Austria defeated Tunisia 1-0 at the Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna on Monday. Marcel Sabitzer scored the only goal of the match in the 63rd minute. The result came despite Ralf Rangnick’s side playing with 10 men for over an hour after Konrad Laimer’s dismissal. Both nations use the fixture to sharpen preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on 11 June in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Tunisia made the stronger start and came close twice inside the opening 15 minutes. Hannibal Mejbri struck the crossbar with a direct free-kick in the 12th minute, and Firas Chaouat hit the Austrian post three minutes later. Sabri Lamouchi’s side matched Austria through much of the first half, pressing high and creating danger from set pieces.
Austria’s afternoon grew significantly harder in the 37th minute when referee Jérémy Pignard consulted VAR and dismissed Bayern Munich midfielder Laimer for deliberate handball. Tunisia thought the momentum had shifted entirely in their favour, but Anis Ben Slimane struck the crossbar from a free-kick in the 38th minute, the third time the woodwork denied the Eagles of Carthage.
Rangnick made five substitutions at the start of the second half to reshape a depleted Austria. LASK forward Sasa Kalajdzic entered and nearly caught Tunisia cold on the counter, his shot narrowly missing the target.
The hosts’ resilience paid off in the 63rd minute. Sabitzer, on loan at Borussia Dortmund, struck from approximately 25 metres to give Austria the lead. Austria, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 1998, drew extra resolve from the determination not to lose at home before departing for North America.
The closing stages offered Austria a second goal but not a second dismissal. A shot from Mainz 05 defender Stefan Posch struck the post in the final minutes, while Tunisia failed to find the equaliser their first-half performance had threatened to earn.
