“Banished” to the stands because of a yellow card suspension, the 66-year-old had to play in Wr. on Friday evening. Neustadt saw itself miss the final round due to a 1-1 (0-0) draw against Slovenia in the European Championship qualification. If the ÖFB team had bought the ticket for the final round, Gregoritsch would have remained in office until then.
“I tried everything until the end”
But his withdrawal, announced at the end of July, will become actual on Tuesday. But he didn’t hold a grudge against his team for that reason. “I can’t blame the team at all. They tried everything until the end, didn’t let the Slovenians’ hustle and bustle get to them, always believed in it and put in a lot of effort,” said Gregoritsch. Thierno Ballo gave the hosts the lead with a penalty in the 56th minute, nine minutes later Nec Gradisar scored for the Slovenians to equalize and make the final score.
“It’s a shame that we didn’t reward ourselves. The Slovenians are in a real flow, they’ve shown time and time again that they have real quality,” said the coach, emphasizing the quality of the opponents a few days before the end of his twelve-year term in office. “We lacked a bit of luck in the crucial moments. But again. The boys accepted all the setbacks, got up again and again and I really have respect for that.”
“Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be”
Defender Pascal Estrada recognized “really good phases for himself and his colleagues, especially at the start of the second half. We really wanted it, unfortunately it wasn’t to be.” For the final game, he saw the team as having a duty to Gregoritsch: “We’ll definitely give it a go and try everything we can so that we can get a really cool finish for our team boss.” Despite all the disappointment, teammate Simon Seidl noted that they had “grown together” as a team. “It’s a shame our journey is coming to an end.”
ÖFB sports director Peter Schöttel had already announced in the ORF break interview that Gregoritsch’s successor would be presented this year. “Ideally in November. We want a top coach who can bring about one or two changes, breaking down the senior team and bringing in continuity.”
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