Sabitzer puts Austria through top and sends Netherlands into third-place mix

Austria's Marcel Sabitzer celebrates his winner. Photograph: Ronny Hartmann/AFP/Getty Images

Should Austria be taken seriously as European Championship-winning material? They emerged from one of the group stage’s most entertaining games with three points and, firmly against the odds, top spot in a fiendish Group D. They were handed a head start by Donyell Malen’s own goal but perhaps the most impressive aspect of another high-octane performance was the way Ralf Rangnick’s team just kept coming.

They were pegged back by Cody Gakpo and then, after Romano Schmid’s response, again by Memphis Delay. But Marcel Sabitzer’s winner, which could change the shape of this competition, means they will probably face Turkey or Czech Republic in Leipzig on Saturday. For the third-placed Netherlands, creative but wide open in defence, a meeting with England is not out of the question.

Rangnick had made four changes to his lineup: perhaps he was mindful of a high yellow card tally among his squad, there was doubtless the matter of maintaining Austria’s trademark energy in 26C heat. They were more or less assured of progress at the outset, only a heavy defeat likely to knock them out of the best third-place finishers.

But they wanted more and, in the sixth minute it came. Austria had swamped the Netherlands from kick-off, camping in their half and popping the ball around crisply. Their left-back Alexander Prass had already threatened in advanced positions twice and struck gold on the third. This time he swept a cross towards Marko Arnautovic that Malen, careering in on the stretch to intervene, hammered inside Bart Verbruggen’s near post.

It was certainly a forward’s finish from Malen. In fairness he had shown a hearty appetite to track back but, in giving him a first start of the tournament, Ronald Koeman had presumably expected his gifts to manifest themselves at the other end. Midway through the half came a perfect chance to atone, Memphis Depay sending him behind an Austrian back line that did not look especially tight. Malen only had to pick his spot beyond an advancing Patrick Pentz but scuffed horribly wide.

Nine minutes previously, Tijjani Reijnders had produced a similarly poor finish when Gakpo laid the opening on a plate. It was not as if the Netherlands, responding well to the early setback, looked incapable of scoring. But things drifted sufficiently that, with the interval in view, Koeman introduced the quick feet of Xavi Simons in Joey Veerman’s place.

Austria’s threat had dimmed: they were now conceding niggly fouls and a booking for one of them, by the rapid winger Patrick Wimmer, will bring a second-round suspension they could do without. This had, though, become a game notable for spurts of explosive energy from both protagonists. Sabitzer saw Verbruggen parry a 20-yard fizzer and, given a second bite, his second effort deflected into the path of Arnautovic. Any serious contact would have put Austria two up, but he miskicked at knee height.

That aberration was made to appear costly just over a minute into the second half. Simons’ speed came into his own as he shuttled through an absent midfield after the Netherlands right-back Lutsharel Geertruida had won possession inside his own half. Austria had too many players committed and Simons could pick his moment to feed Gakpo to the left. The finish, applied right-footed around Pentz from 12 yards after a cushioned first touch, was immaculate.

A Virgil van Dijk header skipped just over off Maximilian Wober soon afterwards and the Netherlands, a higher-tempo proposition now, were making their quality tell for the first time. Stefan de Vrij glanced wide from a free-kick and Austria, at that point, were being outdone at their own game.

So Schmid’s goal had not remotely been signposted. Austria had made ground down the left through Wimmer and, for the first time since the break, were asking a question. Eventually Sabitzer played Florian Grillitsch in at the byline and the resulting cross, stood up deliciously, was bulleted in by a diving Schmid despite De Vrij’s efforts on the line.

It had come from nothing, but what a potent reminder Austria had provided that nobody can sleep on their threat. The Netherlands looked to augment theirs, giving the crowd what they had been calling for when Wout Weghorst replaced the luckless Malen, and subsequently squared matters up again.

Weghorst’s presence paid dividends, the battering ram monstering Wober in the air and leaving the centre-back sprawling. Depay, controlling and finishing instantaneously, saw his celebrations cut short due to an apparent handball but a VAR check found no such error. Perhaps, this time, the Netherlands had a platform for the win.

Instead the substitute Christoph Baumgartner slid Sabitzer through and, from a tight left-sided angle, he thrashed past Verbruggen. Austria are on the march.