Austria achieved a significant victory with two late goals, boosting their chances of reaching the last 16 at Euro 2024, while Poland faced the disappointment of being the first nation to be eliminated from the tournament. This result, combined with France’s draw against the Netherlands later on Friday, ensured that Poland would finish at the bottom of Group D, regardless of the outcome of their final game.
Both Austria and Poland entered the match in Berlin having lost their opening games. This heightened the stakes, as another defeat would likely mean the end of their tournament. The atmosphere at the Olympiastadion was electric, with both sets of fans creating a noisy and energetic environment. The high-stakes nature of the game gave it the feel of a knockout match, reflected in the frenetic pace on the pitch.
Austria struck first, with Gernot Trauner rising at the near post to head home a cross from Phillipp Mwene. At that point, Poland was struggling to get out of their own half, but they quickly improved and began to push for an equalizer. This effort paid off after 30 minutes, when a cross from the right was not properly cleared. Jan Bednarek’s shot was blocked, but Krzysztof Piatek was first to the rebound and fired low into the net to equalize.
After the equalizer, clear chances were hard to come by, even with Poland’s star striker Robert Lewandowski entering the game from the bench. As the game approached its final stages, it was Austria who found the inspiration they needed. Marko Arnautovic’s clever dummy allowed Christoph Baumgartner time and space to advance to the edge of the area before coolly slotting the ball past Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.
Austria sealed their victory a few minutes later. With Poland pushing forward in search of another equalizer, Marcel Sabitzer ran clear and, although he was brought down by Szczesny, Arnautovic converted the resulting penalty. This goal sparked wild celebrations among the Austria fans, who had seen their team narrowly beaten by France in their opening game. Now, with renewed hope, Austria looks forward to their next match against the Netherlands in Dortmund.
For Poland, the loss was a significant blow. They became the first of the 24 teams participating in Euro 2024 to be eliminated when the Netherlands failed to beat France in Leipzig. Although Poland can still finish level on points with Austria, the head-to-head record between the two teams means that Poland’s hopes of advancing are over. This defeat means Poland has only pride to play for in their final match against France, even if Lewandowski is able to start after recovering from his thigh injury.
Lewandowski’s late introduction into the game was met with a wild reaction from Polish fans in the stands, but he was unable to have the desired impact. His teammates could not supply him with a single chance to add to his tally of 82 international goals. Instead, it was the dynamic Arnautovic, starting his first competitive game for Austria since September, who settled the match.
Austria’s coach, Ralf Rangnick, described the match as the “most important” he had faced since taking charge in April 2022. Before their defeat to France, which was the first time in almost two years that they had failed to score, Austria had lost only one of their previous 16 games. This strong form had led many to tip Austria as a potential surprise package in the tournament. Baumgartner, named player of the match for his performance against Poland, felt that the underdog tag had helped rather than hindered them.
“Somehow it is nice to be called that,” Baumgartner said. “We had a really good period, and people started to think big quite quickly, but we as a team knew how to assess the situation. We knew that against France we weren’t at our maximum, but that’s what we need – if we do that, we can beat a lot of nations. So this pressure is mainly coming from ourselves because we know about our quality. It would have been a big, big shame if we had lost this game because it would have been tight for us then. We still have a lot of work in front of us, but this victory was really important for us, and hopefully, we can continue like that.”
Poland’s head coach, Michal Probierz, faced several questions about Lewandowski’s condition and revealed that the veteran striker was fully fit, despite starting on the bench. “He was fully fit and he has practiced with the team,” said Probierz. “We knew that this would be a highly intensive match and we decided with the medical team and Lewandowski himself that he wouldn’t start from the first minute. We wanted to get through that Austrian defense in the second half, and it’s a pity we couldn’t score that second goal before them.”
In conclusion, Austria’s late goals against Poland kept their hopes alive in Euro 2024, while Poland’s elimination was a disappointment for their fans. The match highlighted the high stakes and intense atmosphere of international tournaments, where a single game can significantly alter a team’s fortunes. As Austria prepares for their next challenge, Poland must regroup and focus on their final match, playing for pride and the future.