Austria secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Netherlands on Tuesday, advancing to the knockout stages of Euro 2024 as Group D winners. In a thrilling match at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, Marcel Sabitzer’s late strike sealed Austria’s place at the top of the group.
The Austrians began the game strongly, with Dutch forward Donyell Malen inadvertently scoring an own goal in the sixth minute. The Netherlands responded after halftime, with Cody Gakpo equalizing just two minutes into the second half, thanks to an assist from substitute Xavi Simons.
Romano Schmid restored Austria’s lead in the 59th minute with a precise header. The Netherlands fought back, and Memphis Depay leveled the score in the 75th minute after a tense VAR review confirmed his goal. However, Austria was not to be denied, as Sabitzer, who plays his club football for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, fired in a fierce shot from a difficult angle just two minutes later.
With this victory, Austria topped Group D, benefiting from France’s 1-1 draw with Poland in the other group match. Both France and the Netherlands had already secured progression to the knockout stages due to prior results.
Celebrations erupted among the Austrian fans, who chanted “Group winners, group winners!” as they left the stadium. The Netherlands, adorned in their vibrant orange, must now await the conclusion of other groups to learn their next opponent.
Austria will face the second-place finisher in Group F—either Türkiye, Georgia, or the Czech Republic—in Leipzig on Tuesday. Sabitzer emphasized the team’s focus, saying, “If you beat the Netherlands and finish first in the group, then you can’t be so bad. The top priority for us was to progress and we managed that. Now we need to bring it down a bit, get the heads clear and then we’ll attack again.”
This win marks a significant achievement for Austria, snapping a seven-game losing streak against the Netherlands, including a group-stage defeat in the previous tournament.
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Austria beat Netherlands 3-2 to reach knockout stage of Euro 2024
cgtn.com
