Expressing immense pride in his team’s performance, national "A" team head coach Sergej Barbarez said after the draw with Austria: "It’s definitely a huge honor and joy to work with guys who gave everything they had. That’s the right path, and it’s the one we want to keep following. These are sad moments, there weren’t any smiles in the locker room - however this is the foundation. This is what we need as a country and as a national team. We move forward. The plan in the second half was to have more possession and to create an edge through transitions. We created good chances through Tabaković and Mujakić, and we were just two situations short… Who can you blame? They gave their last atom of strength. Those passes weren’t good, and those are things you usually solve ‘in your sleep,’ but tonight was different. The fans… You can’t even dream of something like that. Maybe the biggest support we’ve ever experienced, and we’re proud to play for them. We’ll grieve briefly, rest, and then by March we hope to have our players back. With this confidence, we’ll try to take the harder road and win those two matches."

Haris Tabaković’s goal sparked an eruption of joy at the stadium in Vienna, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough for all three points: "Unfortunately, we played well, but it wasn’t enough. I’m proud of the whole team. That’s football - it hurts today, but we’ve got to move on. March brings important matches. The support from the stands was unbelievable. From the moment we arrived in Austria, we saw what was happening in the city, watched clips online… Thanks to the fans for everything. The playoff won’t be easy. We’re waiting to find out who we’ll face, but we’ll give our best. Today’s match was a final for us - everyting or nothing. We didn’t make it, but March brings a new chance - and there are no favorites there."

Tarik Muharemović fought fiercely with Austria’s forwards and won nearly every duel in the air and on the ground: "What can I say? I’ve got no words, it’s hard to talk. Maybe the worst moment of my career. We had everything in our hands, then conceded and lost focus. We work every day, give everything, but when it’s not meant to be - it’s not. It’s tough for me to even talk about the playoffs - I prefer to move on right away. If that’s how God wrote it, we move forward. We deserved to go through. It’s beautiful to play in front of these fans. I feel for them too because they came from all over the world. Thank you all from the heart. Stay with us."