On June 26th, in the final round of Group D of the European Championship, Austria overcame the Netherlands 3-2, while France drew 1-1 with Poland. This victory secured Austria’s top spot in the group, pushing aside France and the Netherlands, marking their first time topping a major tournament since 1978.
Group D was initially considered a battleground between France and the Netherlands, but Austria emerged as a dark horse. Despite losing their first match against France, they went on to win their subsequent two matches against Poland and the Netherlands, earning a perfect 6 points from their two wins, exceeding all expectations.
The last time Austria finished top of a group in a major tournament was in the 1978 World Cup. In that tournament, they defeated Spain 2-1, Sweden 1-0, and lost to Brazil 0-1. Their 2 wins and 1 loss, coupled with a superior goal difference, secured their place as group winners over Brazil.
Austria’s World Cup journey after that included a second-place finish in the 1982 World Cup group stage, and group stage exits in the 1990 and 1998 World Cups. In the European Championship, they were eliminated in the group stage in 2008 and 2016, and finished second in their group in 2020.
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