Austria win the third division Euro Plate
Michael McCormick
The fast finishing Austrian Avalanche took out the Axios Euro Plate on Saturday, overcoming the European Crusaders, 39 – 32.
Austria appeared nervous in the first half, conceding two goals very early on to the Crusaders, many of whom had met each other just hours before their first match together. The Crusaders back-line rebounded every Austrian attack and their full forward, Yann Cornaton, was dangerous, booting two goals to lead his team into the half time break with a handy lead.
The Austrians played as if they desperately wanted to win in the second half, dominating through the midfield and putting the score on the board when it mattered most. The immense effort from brothers, Christian and Erwin Schober, saw the momentum shift in Austria’s favour and three late goals gave them a famous victory.
In a true show of the variety of players involved in the Crusaders, Bolivian footballer, Franz Mercado took ‘Man of the Match’ honours, having plenty of the ball and kicking four goals for his team. The zippy midfielder, who has been playing Australian football only a short while has a big future ahead of him in the European competition according to AFL Europe General Manager, Ben MacCormack.
