Austria<\/a> saw plenty of possession and made promising forays forward of their own, but the hosts continued to carry the greater threat, as a move started by relentless work from Daniel Birligea<\/a> culminated in Andrei Ratiu<\/a> firing wide.\u00a0<\/p>\n The match\u2019s competitive nature soon made the action stop-start with fouls being committed, while moments of sloppiness came into play as the half-hour mark approached.<\/p>\n Romano Schmid<\/a> hit Austria\u2019s first shot of the match in the 37th minute after an attempted clearance had been blocked, but his strike ballooned harmlessly over Ionut Radu<\/a>\u2019s crossbar.<\/p>\n When it looked as though Birligea\u2019s unwaveringly determined work had finally earned him an opening, David Alaba<\/a> came across expertly to close it as half-time arrived without a single shot on target being recorded.<\/p>\n The first came within four minutes of the restart, but Radu did brilliantly to tip Marcel Sabitzer<\/a>\u2019s effort wide.<\/p>\n While neither team was able to break the deadlock, there were costly moments with Andrei Burca<\/a> and Phillipp Mwene<\/a> receiving a booking each, which keeps them out of the next match.<\/p>\n Having come close with one audacious attempt in the first half, Mihaila came even closer with another on the hour mark as his strike from range hit the post.<\/p>\n Dennis Man<\/a> then smashed a shot over the crossbar, and Ra\u021biu saw his strike tipped wide by Alexander Schlager<\/a> as the search for an opener continued.<\/p>\n There was a setback for both teams, with Mihai Popescu<\/a> going off injured and Alaba picking up a booking that means he misses the next match.<\/p>\n It was Romania who struck the major blow in the final seconds, though, as Ghita<\/a> rose to meet Ianis Hagi<\/a>\u2019s cross from deep with a glancing header that inspired rapturous celebrations in Bucharest. <\/p>\n That completely changes the landscape of WCQ Group H with both teams having to play second-placed Bosnia & Herzegovina<\/a>, as Austria lead the group by two points while Romania are now just three points behind the Bosnians.<\/p>\n Flashscore Man of the Match: Andrei Ratiu<\/a> (Romania<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"Match](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/c6ceb12f-379d-4464-9d0a-d7fbc9a72d00.jpg\" "\\"Match")
Match statsFlashscore<\/p>\n