holders Germany, who beat them last year.
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After reaching the semi-finals last season, Austria are back again, but only after a tense conclusion to their elite round campaign. Not only did Hermann Stadler's side have to win their last match against Italy, they also needed Scotland to drop points against Croatia. Austria showed their mettle by coming from behind to scalp Italy 2-1 thanks to goals from Marko Kvasina and Sascha Horvath, and advanced after Scotland were held to a 1-1 draw. Stadler has stepped up to the Under-19s after a productive spell with this group at U17 level. "We reached the European Under-17 Championship final tournament and the U-17 World Cup, and now we've qualified for this tournament – that's a huge success," he said.
Qualifying round: Latvia 1-0, Kazakhstan 1-0, Germany 5-1 (Group 2 winners)
Elite round: Scotland 1-2, Croatia 2-0, Italy 2-1 (Group 6 winners)
Key players: Philip Lienhart (defender, Real Madrid CF), David Domej (defender, HNK Hajduk Split), Sascha Horvath (midfielder, FK Austria Wien), Marko Kvasina (forward, FK Austria Wien)
Coach: Hermann Stadler
Date of birth: 21/05/1961
Stadler enjoyed a successful career as a winger, playing in the 1994 UEFA Cup final with SV Austria Salzburg. He has been a coach at the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) since 2008.
Team records
Qualifying top scorers
Marko Kvasina: 5
UEFA European Under-19 Championship best
Semi-finals: 2003, 2006, 2014
Honours in UEFA youth competitions
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Third place: 2004
UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Runners-up: 1997
International Youth Tournament (U18)
Winners: 1950, 1957
Runners-up: 1951
