The goalkeeper is always the gardener: a large hole in front of one of the penalty areas has led to a curious interruption of the World Cup qualification game between Austria and Cyprus (1-0).
A quarter of an hour before the final whistle, the safety of the players was suddenly no longer guaranteed – Austria’s keeper Alexander Schlager with great pleasure did the urgently needed “gardening” under the cheering of football fans in Linz.
But that was not enough. In the sold -out stadium, helpers dragged hectic buckets with a dug -up earth behind the gate in order to professionally replenish the hole. Schlager helped with the compression by jumping around on it. On top of that a piece of lawn – done!
The feared game stopped, after around five -minute interruption, the Danish referee Jakob Kehlet was able to continue – but only for a few seconds, then the ball rested for several minutes due to treatment of the Cyprical goalkeeper Fabiano Freit.
Austria was extremely difficult, but the team of coach Ralf Rangnick celebrated the third win in the third game thanks to a penalty of Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund/54.). On Tuesday, Bosnia-Herzegovina (6-0 in San Marino) is about the lead in the European group H. Alexander Schlager is then again in his normal job.