Austria got their World Cup preparations off to a great start as they beat Ghana 4-1 in Vienna. Ralf Rangnick’s side confirmed their spot at the tournament back in November, and kicked off their pre-tournament exhibitions against a Ghana side who failed to qualify for December’s AFCON, and they ran riot in front of their home fans. They were on top throughout a tightly contested first-half, but the breakthrough came from the spot.
Kevin Danso headed into Jonas Adjetey arms from close range, and Marcel Sabitzer converted from 12 yards after the referee pointed to the spot. That goal was the only difference come half-time, but Austria ran riot when they reemerged. Goals from Michael Gregoritsch and Stefan Posch put the result beyond doubt, before Jordan Ayew secured some consolation with a well-hit solo effort, but even that was matched as Nicolas Seiwald hit an even more impressive fifth from range for the hosts.
There were several debutants on the night, but Carney Chukwuemeka stole the show as he marked his with the fourth goal of the night. Catch up with the action as it happened below with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog, complete with expert insight and analysis.
Austria vs Ghana latest news
- GOAL! Siewald's stunner caps it
- GOAL! Chukwuemeka marks debut with goal
- GOAL! Ayew pulls one back
- GOAL! Posch heads home
- GOAL! Yirenkyi error gifts Austria another goal
- GOAL! Sabitzer from the spot
FULL-TIME! Austria 5-1 Ghana
18:59 , Arthur FerridgeThat does it! A comfortable win for Austria in Vienna. Lots of questions to answer for Ghana, though.
GOAL! Austria 5-1 Ghana | Seiwald 90+2'
18:58 , Arthur FerridgeWhat a hit from Seiwald to make it five for Austria! He latches onto a loose ball at the edge of the area and curls it first time into the bottom-right corner.
Austria 4-1 Ghana
18:56 , Arthur Ferridge90mins: Three added minutes here.
Austria 4-1 Ghana
18:52 , Arthur Ferridge86mins: Three more changes for Ghana as Partey, Semenyo and Ayew are replaced by Owusu, Bonsu Bah and Sulemana.
Austria 4-1 Ghana
18:51 , Arthur Ferridge86mins: Ati-Zigi gets down quickly to poke Kalajdzic’s shot wide.
Austria 4-1 Ghana
18:47 , Arthur Ferridge82mins: Two more Austria changes as Affengruber and Kalajdzic replace Sabitzer and Posch.
GOAL! Austria 4-1 Ghana | Chukwuemeka '79
18:45 , Arthur FerridgeA really well-worked move from Austria ends with the debutant Chukwuemeka slamming one into the roof of the net. What a moment for the former Northampton Town youngster!
GOAL! Austria 3-1 Ghana | Ayew '77
18:43 , Arthur FerridgeAyew pulls one back in some style! He goes alone, cuts into the box and leathers one beyond Wiegele. Superb finish.
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:40 , Arthur Ferridge74mins: Semenyo is down with a knock here. Caught a hand in the face from Posch, who is booked for the role he played in the incident.
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:36 , Arthur Ferridge71mins: Ah, one more. Senaya is on in place of Yirenkyi, whose error set up the third.
70mins: Here are the Ghana changes for you - think this is all of them, anyway.
On: Opoku, Mensah, Pfeiffer, Sulemana, Konigsdorffer
Off: Adu, Kohn, Adjetey, Sibo, Fatawu
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:33 , Arthur Ferridge67mins: Ghana are readying several subs. Looks to be six, maybe seven. Names and numbers as we have them.
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:31 , Arthur Ferridge65mins: Inasmuch as Sibo knew nothing about that incident, he has been booked.
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:30 , Arthur Ferridge65mins: An awkward, entirely accidental collision with Sibo and Wimmer is down with a bloodied nose.
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:28 , Arthur Ferridge63mins: Incidentally, Ghana are yet to make a change.
Austria 3-0 Ghana
18:27 , Arthur Ferridge61mins: Fatawu makes a jinking run into the box and gets a shot away which is narrowly over the bar.
Gregoritsch and Baumgartner are replaced by Arnatuovic and another debutant in Chukwuemeka, who switched his allegiance from England to Austria earlier this month.
GOAL! Austria 3-0 Ghana | Posch '59
18:24 , Arthur FerridgePosch makes amends for the earlier missed chance as he heads home from a corner. As routine a set-piece goal as you’ll ever see.
Austria 2-0 Ghana
18:24 , Arthur Ferridge58mins: Austria break forward and Posch leathers a shot at Ati-Zigi, who parries it behind for a corner.
Austria 2-0 Ghana
18:23 , Arthur Ferridge56mins: Wiegele, the debutant substitute goalie, makes a routine save for his first touch in Austria colours.
