Serbia miss chance to clinch place after defeat in Austria
ByReuters
Updated 06/10/2017 at 20:59 GMT
Serbia missed a chance to clinch their place at the World Cup on Friday when they suffered a shock 3-2 defeat in Group D to already-eliminated Austria, their first loss of the campaign.
Austrian players celebrate after scoring a second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Austria and Serbia at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna on October 6, 2017.
Image credit: Getty Images
Needing a win to qualify for their first major tournament since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Serbia got the perfect start when Luka Milivojevic gave them an eleventh minute lead.
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Serbia's Luka Milivojevic (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during he FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Austria and Serbia at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna on October 6, 2017.
Image credit: Getty Images
Austria, whose chances of qualifying had evaporated one hour before kick off when Wales won 1-0 in Georgia, hit back with goals from Guido Burgstaller and Marko Arnautovic before Nemanja Matic equalised for Serbia with seven minutes left.
But Louis Schaub struck in the 89th minute to give Austria a late victory.
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Austria's Guido Burgstaller celebrates after scoring a goal during he FIFA World Cup 2018 qualification football match between Austria and Serbia at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna on October 6, 2017.
Image credit: Getty Images
Serbia still lead the group with 18 points and will qualify if they beat Georgia at home on Monday. They are followed by Wales on 17 points and Ireland on 16.
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