Ralf Rangnick had done his calculations. For Austria to finish first in Group D of Euro 2024 and thus avoid being placed in the same part of the table as Germany, Spain and Portugal, it had to win over the Low, Tuesday June 25, at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. But not only. It was also necessary that, 500 kilometers away, the French team not beat Poland in Dortmund, otherwise it would steal the place. “Both of these things are unlikely to happen”predicted the coach.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers France–Poland: overshadowed by their offensive ineffectiveness, the Blues make their task more complicated
Add to your selections
However, the possibility took shape during the break. With an unfortunate tackle which deceived his goalkeeper, Dutch attacking midfielder Donyell Malen had despite himself given the advantage at the very start of the game to the Austrians (6e, 1-0). And the Batavians seemed overwhelmed, unable to come back, while in the Ruhr, neither the Blues nor the Bialo-Czerwoni (“the White and Red”) had found the net. But upon returning from the locker room, Cody Gakpo came to revive his team with a curled shot (47e, 1-1) and the suspense in the group. Especially since a few minutes later, in the West, Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty (1-0, 56e).
At the end of a match full of twists and turns, Austria finally beat the Netherlands (3-2). The Tricolores were caught by Poland (1-1). And what seemed highly improbable became reality: Ralf Rangnick’s men took the lead in their group (7 points), ahead of the French (5 points) and the Netherlands (4 points), already assured of being among the four best third-placed players in this first phase, and therefore, to compete in the round of 16. “Finishing first is incredible! The probability that we win and France does not? If you had bet on it, you would be rich today.”joked Ralf Rangnick after the game.
Austria is an “underrated” nation
The final classification of Group D, of which the Blues were given the heavy favorites, will therefore have been undecided until the end. Before the four selections entered the field on Tuesday, the only certainty was fourth place, synonymous with elimination, for Robert Lewandowski’s Bialo-Czerwoni, defeated by the Netherlands (2-1), then the Austria (3-1). Should this fierce battle be attributed to the offensive deficiencies detected during the Tricolores’ last matches? Partly, no doubt.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Euro 2024: in the French team, the debate on the quality of the game resurfaces
Add to your selections
But Tuesday’s meeting in Berlin also served as a reminder that if the Austrians rarely appear on the list of title contenders, they have the means to play spoilsport this edition. In May, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, Didier Deschamps also wanted “go against what has been said here and there”insisting that his men had fallen into a “high group”.
You have 43.12% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
