With so much at stake, especially for Romania, the match got off to a lively and highly competitive start with Valentin Mihaila’s acrobatic attempt in the eighth minute coming agonisingly close to providing a spectacular opener.
Austria saw plenty of possession and made promising forays forward of their own, but the hosts continued to carry the greater threat, as a move started by relentless work from Daniel Birligea culminated in Andrei Ratiu firing wide.
The match’s competitive nature soon made the action stop-start with fouls being committed, while moments of sloppiness came into play as the half-hour mark approached.
Romano Schmid hit Austria’s first shot of the match in the 37th minute after an attempted clearance had been blocked, but his strike ballooned harmlessly over Ionut Radu’s crossbar.
When it looked as though Birligea’s unwaveringly determined work had finally earned him an opening, David Alaba came across expertly to close it as half-time arrived without a single shot on target being recorded.
The first came within four minutes of the restart, but Radu did brilliantly to tip Marcel Sabitzer’s effort wide.
While neither team was able to break the deadlock, there were costly moments with Andrei Burca and Phillipp Mwene receiving a booking each, which keeps them out of the next match.
Having come close with one audacious attempt in the first half, Mihaila came even closer with another on the hour mark as his strike from range hit the post.
Dennis Man then smashed a shot over the crossbar, and Rațiu saw his strike tipped wide by Alexander Schlager as the search for an opener continued.
There was a setback for both teams, with Mihai Popescu going off injured and Alaba picking up a booking that means he misses the next match.
It was Romania who struck the major blow in the final seconds, though, as Ghita rose to meet Ianis Hagi’s cross from deep with a glancing header that inspired rapturous celebrations in Bucharest.
That completely changes the landscape of WCQ Group H with both teams having to play second-placed Bosnia & Herzegovina, as Austria lead the group by two points while Romania are now just three points behind the Bosnians.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Andrei Ratiu (Romania)
