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Sour grapes? Austrian newspaper didn't rate James McClean's performance against Austria too highly

THE BOYS in Green put in a barnstorming performance in their 0-1 win against Austria on Saturday night, but it seems not everyone rated their showing.

West Brom winger James McClean picked up the winner in a hard-fought victory at Vienna’s Ernst-Happel-Stadion, sending Ireland top of a difficult World Cup Qualifying group including the likes of Wales and Serbia.

McClean’s winner secured Ireland’s first victory over Austria since 1963, when veteran manager Martin O’Neill was a wee boy of 11.

The win was also Ireland’s first on the road in a World Cup qualification campaign since they edged out the Scots in a narrow 0-1 away win back in 1987.

Seamus Coleman, Darren Randolph and Ciaran Clark also starred in the Austrian capital, but local newspaper Österreich were less than impressed.

Here's their ratings...

The ratings as one Austrian paper saw it... [Picture: Twitter]

Goalscorer McClean, defender Coleman and goalkeeper Randolph were all given a 2/5 for their performances, while the rest of the squad were handed a distinctly average 3/5.

But don’t reach for the pitchfork just yet, as the whole affair may just have been a big old misunderstanding.

Apparently in Austria and Germany, player ratings are based on the school system – which confusingly uses lower numbers to indicate higher grades.

However, even if the player ratings were simply lost in translation, it didn’t stop the Austrian press from labelling a loss to Ireland an “embarrassment”.

Seems they don’t rate the boys in green too highly after all.

See More: Austria, Irish Funny, Irish Viral, James McClean, Osterreich, Player Ratings, Republic Of Ireland