June 21 – Berlin has been fizzing with excitement for days as Austrians and Poles poured into the city for this crucial Group D. In the end the day was won by Austria, 3-1 to earn their first points of Euro 2024.
Both sets of fans combined for a red and white masterpiece in the stands. Not a single seat in the Olympiastadion was left cold as the support did their utmost to sway the match in their favour.
Their presence could be felt hours ahead of kickoff, with every train, every station packed with supporters.
Austria had suffered a 1-0 defeat to France in the opening match, with the score settled by an own goal from defender Wober, who was left absent from tonight’s victory. It had been a cruel loss.
Poland had similarly given Netherlands a difficult task in their opening fixture, even in the absence of record goalscorer and talisman Robert Lewandowski. The 35-year-old wasn’t deemed fit to start the match versus Austria.
Christoph Baumgartner scored Austria’s second
It was an atmosphere you could hear long before you could see, as the infectious cheers of the crowd reverberated through the stadium and into the media centre 50 feet below the surface.
Ahead of the match, Poland boss Michal Probierz opted for a strike partnership of Krzysztof Piatek and Adam Buksa, maintaining a similar back three formation to the one that faced Netherlands, this time allowing Nicola Zalewski to operate in a more advanced attacking role.
It was wholesale changes in the middle of the park for Poland, as Taras Romanczuk and Sebastian Szymanski made way for the youthful duo of Bartosz Slisz and Jakub Piotrowski. Also absent was the injured Bartosz Salomon, as Verona’s Pawel Dawidowicz replaced him as the central defender.
Piatek was brought in for 19-year-old Kasper Urbanski as the manager looked for an experienced striker to lead the attack, with Lewandowski coming back from injury on the bench. It was a move that paid off, with the ex-Milan striker causing all…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/06/21/rangnicks-austria-put-three-past-poland-olympiastadion-cauldron/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-06-21 18:51:31
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