Austria coach Marcel Koller says Wales were “lucky” on their run to the Euro 2016 semi-finals.
Chris Coleman’s men reached the last four in France before missing out on a place in the final thanks to a 2-0 defeat to eventual champions Portugal in Lyon.
But Koller, whose side were eliminated at the pool stage without registering a win and face Wales in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, says there was an element of fortune to the nation’s remarkable run in their first major tournament since 1958.
Discussing his preparations for this week’s match, he said: “We will not rearrange everything. Sometimes you need to be lucky as well. That is what we could see at Euro 2016 – Wales were lucky sometimes.”
And Koller revealed Gareth Bale would be subject to special attention in Vienna.
“We saw during the Euros he can win games on his own,” he added.
“We will not only have one player chasing after him – we will have two or three players in close vicinity to disturb him as soon as possible.”
Wales and Austria kicked off their campaigns with victories over Moldova and Georgia respectively.
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SoccerNews
Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.
You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.