Austria's relentless energy and aggressive playstyle paid off on Tuesday, as they secured a 3-2 thriller against the Netherlands to clinch first place in Group D and advance to the round of 16. The Dutch side, despite a disappointing first-half showing and a costly own goal, still qualified via the best third-place route, even though they were caught off guard by Marcel Sabitzer's winning goal in the final ten minutes.
Austria’s aggressive and hard-running attitude carried them into the round of 16 of the European Championship on Tuesday, with a thrilling 3-2 victory over the Netherlands securing not only their passage but also first place in Group D. The Dutch also advanced as one of the four best third-place finishers despite conceding an early own goal, putting on a lackluster first half performance, and falling victim to a sucker punch when Marcel Sabitzer scored for Austria 10 minutes from time.
Because France was held to a 1-1 draw by Poland in their Dortmund clash, Austria claims the top spot with six points, followed by France with five and the Netherlands with four. Austria is set to play the runner-up of Group F, while both France and the Netherlands are waiting for their knockout stage opponents to be confirmed.
The match at the Olympiastadion opened with a shock when Donyell Malen scored an own goal just six minutes in, although Cody Gakpo soon leveled the score. The second half saw the lead swing back and forth, with Romano Schmid putting Austria ahead again before the 60-minute mark, followed by a 75th-minute equalizer from Memphis Depay. It was finally Marcel Sabitzer who sealed the deal, capping off a gritty performance by Ralf Rangnick's squad and securing an unexpected group victory in a game where the standings shifted constantly.
Malen's nightmare began during his first start of the tournament; while attempting to block a cross from Alexander Prass, he deflected the ball with such power that it sailed right past his own goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen. He had a chance to redeem himself in the 23rd minute after a brilliant through-ball sliced open the Austrian defense, but he miscalculated his shot and sent it wide, missing a golden opportunity to beat Patrick Pentz.
With ten minutes left in the first half, Ronald Koeman swapped Joey Veerman for Xavi Simons, hoping to stabilize a midfield that was losing too many battles and turning the ball over. Koeman was visibly frustrated on the sidelines as Austria's intense pressing caused repeated errors for the Dutch. Austria nearly doubled their lead before halftime, with Verbruggen forced into a stellar save against a powerful shot from Marcel Sabitzer and another critical block to stop Marko Arnautovic.
\"It was a nightmare of a game in every sense. We were sluggish in our possession and lost nearly every duel. Once you fall behind the pace like that, it's hard to recover,\" remarked Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk.