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DENMARK BOOK 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP TICKET WITH 1-0 WIN OVER AUSTRIA

Denmark became the second European nation to reach the 2022 World Cup after a 1-0 home win over Austria on Tuesday left them top of qualifying Group F with an unassailable seven-point lead over second-placed Scotland with two games to spare.

After Germany advanced to the 32-nation tournament in Qatar on Monday, the Danes secured their own berth as a 53rd-minute goal from Joakim Maehle helped them to an eighth successive qualifying victory.

Denmark and Germany joined Qatar, who gained an automatic spot in the finals as the host nation. Only the group winners from European qualifying advance directly while the runners-up enter the playoffs.

Denmark have scored 27 goals and conceded none so far in World Cup qualifying, with their run to the finals underpinned by some impressive free-flowing football.

They did, however, look jittery for long spells against a well-organised Austria side.

Visiting goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann denied Andreas Skov Olsen and Mikkel Damsgaard in the first half and then kept out a Thomas Delaney effort in the 48th minute as the home side struggled to create clear-cut chances.

But Bachmann was powerless five minutes later as Denmark’s best moment of the match produced a brilliant goal with Delaney at the heart of a breathtaking move.

The central midfielder weaved his way past four markers through the middle and then teed up Maehle to plant his shot from eight metres inside the near post and delight the home fans in a packed Parken stadium.

Delaney was elated after the match as Denmark made it to their second successive World Cup, having reached the round of 16 in the 2018 tournament before advancing to the Euro 2020 semi-finals this year.

“It’s a pleasure throughout, in every match,” Delaney told the country’s Kanal 5 television.

“The support we’ve had. It is unique, what we have created, we can be proud of. There have been winds against us in other qualifying campaigns. This is something quite unique to us.”

Maehle added: “It means a lot, it’s one of the coolest nights in the Park in a long time. It is fantastic. It’s strong for us to win here, and we got this ticket to the World Cup.”

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EURO 2020: ITALY SEE OFF STUBBORN AUSTRIA WITH EXTRA TIME VICTORY

Extra-time goals from Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina saw Italy book their place in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, but their weaknesses were exposed in a 2-1 win over Austria at Wembley.

The Azzuri had turned heads with an impressive group stage, blitzing past Turkey, Switzerland and Wales with vibrant and high-energy performances to make themselves contenders for the trophy.

But they were unable to recreate that in London and needed two goals in the additional period to book a last-eight tie with either Belgium or Portugal in Munich, where their credentials will be truly tested.

They will take heart, however, from their resurgence in extra-time and they have posted a new record of 31 games unbeaten.

Austria, who bossed the second half of normal time and threatened to cause a real shock after Marko Arnautovic’s goal was ruled out by VAR, gave themselves hope with Sasa Kalajdzic scoring the first goal against Italy in 11 games late on, but they could not force a penalty shoot-out.

Having played their three group games in Rome, Italy hit the road and initially appeared to settle in to their new surroundings.

They began with style and confidence, and probed early as the impressive left wing-back Leonardo Spinazzola shot off-target, while Lorenzo Insigne fired straight at Daniel Bachmann.

Bachmann was tested more sternly in the 17th minute as he made a top-class save to keep out Nicolo Barella’s shot with his feet as the Austrians continued to live dangerously.

The Azzuri continued to press and they came even closer to taking the lead just after the half-hour when Immobile almost scored a memorable goal.

The Lazio striker was afforded space on the edge of the box and sent a swerving effort that just did not dip enough, cannoning off the angle of post and crossbar and to safety.

Italy’s defence had not been breached since October, but Austria had their moments on the break in the first half and enjoyed their best spell of the match straight after the restart.

Former West Ham striker Arnautovic surged into the box after Italy were robbed of possession but he chose to shoot when team-mates were waiting for a pull-back.

Then David Alaba had a great chance from a free-kick just outside the area, but he could not get his shot up and down over the wall in time and it went just over the crossbar.

It looked as though they had got their reward just after the hour-mark as Arnautovic nodded home Alaba’s header at the far post. However, VAR Stuart Attwell ruled it out as Arnautovic was marginally offside.

Austria continued to be the better side but they could not create anything clear-cut while Italy also looked lost for ideas, appearing tired and flat as the game ended goalless after 90 minutes.

Italy regained their verve in the additional period and needed only five minutes to go ahead.

Their passage to the last eight was sealed in the final moments of the first half of extra-time as Francesco Acerbi held the ball up in the penalty area and teed up Pessina to convert with another smart finish.

