Austria denied by rugged Azeris

Near miss
The home side were underdogs from the kick-off but managed to create two chances in the first half. Ramazan Abbasov's shot flew just wide after 17 minutes, while shortly before the break Daniel Akhtyamov came within centimetres of connecting with a low cross which could easily have gone in.

Nadyrov dismissed
Austria, however, were the dominant team and had a number of chances to open the scoring, being repeatedly denied by Azerbaijan goalkeeper Ruslan Majidov. But when striker Vugar Nadyrov was dismissed in the 58th minute for a reckless challenge, an away win seemed the inevitable conclusion.

Junuzovic chances
Nevertheless, despite constant pressure in the closing stages, the Azeri defence held firm. The visitors' Zlatko Junuzovic was a persistent threat, and having seen Majidov parry his first-half header, the Austria striker was left cursing his luck as his close-range effort in the second half skimmed the post.