66.
7:25 p.m
Cyprus makes three changes. There has been nothing from the home team in the second half so far.
65.
7:25 p.m
Substitution for Cyprus: Stelios Andreou
65.
7:25 p.m
Substitution for Cyprus: Grigoris Kastanos
65.
19:24
Substitution for Cyprus: Giannis Kosti
65.
19:24
Substitution for Cyprus: Anderson Correia
65.
19:24
Substitution for Cyprus: Andronikos Kakoullis
65.
19:23
Substitution for Cyprus: Loizos Loizou
62.
7:20 p.m
Arnautović leaves the field to special applause. He hands over the captain’s armband to Marcel Sabitzer.
60.
7:20 p.m
Substitution for Austria: Patrick Wimmer
60.
7:20 p.m
Substitution for Austria: Xaver Schlager
60.
7:19 p.m
Substitution for Austria: Michael Gregoritsch
60.
7:19 p.m
Substitution for Austria: Marko Arnautović
60.
7:19 p.m
Suddenly many combinations are working for Austria. It often goes forward, especially on the left.
58.
19:17
Austria is now closing the rooms well. Cyprus now has a difficult task ahead of them if they want to get at least one point here.
55.
19:14
Tooor for Austria, 0:2 by Marko Arnautović
Arnautović increases to 2:0! And what else! Danso actually clears out of control, but the ball comes ideally for Arnautović, who stops it, Fabiano comes out and he casually pushes the ball past the goalkeeper into the goal!
52.
19:11
Cyprus is now playing more aggressively, which is reflected in significantly more fouls since the restart.
50.
7:10 p.m
Good counterattack by Austria! Schlager wins the ball from Tzionis in his own penalty area and then finishes himself on the other side! Before that, there must have been a foul by Arnautović.
48.
7:07 p.m
Schmid heads the ball after another Sabitzer cross! But Fabiano is careful and prevents a goal.
46.
7:04 p.m
We continue without changing.
46.
7:04 p.m
Kick-off of the 2nd half
45.
18:52
Half-time conclusion
Cyprus is trailing Austria 0-1 at halftime. Austria plays with a lot of ball possession right from the start, but is rarely dangerous. That changes with the penalty, which also offers more space. As a result, Austria has several good opportunities, but imprecise finishing and a good Fabiano prevent Austria from taking a higher lead.
45.
6:48 p.m
End of 1st half
45.
6:46 p.m
Official injury time (minutes): 2
45.
6:45 p.m
Yellow card for Grigoris Kastanos (Cyprus)
The Cypriot captain receives the first yellow card for a foul on Baumgartner.
42.
18:43
Seiwald tanks up and almost scores his first international goal! But Fabiano stops at the short corner, also because Seiwald doesn’t get the best shot.
39.
6:39 p.m
Sabitzer takes a detour to finish again, but the shot is completely lost and goes far past the goal.
38.
6:39 p.m
Free kick for Austria. Schmid brings the cross, but Cyprus has no problem with it.
35.
6:35 p.m
Sabitzer shoots from the edge of the penalty area, but he clearly misses.
31.
18:32
Corner for Cyprus. Austria clears, but the home team remains in possession of the ball.
29.
18:29
Austria remains present in the duels and continues to look for the way to the goal. But Cyprus holds out, it remains a close game.
26.
18:27
Next top opportunity for Austria! Laiemr plays a strong pass into Sabitzer’s path, but Fabiano plays along well, closes the angle and destroys the shot.
23.
18:24
Posch has it 2-0! Great cross from Sabitzer, Posch gets a header in the five, but shoots it well wide of the goal.
19.
6:20 p.m
With the leadership, Cyprus must open up now. That could suit the ÖFB game even better.
18.
6:18 p.m
Tooor for Austria, 0-1 by Marko Arnautović
Today’s captain transforms with confidence! Fabiano guesses the corner, but the shot is too placed and sharp!
16.
6:17 p.m
Arnautović finishes and shoots over it, but Baumgartner was fouled and there is a penalty!
15.
6:16 p.m
Austria sets the tone in a playful way. But that doesn’t mean that Cyprus hasn’t had its moments.
13.
6:14 p.m
Austria mainly plays on the flanks, but one from the left ends up back at Fabiano.
10.
6:10 p.m
Tzionis runs a quick counterattack on the wing, but his cross finds no taker.
7.
6:08 p.m
Posch commits a foul near the penalty area. This gives Cyprus a good free kick opportunity.
5.
6:07 p.m
First corner for Austria, but it goes straight into the arms of Fabiano.
4.
6:05 p.m
Sabitzer ensures the first conclusion! The ball comes sharply to the middle, Sabitzer takes it directly from the edge of the penalty area, but the shot is too central.
2.
6:03 p.m
Goalkeeper Schlager’s first threat to the goal. Cyprus plays forward at lightning speed, but Danso puts pressure on them and the ball goes out the goal. .
1.
6:01 p.m
Cyprus gets going and brings the ball high into the Austrians’ half.
1.
6:01 p.m
Game start
5:59 p.m
Cyprus has offense.
5:55 p.m
The teams are on the field. The Austrian anthem is played first.
5:50 p.m
The teams will come onto the field in a few minutes. Austria wants to win, but also knows that too much risk can jeopardize the entire qualification.
5:43 p.m
Ralf Rangnick knows how Cyprus can cause difficulties for Austria today. His team should be prepared for it.
5:42 p.m
Cyprus will probably play with fast, long balls, similar to their previous games. This has worked well against other opponents and could cause problems for Austria today too.
5:40 p.m
Arnautović leads the attack. Behind him there is an offensive trio with Baumgartner, Schmid and Sabitzer, who are supposed to provide him with balls, but can also dangerously finish themselves.
5:38 p.m
The Austrians’ lineup reveals little surprise. Danso comes into the starting line-up for the suspended Alaba.
09:13
Ralf Rangnick has given a clear direction that means promotion and direct qualification for the World Cup. The ÖFB team has to score points in Cyprus in order to keep both Bosnia and Romania at bay. After the win against Austria, the Romanians still have a mathematical chance of catching up with the ÖFB selection in the table.
In the team camp, no one wants to deal with the worst-case scenario, i.e. third place. The team is in good spirits to win in Cyprus. In the past, games against Cyprus have not always been the clearest of affairs, so caution is advised. The Cypriots also know about their own quality. Although qualifying for the World Cup is impossible, they made the group exciting with a 2-2 draw against Bosnia. They want to do no less again today.
Kick-off in Limassol is at 6:00 p.m.