Kazakhstan and Austria draw a blank

A solid defensive display from Kazakhstan ensured Marcel Koller's first game in charge of Austria ended in a goalless draw in FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C.

After defeats at the hands of the Republic of Ireland and Sweden in their opening two qualifiers, Kazakhstan were content to get men behind the ball and try to hit Austria on the counterattack. Their tactics worked as they restricted the visitors to limited opportunities in the first half. The game followed a similar pattern after the break with Marko Arnautović, Veli Kavlak and substitute Marc Janko wasting Austria's best chances to claim maximum points.

Despite late Austria pressure, Miroslav Beranek's charges held firm to earn their first point and a repeat of the scoreline when these two sides met in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2012 in Astana a year ago. Kazakhstan travel to Austria for the return fixture on Tuesday.