Florian Grillitsch certainly wasn’t expecting it. The Werder man was forced to cut short his trip to Paris when he received a call from Austria head coach Marcel Koller last weekend, asking him to join up with Austria. “It was a big surprise,” said the 21-year-old. “It all went so fast and I only spent half a day in Paris, but that’s not a problem. When the national team calls, it has to be done,” explained Grillitsch.
It got even better for the Werder youngster. He came on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Finland. He replaced David Alaba at half-time in Innsbruck and made his debut for his country.
The Werder player has played nine times for Austria’s U21s and was happy to make the step up. “I didn’t expect to play and I’m very happy that I got half a game. I only had two training sessions to show what I can do,” said Grillitsch.
He operated in defensive midfield alongside Werder teammate Zlatko Junuzovic which helped him settle in. For Grillitsch, it was a “proud” moment, but it should just be the start. The next chance for him to pull on the Austria shirt will come in June. Until then, his sole focus has to be ensuring Werder gain enough points to stay in the Bundesliga.
