ÖFB vs. Algeria: Alaba delivers assist, blunders on the equalizer and goes off injured

However, the match did not go consistently well for Alaba. On Algeria's equalizer the ÖFB captain made a mistake: "dann sah er beim Ausgleich nicht glücklich aus, rutschte daneben", the reporting described the decisive scene before the break. An Algerian player celebrated his goal with a dance, while Austria were left to absorb the deficit.

The second half became a shortened affair for Alaba. He had to be substituted before the end of normal time. "Alaba musste für Kevin Danso ausgewechselt werden, abermals mit muskulären Problemen", the outlet reported on the change. "Für mehr als 60 Minuten reicht es beim ehemaligen Real-Superstar noch nicht" – with that assessment the reporting summed up the captain's physical condition.

Injury-enforced substitution before the end of playing time

Kevin Danso took over the center-back position and was from then on responsible for the stability of the Austrian defense. The change came after roughly an hour of play, suggesting that the muscular issues made any further strain impossible. For Alaba, in the words of the reporting, it is another chapter in a phase marked by injuries.

From the team's perspective, the friendly was therefore a mixed affair. Austria did take an early lead, but conceded the equalizer before the break and had to get through the second half without their captain. The matches against Algeria serve the ÖFB side as a stocktaking exercise with a view to upcoming fixtures on the international football calendar.

Outlook on upcoming fixtures

Ralf Rangnick, who is in charge of the national team, must therefore keep a close eye on his captain's fitness. The fact that Alaba again dropped out with muscular problems raises questions about workload management. For the ÖFB side it is now about using the findings from the test while hoping for the captain's recovery.

The game fits into a phase of intensive coverage surrounding the football World Cup, as the references to the "oe24-WM-Channel" show: "Alle News zur Fußball-WM finden Sie HIER auf dem oe24-WM-Channel". The performance and the fitness of the ÖFB captain thus remain a central topic not only in sporting but also in media terms.