Ukraine vs Austria. European Championships Group C.
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Match report as Austria leapfrog Ukraine into second place in Group C after victory in Bucharest; Austria to face Italy at Wembley in maiden European Championship knockout game; Ukraine face nervous wait after third-place finish
Monday 21 June 2021 20:32, UK
Austria will face Italy at Wembley in their first-ever European Championship knockout game after pipping Ukraine to the runners-up spot in Group C with a 1-0 victory in Bucharest.
Christoph Baumgartner wrote his name into Austrian folklore as his first-half strike secured the victory Franco Foda's side needed to guarantee their place in the last 16 at the expense of Ukraine.
Ukraine merely needed to avoid defeat to secure second place behind group winners Holland, but Andriy Shevchenko's side were plagued by a lack of attacking quality and mustered just a single attempt on target.
Austria's second victory at a European Championship finals sets up a showdown with neighbours Italy in London on Saturday, while Ukraine face a nervous wait to see if they will progress to the last 16 as one of the tournament's best third-placed sides.
With Austria needing a victory and Ukraine only requiring a draw to progress from Group C as runners-up, the emphasis was on the Austrians to grab the initiative, and they rose to the challenge, refusing to leave themselves at the mercy of the third-place lottery.
Talisman David Alaba was deployed in his preferred left-back position where he was tasked with stifling Ukraine dangerman Andriy Yarmolenko, a task he dovetailed superbly with his attacking duties.
Alaba delivered a succession of crosses and set-pieces into the Ukrainian box before the Austrian pressure finally told. Four minutes after being given the all-clear following a clash of heads with centre-back Illya Zabarnyi, Baumgartner peeled into space in the area to turn Alaba's corner into the Ukrainian net as Austria's industrious start was rewarded.
Baumgartner would later succumb to his earlier injuries shortly after the half-hour mark, but his withdrawal did little to derail Austria's dominant performance, with Konrad Laimer drawing goalkeeper Heorhiy Bushchan into a save soon after.
Austria should have doubled their lead before the break but Marko Arnautovic, who returned to the starting line-up following his one-game suspension for insulting a North Macedonian player, shanked a shot woefully wide after substitute Alessandro Schopf's square pass.
After the break, Xaver Schlager saw one strike saved by Bushchan and put another wide, before Daniel Bachmann was called upon to keep the ball out when it came off Laimer's head.
Ukraine went close again with two minutes of normal time remaining, with Roman Yaremchuk flashing a shot across the face of goal as Shevchenko's side failed to rescue a draw that would have seen them retain second place.
Austria head coach Franco Foda: "In this phase of the tournament, there are no easy opponents. We know that. Italy haven't lost for an eternity, but perhaps there will come a time when they lose again. It will be important for us to prepare with focus and recover, then we will do everything we can to win in London. It will be tough, but the team is eager and ready."
Ukraine head coach Andriy Shevchenko: "Our players gave everything in the second half but sometimes you have these games where whatever you do nothing goes well. Sooner or later it leads to mistakes. We lost a simple ball in the midfield, then conceded that corner and the goal. After that goal, we largely didn't have a chance to come back into game."
David Alaba registered his third assist overall (in his six appearances) for Austria at European Championships, two more than any other Austrian, while his haul of four chances created in the game is the second-most ever recorded by an Austrian in a European Championship fixture (after Martin Harnik's five v Croatia in 2008).
Austria face Group A winners Italy in the round-of-16 at Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday at 8pm.
