Austria triumphs over Italy — ft. David Alaba and Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer

The FIFA 2022 Men’s World Cup kicked off Sunday with just a single game — Ecuador versus the hosts — but it wasn’t the only international men’s football action of the day. Austria and Italy, two teams that missed out on the prestigious tournament, held an international friendly which saw plenty of Bayern Munich intrigue.

Highlights below from Austria’s 2-0 win:

If the Italians wanted to show they were hard done by for missing out after winning last summer’s EURO, this wasn’t the way to do it. Despite an upper hand in possession, Austria produced 17 shots with 6 on goal — both numbers bettering what Italy managed. They secured a lead inside of ten minutes and never relinquished.

Oh, and homegrown Bayern Munich mainstay David Alaba (now at Real Madrid) captained his side and scored this stupendous free kick in the 35th minute:

(Catch the highlights if the video isn’t available in your location.)

Current Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer started and went the full 90’, while Bayern campus product Paul Wanner was only on hand to observe Ralf Rangnick’s national team operation.

It’s a shame we won’t see these two teams at the tournament — but still a treat to see what they did put on display.