LIVESTREAM u19 EC Gold Medal Game: Team Sweden vs Team Austria, July 10, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am ET)
The IFAF 2022 Men’s U19 European Championship gold medal game features a pair of teams that have definitely been here before as Team Austria and Team Sweden square off Sunday, July 10 at the Ravelin Footballzentrum in Vienna, Austria.
This is the second straight European Championship tournament that these two nations have faced each other in the gold medal final. Austria defeated Team Sweden 28-0 in the final of the 2019 tournament held in Bologna, Italy.
To reach this year’s final, Austria downed Team Denmark 23-7 to claim one of the berths while Team Sweden defeated France 31-21 to earn the other one.
Team Austria head coach Roman Floredo will be vying for his team’s fifth consecutive European title and in fact, the Austrian national team has not lost a game to a European team since 2008 when Austria earned fifth place in the tournament. Since then, Team Austria has won four straight titles.
The key to the Austrian attack is quarterback Elias Zaricin who threw for 225 yards and a touchdown in the win over Denmark. Receiver Fabian Eder was his main target with five catches for 85 yards but running back Raphael Komeyli-Birjandi also did some damage with four receptions for 51 yards. Komeyli-Birjandi was even more dangerous on the ground with 14 carries for 118 yards. Austria’s running game is not restricted to him though as seven different backs saw the field for the defending champions as the team rushed for 170 yards.
Defensively, Austria is a tough matchup. They held the Danes to 107 total yards of offense in the semifinal and just 22 on the ground. Led by the game’s leading tackler Kerim Ömer Özdemir, the Austrian’s shut down the Danish offense.
For Team Sweden and head coach Sebastian Brinkenfeldt, this game is definitely huge. A win would atone for the shut out loss in 2019 and cement Sweden’s legacy as one of the premier programs in Europe. To do that though, quarterback Max Lambert will need to get his passing game going. Against France, he only threw for 50 yards. In this game, against a tough Austrian defense, he will need to unleash his aerial game to give running backs Oliver Lundberg and Vilgot Valeskog room to run. Lundberg did have 103 yards rushing and two touchdowns against France and so he will be a target for the Austrian front seven. Also, while receiver Oliver Langlais caught three passes for 34 yards and a score, more will be needed today.
Defensively, Sweden forced four fumbles from Team France ball carriers which was one of the keys to the win. Defensive back Joar Ahlberk Eineborg led all Swedish tacklers with 6.5 while also forcing one of the fumbles. Linebacker Caesar Winsnes was busy recording 5.5 tackles while defensive lineman Thomas Collins chipped in with 2.5 tackles including two tackles for loss and a sack while forcing another fumble.
With the Austrians playing at home, Sweden will be at a disadvantage, but this may be what could spark a Swedish team eager for a win on the biggest stage.
Watch the game live here. Team Sweden vs Team Austria, July 10, 15:00 CET (3 pm, 9 am ET)
