BERLIN: Austria coach Ralf Rangnick said it was “incredible” for his team to snatch top spot in their Euro 2024 group ahead of France and the Netherlands on Tuesday.
Rangnick’s men edged a dramatic closing Group D encounter 3-2 against the Dutch, who had to settle for going through in third place, while France were held to a 1-1 draw by already-eliminated Poland.
Austria jumped up from third before kick-off and will next face either Turkiye, the Czech Republic or Georgia in the last 16 in Leipzig on July 2.
They have never reached the European Championship quarter-finals.
“We started in the tournament with a 1-0 loss with an own goal against France and if you knew the pressure we had against Poland (3-1 win) when we knew we had to win to have a realistic chance to qualify, then to finish top of the group is incredible,” Rangnick told reporters.
“If you had bet on us to win here and France not to win you’d be a very rich man or woman...
“But that’s the great thing about football and we were rewarded for a great and energetic performance from my lads.”
Rangnick surprisingly made four changes from the team which beat Poland, knowing Austria would qualify unless they suffered a defeat by more than four goals.
He said Italy’s last-gasp equalizer on Monday against Croatia allowed him to rest some players who would have picked up a one-match suspension with a yellow card.
“If the goal in the Italy game hadn’t gone in in the last minute, we would’ve had a different line-up as we wouldn’t have been basically qualified,” added Rangnick.
“So we had an unexpected line-up but in the end all the thinking was worth it as we were able to go all in with this line-up and we didn’t have to think about second bookings and so forth and it worked out.”
Two of Austria’s squad — Nicolas Seiwald and Christoph Baumgartner — play for RB Leipzig, while key midfielders Marcel Sabitzer and Konrad Laimer count the Bundesliga side among their former clubs.
Rangnick also enjoyed two stints there as head coach and he admitted playing in Leipzig next week would give his team an advantage.
“Now we have a week to prepare, we won’t have to travel a lot, we won’t have to fly...
“Apart from the three points we got and the ‘home’ game in Leipzig, the depth of our squad is better than we thought because the lads who played today did so well.”
Sabitzer was the hero at the Olympiastadion against the Netherlands, firing Austria in front for the third and final time in the 81st minute.
“The intensity is the decisive factor, we managed that for a very long time,” said the Borussia Dortmund star.
“If you beat the Netherlands, win the group, then you can’t be that bad.”
Rangnick delighted by ‘incredible’ first place for Austria at Euros
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Rangnick delighted by ‘incredible’ first place for Austria at Euros
- Rangnick’s men edged a dramatic closing Group D encounter 3-2 against the Dutch
- He said: “If you had bet on us to win here and France not to win you’d be a very rich man or woman...”
Al-Ahli topple Al-Ittihad in Sea Derby as late Al-Hilal rout sees off Al-Najma
- Al-Ahli defeat rivals Al-Ittihad 3-1 in thrilling derby at Al-Inma Stadium
- Al-Hilal struggle against Al-Najma but three goals in final 10 minutes leads them to 4-0 victory
JEDDAH: The Saudi Pro League title race showed no signs of slowing on Friday as Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal played simultaneously in search of staying within touching distance of league leaders Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday.
While Al-Hilal took on Al-Najma, Al-Ahli’s weekend was about more than just three points. Waiting for them at Al-Inma Stadium were city rivals and defending champions Al-Ittihad.
For Al-Ittihad, this fixture was largely about pride. Their title defence has all but come to an end, with 19 points separating them and the summit heading into the Sea Derby.
Yet as shown in their 1-1 draw weeks prior against Al-Hilal while playing with a man down, Al-Ittihad tend to rise to the occasion in the bigger games regardless of their position on the table.
Al-Ahli did take control of proceedings through their high press, but the Tigers responded with confidence and urgency. A difficult season does not mean allowing your archrivals to take three points with ease, after all.
Matthias Jaissle, however, has converted Al-Ahli into one of the league’s most cohesive sides over the past three years. Some would even argue that despite never holding first place this season, they have indeed been the best team in the league.
That showed in the 23rd minute. Galeno was released into the space behind Muhannad Al-Shanqiti before delivering a low cross to Ivan Toney, who continued his prolific campaign with his 24th goal of the season.
Calls for a VAR review followed, as Houssem Aouar was brought down in the box prior to the goal. Referee Nikola Dabanovic ruled there was no infringement, and Al-Ahli led 1-0.
Al-Ittihad emerged after the interval with renewed vigour. Steven Bergwijn calmly held Zakaria Hawsawi on the edge of the box, tempting him into a foul that Dabanovic judged worthy of a penalty.
Fabinho stepped up and powered the ball past Edouard Mendy to equalise for The Tigers in the 51st minute. For a brief moment, there was hope. If Al-Ittihad could derail Al-Ahli’s title push and go on to win the AFC Champions League Elite later this season, this match could yet prove significant.
Those hopes lasted less than 10 minutes. Al-Ahli’s trademark pass into the channel released Galeno once again, and his low cross rolled across the face of goal to Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian — who had repeatedly troubled the defence with his movement inside — made no mistake this time, restoring the hosts’ lead in the 59th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close on several occasions, but the match rarely felt out of Al-Ahli’s control for long. Their relentless press ultimately sealed the result when substitute Feras Al-Brikan disposessed Predrag Rajkovic and slotted home into an open net in the 84th minute.
Al-Hilal, meanwhile, endured a far more difficult night against bottom-placed Al-Najma. A glance at the scoreline suggests total dominance for Al-Hilal, but the reality was quite different.
Make no mistake, Al-Hilal created several openings, yet repeatedly lacked the decisive final touch. Salem Al-Dawsari’s decision to square the ball to Karim Benzema while through on goal summed up their struggles in front of the net.
It wasn’t until Nasser Al-Haleel received a red card in the 39th minute for pulling down Al-Dawsari as the last defender that Al-Hilal began to shift gears.
Four minutes later, Al-Dawsari made amends for his earlier mistake by setting up Benzema for first goal at Kingdom Arena.
Even with the numerical advantage, Al-Hilal produced one of their least convincing performances of the season. Fortunately for them, Al-Najma offered little attacking threat, registering just one shot across the 90 minutes.
They eventually collapsed in the final 10 minutes, as Benzema, Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic all scored within a six-minute spell, lifting Al-Hilal’s goal difference to +43 — a vital factor in a tital race where Al-Nassr sit on +46.
The victories move Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal to 62 and 61 points respectively, with Al-Nassr sandwiched between them on 61 ahead of their clash against NEOM.
Elsewhere, Al-Taawoun defeated Al-Fateh 3-2 in a match that saw the visitors mount a late rally but ultimately fall short of completing the comeback. Meanwhile, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis both found the net as Al-Khaleej secured a 2-1 victory over Al-Hazem.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Saturday, with four clashes kicking off at 10:00pm. Al-Ettifaq host Al-Shabab, Al-Kholood take on Al-Qadsiah, Al-Okhdood welcome Al-Fayha, and Al-Nassr aim to maintain their spot at the top against NEOM.
