Double pack against Italy too
©IMAGO
The Austrian youth have reached the final of the U17 World Cup. In the semifinals, the ÖFB team beat Italy 2-0 (0-0). Both goals were again scored by Johannes Moser (17), who really turned up the heat especially in the knockout round of the tournament in Qatar. It is the first time that an Austrian selection – regardless of age group – has reached a World Cup final.
Moser, who plays in Salzburg’s training team FC Liefering, took the lead 1-0 in the 57th minute after an assist from Jakob Werner (17, Salzburg). When the Italian Benit Borasio (17, Juventus) was sent off in added time for an emergency stop, Moser took the free kick shortly before the end to make the final score 2-0 – a specialty of the Klagenfurt native.
“The boy is a big surprise,” says Dorian Schuster from Transfermarkt in Austria, assessing Moser’s tournament so far. The attacking midfielder has now scored eight goals in seven games in Qatar. This means he has replaced Portugal’s Anísio (17, Benfica) in the top scorers’ list for the 2025 U17 World Cup, but he can still go one better in the second semi-final against Brazil in the evening (see live ticker). Moser had already scored a brace like he did on Monday against Italy in the round of 16 against England (4-0). He scored one goal each in the group phase against Saudi Arabia (1-0) and Mali (3-0), as well as in the round of 16 against Tunisia (2-0) and in the quarter-finals against Japan (1-0).
“Moser destroyed the U16 league back then, but then wasn’t as noticeable in the U18 and Youth League,” adds expert Schuster. “In April he made his professional debut in the second division and has done quite well so far; his greatest moment so far came in the derby against Austria Salzburg, when he scored his first professional goal with a fantastic free kick and at the same time initiated Liefering’s victory.” Now Moser created another memorable moment of his young career with his direct free kick in the World Cup semi-final.