Austria 2-0 Ghana
18:19 , Arthur Ferridge53mins: Another Yirenkyi error sets Austria on the counter, but he recovers well to block the resultant cross which would surely have made it 3-0 if it reached its intended target.
GOAL! Austria 2-0 Ghana | Gregoritsch '51
18:17 , Arthur FerridgePretty shoddy defending from the visitors and Austria’s lead is doubled! Yirenkyi makes a total hash of blocking a long ball to Sabitzer and lets it run for the forward to break into the box and square to Gregoritsch, who taps home with ease.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
18:12 , Arthur FerridgeRight, Austria changes. Coming off are Danso, Mwene, Grillitsch, Schmid and Schlager. Replacing them are debutant goalkeeper Wiegele, Wimmer, Wanner, Prass and Lienhart.
2ND HALF: Austria 1-0 Ghana
18:11 , Arthur FerridgeBack underway.
There will be substitutions in abundance at half-time. More as we get it.
HALF-TIME: Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:53 , Arthur FerridgeAustria don’t even get around to taking their free-kick before the referee calls time on the first-half.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:52 , Arthur Ferridge45+3mins: Partey is booked for pulling back Baumgartner.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:49 , Arthur Ferridge45mins: There will be three minutes added to end the first half.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:48 , Arthur Ferridge44mins: Friedl rises highest to clear Kohn’s cross.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:44 , Arthur Ferridge40mins: Grillitsch plays a smart cross into the Ghana area but there is too much traffic for it to meet a white shirt.
Sabitzer responds with another cross, and Baumgartner forces a superb fingertip save from Ati-Zigi who pushes his header over the bar.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:41 , Arthur Ferridge38mins: Adu is in the box on his own, again, and is caught by Danso. That one might have been a foul, but the Ghanaian was offside.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:38 , Arthur Ferridge34mins: Adu has made such a nuisance of himself today and he gets away once again. This time he is tackled brilliantly by Grillitsch, but a goal must be coming for the Viktoria Plzen star.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:35 , Arthur Ferridge32mins: Semenyo gets a snapshot away from the corner on the half-turn, but fires high and wide.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:35 , Arthur Ferridge31mins: Adu gets clear again but is closed down by Danso. He cuts back and is held up by Friedl, who concedes a corner.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:32 , Arthur Ferridge28mins: Sabitzer crosses the free-kick and it is cleared without issue. Ayew attempts to break, but doesn’t quite have the pace to burn for the counter attack.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:31 , Arthur Ferridge27mins: Semenyo trips Posch to give Austria a free-kick in the right channel, about 25 yards back from the byline.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:29 , Arthur Ferridge25mins: Ghana are looking slightly livelier having taken on some fluids. This is a good spell for the visitors but they are yet to impose themselves on Austria.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:27 , Arthur Ferridge23mins: We’re having a drinks break now, as will become commonplace at the World Cup this summer. Not quite as warm in Austria at the moment as it will be in Houston come July, but here we are.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:23 , Arthur Ferridge20mins: Ghana take a free-kick from deep which falls to ex-Arsenal man Partey. His cross bends behind the goal.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:21 , Arthur Ferridge17mins: Ayew is playing a very interesting deep-lying forward role. Somewhere between a No10 and a false-nine. He’s holding his own in midfield, to be fair to the 34-year-old, but Ghana generally aren’t having a huge amount of joy on the ball thus far.
Austria 1-0 Ghana
17:19 , Arthur Ferridge15mins: Adu gets free and charges goalwards but is barged down by Friedl. The Ghanaian appeals for a foul, but gets no quarter from the referee.
GOAL! Austria 1-0 Ghana | Sabitzer '12
17:16 , Arthur FerridgeSabitzer buries the penalty. Ati-Zigi guesses the right way, but there wasn’t a lot he could do to keep that out. The Austrian captain lashes his spot-kick into the side netting.
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:15 , Arthur Ferridge11mins: Sabitzer steps up...
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:15 , Arthur Ferridge10mins: PENALTY! An unfortunate handball in the box as Danso heads the ball into Adjetey’s midriff from close range and the referee points to the spot.
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:13 , Arthur Ferridge9mins: Fatawu breaks into the box, works the space and attempts a cross to the back post. It is overcooked, though, and behind for a goal kick.
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:10 , Arthur Ferridge7mins: Fatawu’s cross is aimed at Adu, whose overhead kick doesn’t quite come off.
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:09 , Arthur Ferridge6mins: Been a bit of a scrappy start, this. Both sides struggling to impose themselves in the early stages.
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:06 , Arthur Ferridge3mins: Semenyo is fouled for the first time today, and presumably not for the last. Posch the offender on this occasion.
Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:05 , Arthur Ferridge2mins: Lively start from Austria, who attack immediately and set up an opportunity for Danso to launch a long throw into the box. The throw reaches the six-yard box but not a white-shirted forward.
KICK-OFF! Austria 0-0 Ghana
17:04 , Arthur FerridgeWe’re off! Austria, wearing white tops and black shorts, get us underway. Ghana are head to toe in gold.
Austria have won the coin toss!
Anyway, time for the football.
If this match were decided by who had the jauntier anthem, it would be a landslide victory for Ghana. This tune from Austria is almost funereal in tempo.
Nearly time to go
16:56 , Arthur FerridgeThe players have taken to the pitch! Time for the anthems now, with kick-off right around the corner.
Most of the Ghana players, who are admittedly in a colder climate than they are probably used to, have walked out with scarves on.
Team news reminder
16:50 , Arthur FerridgeTen minutes to kick-off! Here’s how the teams will line up...
Austria XI: Schlager; Danso, Posch, Seiwald, Sabitzer, Grillitsch, Gregoritsch, Mwene, Schmid, Baumgartner, Freidl
Ghana XI: Ati-Zigi, Kohn, Yirenkyi, Adjetey, Partey, Fatawu Issahaku, Sibo, Ayew, Semenyo, Kwabena, Djiku
Jordan Ayew previews the tie
16:40 , Arthur Ferridge“Every game is important. Even though we know these two games are really important, previously the other games were important as well. But sometimes, it is what it is.
“It is going to be a tough game, and Monday will be a tough game, so we’ll do our best.
"We are preparing really well tactically, technically and physically. We’re looking good, so let’s see what happens."
Ralf Rangnick analyses the opposition
16:38 , Arthur Ferridge"Ghana is a strong team in terms of play, but they also have a certain physicality, athleticism, and dynamism.
"This is a great test for us because we need to bring our strengths to the field, both physically, tactically, and technically in order to win the game."
Ghana team news
16:24 , Arthur FerridgeGhana XI: Ati-Zigi, Kohn, Yirenkyi, Adjetey, Partey, Fatawu Issahaku, Sibo, Ayew, Semenyo, Kwabena, Djiku
Subs: Asare, Anang, Owusu, Opoku, Pfeiffer, Ibrahim, Bosu Baah, Peprah, Sulemana, Konigsdofferm Luckassen, Senaya, Agyei, Mensah
Carney Chukwuemeka
16:20 , Arthur FerridgeCarney Chukwuemeka stands to make his Austria debut today after switching his international allegiance away from England.
Impress today and he could secure an eleventh-hour spot on the plane to the United States!
World Cup groups
16:10 , Arthur FerridgeAustria will be joined in their World Cup group by Argentina, Algeria and Jordan.
Ghana will face England, Croatia and Panama.
Austria team news
16:01 , Arthur FerridgeAustria XI: Schlager; Danso, Posch, Seiwald, Sabitzer, Grillitsch, Gregoritsch, Mwene, Schmid, Baumgartner, Freidl
Head to head
15:50 , Arthur FerridgeThis will be the first meeting between these sides since they faced one another in a friendly in March 2007 - 19 years ago, almost to the day.
That match ended 1-1, with René Aufhauser and Sulley Muntari writing their names into history books as the hero goalscorers.
Standard Sport prediction
15:40 , Arthur FerridgeGiven this match is a pre-tournament friendly, neither side will want to overcook it and come away with injuries.
Expect this to be a cagey, even game with not too many goals.
Draw, 1-1.
Ghana team news
15:30 , Arthur FerridgeAthletic Club’s Inaki Williams has withdrawn from Ghana’s squad through injury. Mohammed Kudus remains sidelined with a quad injury which he has left him out since January.
Thomas Partey, Jordan Ayew and recent Carabao Cup champion Antoine Semenyo will all feature.
Austria team news
15:20 , Arthur FerridgeCarney Chukwuemeka is in line to make his Austria debut today after switching allegiance from England last year.
Marko Arnautovic scored eight in World Cup qualifying and is back in the squad here.
Marcel Sabitzer, Konrad Laimer and Christoph Baumgartner are also expected to feature.
How to watch Austria vs Ghana
15:10 , Arthur FerridgeTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on BeIN Sports 1, with coverage starting at 4.50pm GMT ahead of a 5pm kick-off.
Good afternoon
15:00 , Arthur FerridgeHello, and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Austria vs Ghana!
The March international break continues with some friendly action after last night’s dramatic qualifiers. Who will impress in the buildup to the World Cup?
All will be revealed! Stick around right here for all the action from the Ernst Happel-Stadion.
Kick-off is at 5pm.
