Ralf Rangnick took a pop at the Euro 2024 teams who have been sending him to sleep after his Austria side were knocked out by Turkey on Tuesday. The ex-Manchester United manager was in disbelief that his team had failed to make it to the quarter-finals after showing so much promise in their first few games.
Austria beat Holland 3-2 and topped Group D ahead of France to set up what, on paper, was a favourable last-16 clash with Turkey. But the game quickly got away from Das Team in Leipzig thanks to an unlikely brace from defender Merih Demiral.
Rangnick's side pulled one back through Michael Gregoritsch midway through the second half, and though they looked destined to equalise, a world-class save from Mert Gunok denied Christoph Baumgartner in the depths of stoppage time.
Related articles
Distraught at his team's exit, Rangnick said after the game: "I've seen other games when it was difficult to even stay awake. And that was not the case in our games."
The likes of France, England and Portugal have all laboured their way to the quarter-finals without playing free-flowing football. Austria were widely selected as the tournament's dark horses, and having landed on the simpler side of the draw, their fans were dreaming of a deep run to the latter stages in Germany.
"The team tried everything," Rangnick continued. "We then scored one goal and we had enough time to achieve a draw. It's difficult when the other team has Gordon Banks in goal.
"You also need a bit of luck. If Baumgartner's header at the end would have gone in, we could have won this game. This was a historic chance to win, to go to the quarter-final and play against Holland. I cannot believe that we're going home today. We thought that we would continue our journey here."
Rangnick's extensive managerial CV includes an interim spell at Man United in 2021/22. The 66-year-old was all set to take on a consultancy role at the end of the stint, but he became unpopular with supporters and decided to cut ties at the end of the season.
Related articles
Prior to taking the Austria job in 2022, Rangnick also enjoyed spells with the likes of Schalke, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig. He was being lined up for the Bayern Munich job before Euro 2024 but decided to snub the offer for fear of damaging Austria's chances at the tournament.
Turkey are now preparing to face Holland in the quarter-finals, and the winner of that match will play either Switzerland or England in the semis.
