IFAF Men’s Euros: Austria’s poise, depth and variety overwhelm Finland to retain the European crown

AFI | 2024/25 IFAF Men's European Championships | 10/29/2025

Photo: David Bitzan

By John Mahnen

A relentless, composed Austria blanked Finland 27–0 in Krefeld to secure the IFAF Men’s European Championship, delivering an opening salvo through the air, controlling the trenches for three quarters, and closing with depth pieces that would start for most national teams. The final looked to be up in the air on paper but turned clinical the moment quarterback Alexander Reischl diagnosed man coverage on the opening drive.

Early momentum shifts to Austria
Reischl’s first strike set the tone: a perfectly weighted go ball to Yannick Mayr, who won clean off the line and hauled in the touchdown — a dream start for the defending champions. Moments later, Philipp Haun doubled the lead on another deep completion, though Austria were fortunate that defensive back Christoph Nitzlnader escaped a pass-interference flag on the next Finnish drive. The Finns’ first promising series ended in a turnover on downs, while Austria’s Oskar Herz pushed a field goal attempt wide right, keeping it 14–0.

Finland’s defense shows grit
For a brief moment, Finland looked ready to claw back. Linebacker Timi Nuikka made a superb interception, stepping in front of a Reischl pass to give his team prime field position. Yet Austria’s defense—anchored by Nitzlnader, Jun Jie Gao, and Matthias Rebl—refused to bend. Despite Finland’s defensive grit and composure in the second quarter, Austria maintained total control heading into halftime.

Third quarter trickery
In the third quarter, Finland tried to change momentum with an onside kick. It nearly worked—Arthur Blomquist broke loose for a long run—but a mishandled play-action exchange killed the drive. On the very next play, Austria struck again with a trick play: Jannik Mayr took a handoff, sold the run, and found tight end Florian Bierbaumer wide open downfield. With Herz’s kick, Austria led 21–0 through three quarters.

Austria’s depth shines in the final quarter
From there, it was all control and precision. Sommer’s defense suffocated the Finnish offense—collapsing running lanes, swarming screens, and denying every intermediate route. Quarterback Ambro Urjansson had little time to throw, often retreating under pressure. Special-teams errors compounded Finland’s struggles; slick conditions led to errant snaps and punts that flipped field position.

Celebration of a successful title defense
In the final quarter, Austria’s depth took over. Running backs Sandro Platzgummer and Lukas Haselwandter managed the clock efficiently, moving the chains behind a disciplined offensive line. With just over five minutes remaining, backup quarterback Nico Hrouda entered and promptly added the exclamation mark: rolling to his right and firing a strike to Fabian Eder in stride for Austria’s fourth touchdown. Herz missed the extra point, leaving the score at 27–0, but the game was long since decided.

Head coach Max Sommer’s team executed with ruthless consistency—mixing structure with improvisation, and even creativity, as the trick plays demonstrated. Their balance, discipline, and depth made the difference once again. The final minutes played out in victory formation, as Bierbaumer dumped the traditional Gatorade shower over his coach to celebrate Austria’s successful title defense.

Finland reflects on the journey
For Finland, there was pride in resilience but also recognition of a gap to close. Despite a tireless defense led by Elmeri Laalo, they never found rhythm offensively. Still, reaching a second straight European final underlined the stability and long-term quality of Finnish football.

Scoring Summary