Austria celebrates Canada heroes

Austria's disappointment at finishing their FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 defeat by Chile in the third-placed play-off was eased by the warm welcome the squad received when they landed at Vienna airport this morning.

'Battled hard'
Having reached the semi-finals of last year's UEFA European Under-19 Championship, Paul Gludovatz's side repeated the feat in Canada and, despite losing to the Czech Republic in the last four and being edged out by Chile on Sunday, the coach looked back with pride on a remarkable three weeks, saying: "We were unlucky against Chile, but we have battled hard over the course of the tournament." His side might have left on the back of two successive defeats, but the hundreds of fans who greeted the side on their return home reflected the scale of their achievement in north America.

'Keep momentum going'
Austria had taken part in only two previous U20 World Cups, most recently in 1983 when a side featuring Toni Polster and Franz Wohlfahrt failed to progress beyond the group stage in Mexico, and Gludovatz is optimistic the current crop can follow in the famous footsteps of their predecessors. "My players did brilliantly. Hopefully they can keep the momentum going and make a mark in the Austrian Bundesliga and the senior national team. We had some tough times, but we had joy in our game and the supporters were with us the whole way."

Famous footsteps
Austrian fans are already drawing comparisons with the country's "Goldene Mannschaft" which included Hans Krankl, Herbert Prohaska and Walter Schachner and whose 3-2 win against West Germany at the 1978 FIFA World Cup finals is still a favourite topic. Hopes are high the 2007 vintage will emulate their success, with Lothar Matthäus explaining: "These guys could become top internationals in three or four years. These performances show Austria's potential and they can also do well at EURO 2008™."

'Working miracles'
Proof of the squad's wider appeal came from skier Hermann Maier, who voiced the thoughts of most of his compatriots in saying: "I'm proud of the team; I hope these young players will get a chance to develop at their clubs." Gludovatz, who has worked with the players since U17 level and will now return to the younger age group to "try to work miracles again", says: "I'll miss my lads. We've become like a large family," and, like a proud father, he has some advice for his charges. "Be aware the displays in Canada may have been a good experience, but they don't mean anything at club level."

Prödl pride
Veli Kavlak and Sebastian Prödl are among those whose are already regulars for their clubs and, with more likely to follow, the latter believes a bright future is in prospect. "We said goodbye in the best possible way to the tournament and to our fans," the Austria captain said after the Chile defeat. "We're satisfied with the way we played, and now we hope people will know Austria is not Australia."(Uefa)