Euro 2008 - Day 6: Last Minute Penalty Kick Saves Austria From Elimination
June 13th 2008 01:47
It was heartbreaking for Poland but it was only justice for an Austrian team which had countless opportunities to score throughout the game.
Both teams hadn't scored in their previous game and both teams were looking at elimination if they were to lose. Austria came crashing right out the gates as they relentlessly attacked the Polish camp. Poland's goalkeeper Artur Boruc was excellent as he stopped three breakaways, depriving Austria from their first goal of the tournament. With Austria constantly attacking, Poland's only chances came were on the counterattacks. Like it usually happens when a team has countless chances to score but doesn't, Austria was the team down a goal at halftime as Poland scored on their first opportunity at the 20th minute via Brazilian-born midfielder Roger Guerreiro.
Poland's goal seemed to break the Austrians' spirit as the second half was a much more balanced affair with Poland having slight edge over their opponent. Guerreiro was on fire as he performed numerous tricks and flicks, providing some entertainment to the tightly contested game. His counterpart on the Austrian team was Umit Korkmaz, a speedy midfielder who gave so much trouble to the Polish defense in the first half that he was double-marked for most of the second. Since Austria couldn't seem to find the solution to beat Boruc, Josef Hickersberger switched things a bit by taking out the captain Andreas Ivanschitz, striker Roland Linz and midfielder René Aufhauser and replacing them by veteran Ivica Vastic, striker Roman Kienast and midfielder Jürgen Säumel. The result was immediate as Austria gained a little more possession but they still couldn't score. Their salvation finally came at the third minute of extra-time – last minute of the game – when a Polish defender dragged defender Sebastian Prödl to the ground in the 18-yard box. The referee didn't hesitate to give a penalty since it was the second time that the action (pulling Prödl's shirt) had ocurred. Vastic scored Austria's first goal and will now – apparently – be able to enjoy a lifetime supply of free beer.
Both teams are still alive, so it will be a three-way fight for second place along with Germany. Croatia is the first team of this group to go through to the quaterfinals.
My man of the match: Artur Boruc. The Polish goalkeeper kept his team alive when they were struggling to get going. The final result doesn't reflect his amazing performance.
Honorable mentions:
- Roger Guerreiro. The midfielder scored his team's goal and was a dominant force in midfield.
- Umit Korkmaz. Like Guerreiro, the midfielder was the best member of his team. He only started to struggle once he had two defenders constantly on his back.
Both teams hadn't scored in their previous game and both teams were looking at elimination if they were to lose. Austria came crashing right out the gates as they relentlessly attacked the Polish camp. Poland's goalkeeper Artur Boruc was excellent as he stopped three breakaways, depriving Austria from their first goal of the tournament. With Austria constantly attacking, Poland's only chances came were on the counterattacks. Like it usually happens when a team has countless chances to score but doesn't, Austria was the team down a goal at halftime as Poland scored on their first opportunity at the 20th minute via Brazilian-born midfielder Roger Guerreiro.
Poland's goal seemed to break the Austrians' spirit as the second half was a much more balanced affair with Poland having slight edge over their opponent. Guerreiro was on fire as he performed numerous tricks and flicks, providing some entertainment to the tightly contested game. His counterpart on the Austrian team was Umit Korkmaz, a speedy midfielder who gave so much trouble to the Polish defense in the first half that he was double-marked for most of the second. Since Austria couldn't seem to find the solution to beat Boruc, Josef Hickersberger switched things a bit by taking out the captain Andreas Ivanschitz, striker Roland Linz and midfielder René Aufhauser and replacing them by veteran Ivica Vastic, striker Roman Kienast and midfielder Jürgen Säumel. The result was immediate as Austria gained a little more possession but they still couldn't score. Their salvation finally came at the third minute of extra-time – last minute of the game – when a Polish defender dragged defender Sebastian Prödl to the ground in the 18-yard box. The referee didn't hesitate to give a penalty since it was the second time that the action (pulling Prödl's shirt) had ocurred. Vastic scored Austria's first goal and will now – apparently – be able to enjoy a lifetime supply of free beer.
Both teams are still alive, so it will be a three-way fight for second place along with Germany. Croatia is the first team of this group to go through to the quaterfinals.
My man of the match: Artur Boruc. The Polish goalkeeper kept his team alive when they were struggling to get going. The final result doesn't reflect his amazing performance.
Honorable mentions:
- Roger Guerreiro. The midfielder scored his team's goal and was a dominant force in midfield.
- Umit Korkmaz. Like Guerreiro, the midfielder was the best member of his team. He only started to struggle once he had two defenders constantly on his back.
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