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Austria Eliminated After a 2-1 Loss to Italy
Austria was eliminated from the World Cup on June 23 when it lost to Italy, 2-1. Andres Herzog scored for Austria with a penalty shot in the 92nd minute after Hannes Reinmayr had been pulled down, but the goal was not enough to save Austria from first-round elimination.

(Michael Leckel/Reuters)

Polster's Late Goal Salvages Tie
Anton Polster scored in injury time to give Austria a 1-1 tie with Cameroon, spoiling a spectacular goal by Pierre Njanka (pictured, right), who evaded two defenders on a spectacular 40-yard run and fired a shot past Michael Konsel in the 77th minute. It was Polster's 16th goal in World Cup qualifying and finals matches, breaking the Austrian record held by Hans Krankl.

From AP

JUNE 11: Veteran's Score Off Corner Kick Gives Austria Tie
JUNE 17: Another Late Goal Salvages 1-1 Tie for Austria
JUNE 23: Italy Advances With 2-1 Win Over Austria
More AP Stories

World Cup Highlights

Seventh World Cup appearance
Third in the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland
Fourth in the 1934 World Cup in Italy

First-Round Results

Date Score Site Thursday, June 11 Austria 1, Cameroon 1 Toulouse Wednesday, June 17 Austria 1, Chile 1 Saint-Etienne Tuesday, June 23 Italy 2, Austria 1 Saint-Denis

Complete First-Round Results

Roster

Pos. Name Age Club GK Wolfgang Knaller 36 Austria Vienna GK Franz Wohlfahrt 33 VfB Stuttgart GK Michael Konsel 36 AS Roma D Peter Schoettel 31 Rapid Vienna D Anton Pfeffer 32 Austria Vienna D Walter Kogler 30 AS Cannes D Martin Hiden 25 Leeds United D Wolfgang Feiersinger 33 Borussia Dortmund M Arnold Wetl 28 Rapid Vienna M Peter Stoeger 32 LASK Linz M Markus Schopp 24 Sturm Graz M Hannes Reinmayr 28 Sturm Graz M Roman Maehlich 26 Sturm Graz M Dietmar Kuehbauer 27 Real Sociedad M Andreas Herzog 29 Werder Bremen M Heimo Pfeifenberger 31 Werder Bremen M Martin Amerhauser 23 SV Salzburg M Harald Cerny 24 1860 Munich M Andreas Ceraf 30 Rapid Vienna F Anton Polster 34 Cologne F Ivica Vastic 28 Sturm Graz F Mario Haas 23 Sturm Graz

Road to France

Won Lost Tied GF GA 1 2 0 2 7 How Qualified: First place in UEFA Group 4

Date Result Oct. 11, 1997 Austria 4, Belarus 0 Sept. 10, 1997 Belarus 0, Austria 1 Sept. 6, 1997 Austria 1, Sweden 0 Aug. 20, 1997 Estonia 0, Austria 3 June 8, 1997 Latvia 1, Austria 3 April 30, 1997 Austria 2, Estonia 0 April 2, 1997 Scotland 2, Austria 0 Nov. 9, 1996 Austria 2, Latvia 1 Oct. 9, 1996 Sweden 0, Austria 1 Aug. 31, 1996 Austria 0, Scotland 0

Facts and Figures

Knight-Ridder/Tribune
Location: Central Europe, north of Italy
Population: 8.0 million (1995 estimate)
Capital: Vienna
Comparative area: Slightly smaller than Maine
Religions: Roman Catholic 85 percent, Protestant 6 percent, other 9 percent
Landscape: Towering Alps stretch across western, southern and central parts of country; also mirrorlike lakes, thick forests