´I knew it could be good´ – Sabitzer proud after earning Austria top spot

Marcel Sabitzer is proud of not only his winning goal, but also the strength Austria showed in their 3-2 victory over the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Ralf Rangnick’s side were drawn into a group including pre-tournament favourites France, the Netherlands and Poland, and few expected them to come out on top.

However, after narrowly losing their opening to Les Bleus, Austria beat Poland 3-1 before Sabitzer struck the winner – his first goal at the European Championships – against the Netherlands to see them finish first in Group D.

With a last-16 tie against one of the best third-place teams still to come, Sabitzer is confident in Austria’s togetherness.

“I got the ball deep, I looked up to see if someone was free in the middle, but I got the impression that [the Netherlands] had more men there. In the past, the left foot has often helped me, so I thought that was the moment I could give it a try,” Sabitzer told reporters.

1 – Austria have finished top of their group in a major tournament (World Cup/EURO) for the first time since the 1978 World Cup. EUROphoria. #NEDAUT #EURo2024 pic.twitter.com/uAk0IRUXRt

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) June 25, 2024

“As soon as the ball left my foot, I knew it could be good.

“We are all footballers who want to win games, and that is our objective in every game. And if you have moments where things are a bit more difficult, and it goes back and forth, then the question is how does the team react to that.

“You can be proud of the unity we have, the mentality we have on the pitch … we used our strengths, the goal was very nicely worked. So many Austrians who watch us in the stadium trust us, and we want to give them something back.”