Group winners! Now everything is possible for Austria

Group winners, group winners, hey, hey! It was a battle cry from the 25,000 Austrians in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium that no one would have expected before the 3-2 (1-0) victory at the end of the preliminary round against the Netherlands.

Because France slipped up in the 1:1 draw against Poland, Austria will now play the second-placed team in Group F in the last round of 16 match of this European Championship on Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Leipzig. This is currently Turkey (3 points). Portugal (6) is the group winner thanks to its victory in the direct duel with the Turks. The Czech Republic and Georgia (one point each) still have a chance of finishing second.

Read more about the ÖFB victory:

• Rangnick’s double reward to the team after the 3-2
• Sensation: Austria win group after 3-2 victory against Netherlands
• Rangnick admits: “Had an almost sleepless night yesterday”
• Who Austria will face in the European Championship round of 16

This makes it clear: anything is possible for Austria’s national football team at this European Championship. They proved two things against the Netherlands in Berlin: firstly, that they can keep on going. But above all, that they can also win against the really big teams in this tournament.

Austria’s team had silenced the 50,000 Dutch fans in the Olympic Stadium three times. Marcel Sabitzer’s goal was inimitable when he slammed the ball into the bottom corner under the crossbar in the 80th minute, giving Austria the lucky break.

Yellow danger averted

ÖFB team manager Ralf Rangnick took the good starting position in the round of 16 into account – and took no risks. Long-distance runners and players at risk of yellow cards such as Konrad Laimer, Christoph Baumgartner and Kevin Danso were left out. Instead, Alexander Prass, Romano Schmid and Patrick Wimmer were allowed to make their debut in the European Championship starting eleven. If Austria survives the round of 16, all cautions from the previous games will be deleted. The starting eleven was still top-notch. Sturm’s Alexander Prass was the only player who neither plays in the German Bundesliga nor has previously played in the German Bundesliga.

The Dutch had a similar approach – and also mixed things up. The player who put Austria ahead in the sixth minute was also in the European Championship starting eleven for the first time: Dortmund player Donyell Malen. The winger unstoppably headed a cross from Alexander Prass into his own goal.

The highlights of the match:

It was the first own goal in Dutch European Championship history. The timing couldn’t have been better. No wonder team boss Ronald Koeman made a statement by making the first substitution after half an hour.

Open exchange of blows

However, it was the dressing room speech at half-time that really had the desired effect. Just 75 seconds after the restart, Liverpool player Cody Gakpo left Austria goalkeeper Patrick Pentz with no chance with a shot into the far corner following a mistake by Florian Grillitsch in the build-up.

It was only the second dangerous chance the Dutch had in the match. But this setback did not bring the ÖFB team down. On the contrary: Florian Grillitsch made up for his mistake in the equaliser. Romano Schmid’s header was tipped over his own goal line by Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij. He only tried to save what could no longer be saved for his team (59th minute).

In the end, it didn’t matter that Memphis Depay’s goal to make it 2-2 was (rightly) recognized after VAR intervention. Because Marcel Sabitzer had the answer ready with his dream goal that actually allowed Austria to finish first in the “horror group” with France, the Netherlands and Poland.