Austria Wien 2-3 Dinamo Zagreb, Tuesday 27th August 2013

Austria Wien 2-3 Dinamo Zagreb, att. 10,500 (capacity) (Champions League Play-off, 2nd leg)

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A packed house (capacity: 10,500) at the Generali Arena, as homesters Austria Vienna took on the Bad Blue Boys of Dinamo Zagreb.  The prize?  A £10m windfall in the form of Champions League qualification, and a greater chance of repeating the whole process next year.  1. win league 2. scrape through qualification process 3. get mullered by everyone and finish bottom of the group.  Well, that's the plan.

Almost crane-like.

Pre-match was a doddle. Met up with Londontyke exiles Bob and Mo in the ‘Irish pub of the Year 2004’ for a couple of beers, before being guided into the southern Viennese suburbs via U-bahn and tram to Austria's ground.  And well done Bob's season ticket holding workmate for helping sort tickets.

Mo looks pleased to be in.

I know what the Austrian press has since written about the Bad Blue Boys (Dinamo’s ferocious support), so let me tell you another perspective of life as a Dinamo fan: Get to ground early; queue in orderly fashion, then watch as ALL the home fans are ushered past you and into the ground.  Although potentially running a narrow gauntlet past said fans, they stood patiently in their ‘kettle’, awaiting their turn.  Thus, Bob, Mo, Sarah and I took our seats.  10-15 minutes in, flares started landing on the pitch from behind the stand.  I stood on a chair. Over the dividing wall and lo!  The Zagreb fans STILL hadn't been allowed in.  Now, I know my team has little chance of ever getting a game in Europe, but I know how p***ed off I’d be if I was kept outside while the game was going on.

A flare lands on the pitch.

Presumably this was all an attempt to keep the fans segregated.  However, it's not Zagreb fans’ fault that they had to walk through the home turnstiles to get to the away block.  And when Zagreb scored, you could see pockets of Croatian fans on three sides of the pitch in the home ends, celebrating.  What do you do when the match is a sell-out?

...while away fans remain kettled outside.

2-0 up from the 1^st leg (against the odds), Austria notch again after 5 minutes.  I’d barely settled.  We’re in for an easy time of it, then.  Not a bit of it.  Zagreb pull their socks up and by half-time are leading 1-2.  Some of their fans might even have seen the 2^nd.

Dinamo fans celebrate scoring.

At half-time I declare I'm not having another beer but will buy anyone else one who cares for it.  The beer’s horrid.  Turns out to be alcohol-free, but surely alcohol doesn't taste of anything?  Bob had an inkling beforehand but presumed the lager-coloured liquid was the real thing.  No-one had another, although I felt the Croatian calling the kiosk servers ‘criminals’ for refusing him a litre of beer didn’t know what favour he’d gained.

The teams come out.

It was all Zagreb second half.  The best Austria could hope for was a break and that wasn't going to happen.  Time and again Zagreb swept forward. It was only a matter of time.  Then it came.  Despite heroics from the home keeper, he was beaten by a looping header.  Austria's dreams of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich et al looked depleted

Hilariously (given what comes), Zagreb throw on defenders for forwards.  They had done their job, 3-1 up, through on away goals.  So the game plan was blown to bits on 82 minutes when Austria scored on a breakaway, a sub of their own bundling in a cross.

Makeshift segregation at the back of the stand.

Thereafter, the game slowed.  Zagreb no longer had the personnel to attack, while Austria were happy to wind down the clock.  Full-time, 2-3 (4-3 on aggregate) and it was joy unconfined.  One or two Austrians were even in tears.  Getting through to the group stages meant everything to these fans (and players).  It was a welcome respite to the likes of Arsenal spending the season moaning about the competition before their usual early exit.

Unbelievable!  Austria are through!  

Good luck Austria.  Their group games will be played at the national stadium (capacity: 50,000) but they were unlucky with the draw, pulling Atletico Madrid, Zenit St Petersburg and Porto.  Maybe they’ll learn from their city mates Rapid, who did the same and sold out the stadium in 3 match packages.  However, they were forced to play the games behind closed doors and offered fans league games instead of a refund.  I shouldn’t laugh.

My summer of football was at a conclusion, I could concentrate on touristing with the other half.  Now, where’s the nearest palace?

The Damage:
€25 ent

Austria Wien wall.

Anti-missile devices.

The Champs Lge banner (?) gets an outing.

The teams line up.

A couple of Austrians show their colours.

Match action.

Zagreb fans still kettled after kick-off.

Down the touchline.

Club shop.

Spot the policeman.