UEFA Nations League: Austria thumps Croatia 3-0 in 1st match under Ralf Rangnick; boss reacts

Austria hammered Croatia 3-0 in its UEFA Nations League clash on Friday. It was its first game under Ralf Rangnick's guidance, and here's how he reacted.

It was an overwhelming start for Austria under new head coach Ralf Rangnick, trumping 2018 FIFA World Cup runner-up Croatia in its Group A's opening round match. Played at the Stadion Gradski vrt in Osijek, Croatia, on Friday, the visitors hammered three past the hosts to secure a commendable opening win. Although the Vatreni dominated with possession initially, The Team gathered steam eventually. When it came to scoring chances, Austria was ahead. On the same note, Rangnick became the first manager to guide The Team to a clean sheet win since 2002, under Hans Krankl. Meanwhile, The German manager was delighted to see his boys handle some early pressure.

As for the match, Marko Arnautovic gave Austria the lead in the 41st minute following an assist from Karim Onisiwo, while it was 1-0 to the visitors at half-time. In the subsequent half, Michael Gregoritsch doubled the lead in the 54th, thanks to Maximilian Wöber's assist. At the same time, three minutes later, Marcel Sabitzer tripled it with another fine assist from Wöber, sealing a dominating 3-0 victory.

Following the success, Ragnick stated, "We had problems in the first 25 minutes, but getting the lead just before the break did us good. In the second half, we played well and scored two wonderful goals – we could even have scored more. I am delighted."

On the other hand, striker Marko Arnautović added, "The players were full of energy. Croatia is an excellent team, but we played a great match. We turned our chances into goals and deserved this win. We want to return to the top."