Ralf Rangnick’s players walked towards the Olympiastadion’s furthest corner to join their fans in a serenade of Hey Jude and it was tempting to wonder whether, after an exhilarating evening’s work, they had the energy. But this Austria team always seem to find some and that is why, after repelling the Netherlands not once but twice, they have completed Group D as its improbable winners.
The knockout draw was turned on its head by events here and in Dortmund; it would take a brave onlooker, now, to rule Rangnick and his dynamos out of a lung-busting run to the latter stages.
They simply keep coming and it was a thrilling moment when, 10 minutes from time, the substitute Christoph Baumgartner slid Marcel Sabitzer down the inside-left channel for a spectacular angled finish that threatened to rip the net from its moorings. Rangnick and Sabitzer are performing wonders and it barely needs saying that what did not work for Manchester United is, in both cases, purring along like a dream elsewhere.
Austria have to fancy their chances when they face the runners-up from Group F, almost certainly Turkey or Czech Republic, on Tuesday. That tie will take place in Leipzig, of all places: it will essentially be a home game for what could, given the career paths of Rangnick and several of his players, be described with tongue in cheek as an unofficial extension of the Red Bull project.
They will be fresh on arrival and that is partly because Rangnick, who sets such great stock in maintaining a thunderous tempo, rotated extensively again. Part of his rationale was a surfeit of players on yellow cards and he gave the example of Konrad Laimer, the midfielder who was rested because holding back in challenges was not an option. Baumgartner, named man of the match in the defeat of Poland, was among the others stood down and a half‑hour runout was all he needed to make a difference.
Those who started had swarmed into action and, while an opening goal from the boot of the Netherlands’ Donyell Malen was outwardly fortunate, perhaps it did not owe so much to chance. Austria have now scored inside the first 10 minutes in six of their past seven games: you have to keep pace with them from the off and Ronald Koeman’s team were the latest to find that impossible.
Koeman regretted that opening spell, which his counterpart described as “brutally good”. While the Netherlands improved markedly thereafter and should certainly have been level before their later salvage attempts, they were guilty of bursting into life sporadically and were woefully open at the back when examined in any detail.
It was one of their own forwards who began the uphill struggle. Malen had been selected to provide firepower at the other end but, stretching to prevent a cross from the impressive left-back Alexander Prass from reaching Marko Arnautovic, he succeeded only in thudding the ball inside Bart Verbruggen’s near post. He had certainly produced a striker’s finish, which was far from the case when he dragged wide upon being given a golden opportunity to make amends midway through the first half.
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Tijjani Reijnders also spurned a clear opening and a note of caution to those championing Austria’s prospects may be that their defence is exposed too frequently. When the Dutch right-back Lutsharel Geertruida, who had struggled defensively, won possession from Florian Grillitsch a minute into the second period that point was reiterated. Geertruida gave Xavi Simons, who had made an early appearance from the bench, a platform to scamper 60 yards beyond an overcommitted midfield and tee up Cody Gakpo for a curled finish.
At that point the Netherlands were matching Austria’s aggression and, given the technical riches at their disposal, could be fancied to pull clear. Romano Schmid’s goal had not been signposted but Austria finally made ground down the left through their winger Patrick Wimmer, who had earlier been booked and will miss the next round. They strung a move together and eventually Sabitzer played Grillitsch in at the byline; the resulting cross, stood up deliciously, was bulleted in by a diving Schmid despite Stefan de Vrij’s efforts on the line.
Wout Weghorst arrived to shake things up and almost immediately headed down for Memphis Depay, cushioning and finishing in one smooth movement, to equalise again. It was given by VAR after initially being ruled out for a nonexistent handball. But there was no need to debate Sabitzer’s intervention five minutes later, save to wonder whether Austria could go all the way.
