Austria won Group D at the European Football Championship in Germany. Ralf Rangnick's men recorded a second successive win at the championship, beating the Netherlands 3:2 in a spectacular clash at Berlin's Olympiastadion, while in the other group game, France failed to beat eliminated Poland to finish second after a 1-1 draw.
The Roosters, considered one of the big favorites for a third European title, had a seemingly easy task to deal with Druzhina Polska, who no longer had a chance to skip the group stage. Didier Deschamps' starters included the return of striker Kylian Mbappe, who wore a protective mask after breaking his nose in the first leg against Austria. The offensive footballer had his chances to score before the break, but was stopped by the Polish guard Lukasz Skorupski. Michal Probierz's Poland also had their chances as Robert Lewandowski's dangerous header went wide of Mike Maignan's goal.
After the break, France took the lead through Mbappe, who opened his Championship account with a penalty in the 56th minute. Ten minutes before the end of regular time, however, Lewandowski restored parity also from the penalty spot. Until the end, Deschamps and company looked for a second goal to secure top spot in the group, but they couldn't find it and will have to settle for second after Austria's win over the Netherlands.
In Berlin, Rangnick's men again impressed with their performances, taking an early lead through a Donyell Malen own goal. Cody Gakpo restored parity at the start of the second half, but Romano Schmidt put Austria one chest ahead again. Memphis Depay brought the Tulips back into the game for the second time after an assist from substitute Wout Weghorst, but Marcel Sabitzer put an end to the dispute with a third goal for the Austrians.
Thus, Austria and France continue directly to the round of 16, where the Austrians await the runner-up from Group F - one of Turkey, the Czech Republic or Georgia, and France will play the runner-up from Group E, where Belgium, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia are tied on points before the last a round of group meetings. The Netherlands, with 4 points, are likely to find a place in the eliminations, but Koeman and company will have a tougher opponent if they want to reach the quarter-finals. | BGNES
