Austria midfielder David Alaba said he was surprised to be the first player to be substituted in the 0-0 draw with Portugal on Saturday.
Playing in an attacking-midfield role, the Bayern Munich player, who usually plays in defence for his club, disappointed in the Group F clash at Euro 2016.
Alaba was withdrawn by Austria coach Marcel Koller after only 64 minutes, and was the first player to be replaced by either side.
"I don't know why the coach subbed me off," Alaba told ARD. "I was not happy with my substitution."
Alaba, who completed just 59 percent of his passes and won only 27 percent of his direct duels, came in for criticism back home in Austria.
The tabloid newspaper Krone rated him as a "dead loss" in the 0-0 draw, while several other outlets ran features about his drop in form.
"What's wrong with Alaba?" Kurier asked, and said the pressure to carry the team is taking its toll.
Alaba played across the defence for Bayern last season, but for Austria he has been a mainstay in holding midfield. With Zlatko Junuzovic out for the Portugal game, he was then deployed in a more advanced role by Koller.
In his postmatch news conference, Koller explained his decision to substitute Alaba, and said a change was needed to secure the draw.
"He did well in my view," he said. "But I wanted to bring in some fresh legs because the Portuguese were really pushing for a victory."