Austrian goalkeeper Nico Schmid was overlooked by his national team despite outstanding Championship performances for Portsmouth, remaining unused as Austria won their World Cup qualifiers against Romania and San Marino.
The 28-year-old shot-stopper has been exceptional during his debut Championship campaign after joining Pompey from BW Linz last August, earning his first Austria call-up for the recent international window.
However, former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick chose to ignore Schmid entirely during Austria’s comfortable 4-0 victory over San Marino, following his exclusion from Saturday’s 2-1 triumph against Romania where he remained an unused substitute.
Brondby’s Patrick Pentz maintained his position as Austria’s number one for both fixtures, with LASK’s Tobias Lawal and Wolfsberger’s Nikolas Polster also selected ahead of the Portsmouth star.
Pentz remains Austria’s established first choice, though none of the alternative options possessed senior international experience entering the qualifiers. This changed when Lawal was introduced at half-time against San Marino, with the Austrian squad wearing black armbands following the tragic Graz school shooting that claimed 11 lives.
The 25-year-old enjoyed a relatively straightforward 45 minutes, producing one impressive close-range stop as Austria secured victory without difficulty.
No injury concerns surrounded Schmid, suggesting he was simply the goalkeeper deemed surplus to requirements from the four-man selection.
This decision will surprise Portsmouth supporters who have witnessed their keeper’s remarkable performances throughout the season. Schmid has consistently delivered outstanding saves, with his man-of-the-match display during the victory over champions Leeds in March representing the pinnacle of his excellent campaign.
The £400,000 investment to secure the 6ft 5in goalkeeper’s signature now appears exceptional value following his impressive debut season, highlighted by his third-place finish in the club’s player of the season awards.
Despite the international disappointment, Schmid has personal reasons to celebrate after proposing to his partner, joining several Portsmouth teammates who have married or become engaged since the season concluded.
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Limited Action for Devlin
Terry Devlin was Portsmouth’s other representative on senior international duty, though the supporter favourite received minimal playing time.
The former Glentoran midfielder remained on the bench during Northern Ireland’s 2-1 friendly defeat to Denmark on Saturday, before being introduced in the 91st minute of their 1-0 victory over Iceland as Michael O’Neill’s 10-man side held firm. Northern Ireland commence their World Cup qualifying campaign away to Luxembourg in September.
Midfielder Isaac Hayden, who has returned to parent club Newcastle United, featured from the start as Jamaica secured a 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory against Guatemala.
Portsmouth loanee Mark O’Mahony represented Republic of Ireland’s under-21 side last Friday, with the Brighton loanee starting their 1-0 friendly defeat in Croatia.