Italy finally did concede in the 113th minute, for the first time since a friendly with Holland in October when Kalajdzic squeezed a header in at the near post from a corner, but Austria could not find an equaliser.

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AUSTRIA REACH EURO KNOCKOUT STAGES AFTER VICTORY OVER UKRAINE

Austria progressed to the knockout stages of the European Championship for the first time after Christoph Baumgartner’s goal secured a 1-0 win over Ukraine in Bucharest.

Baumgartner produced what proved the decisive moment with a 21st-minute finish as Franco Foda’s men leapfrogged their opponents to claim second spot in Group C and set up a last-16 meeting with Italy at Wembley on Saturday.

Andriy Shevchenko’s Ukraine, meanwhile, must wait to see if they have done enough among the third-placed finishers to advance themselves, having ended up with three points from their three group matches.

A positive start from Austria saw early efforts sent off-target by Marcel Sabitzer and Aleksander Dragovic.

There was also a shot deflected wide from Marko Arnautovic, who was available again after being banned against Holland for insulting another player in his side’s opener against North Macedonia.

Five minutes later Austria grabbed the lead when David Alaba delivered a corner from the left and Baumgartner diverted the ball in with an outstretched leg.

Ukraine threatened just before the half-hour mark as Mykola Shaparenko saw his shot pushed away by Daniel Bachmann, with Andriy Yarmolenko just unable to get his boot to the loose ball.

Baumgartner, who had been involved in a clash of heads with Illia Zabarnyi prior to scoring, then had to be replaced by Alessandro Schopf, before Konrad Laimer had a curling attempt punched away by Georgi Bushchan.

As Austria continued to push for a second goal late in the first half, Arnautovic spurned a great chance as he side-footed wide near the penalty spot having been teed up in fine style by Schopf, then had a tame effort gathered by Bushchan, before Laimer missed the target with a skewed hit.

After the break, Xaver Schlager saw one strike saved by Bushchan and put another wide, before Bachmann was called upon to keep the ball out when it came off Laimer’s head.

Ukraine went close again with two minutes of normal time remaining, with Roman Yaremchuk flashing a shot across the face of goal as Shevchenko’s side failed to rescue a draw that would have seen them retain second place.

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DUTCH THROUGH AS GROUP WINNERS AFTER COMFORTABLE WIN OVER AUSTRIA

The Netherlands progressed to the Euro 2020 knockout stages by clinching top spot in Group C courtesy of a comfortable 2-0 success over Austria in Amsterdam.

Memphis Depay’s early penalty and Denzel Dumfries’ second goal of the tournament saw the Dutch build on their opening win over Ukraine against toothless opposition at the Johan Cruyff Arena.

With head-to-head results being used to separate teams on the same number of points in the group phase, consecutive victories over their closest rivals mean Holland cannot be overhauled at the top of the standings.

Frank De Boer’s men are now guaranteed a last-16 tie against one of the best third-placed teams in Budapest on June 27, while Thursday’s result also eliminated their upcoming opponents North Macedonia.

Austria never threatened to spring a surprise in the Dutch capital and will battle Ukraine for second spot in Bucharest on Monday.

The Netherlands were boosted by the return of Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt from injury in the only change to the team which began Sunday’s entertaining, albeit not entirely convincing, 3-2 win against Andriy Shevchenko’s side.

The hosts had further reason for optimism just 11 minutes in as they took the lead.

Austria captain David Alaba was penalised for standing on the foot of Dumfries following VAR intervention and Depay calmly claimed his 27th international goal by dispatching the ball into the bottom left corner from the spot.

Depay, who has been heavily linked with Barcelona as his Lyon contract runs down, should have doubled the lead five minutes before the break.

Patrick Van Aanholt’s searching pass sent Wout Weghorst clear into the box and, after he unselfishly squared across goal, strike partner Depay wastefully side-footed over with the goal gaping.

Without suspended forward Marko Arnautovic, Austria failed to create a first-half chance but would have been encouraged by that shocking miss and not being further behind.

Franco Foda’s team resumed with more urgency and initially enjoyed increased possession, yet Holland remained far more dangerous.

Austrian goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann produced a fine stop to deny Stefan De Vrij’s header following a Depay corner, with De Ligt’s follow-up effort fortuitously diverted behind by Michael Gregoritsch.

The visitors did not heed that warning and finally slipped further behind in the 67th minute.

Austria’s high line allowed Donyell Malen a clear run at goal from almost halfway from a Depay pass and the substitute selflessly teed up rampaging wing-back Dumfries for a simple close-range finish.

The Netherlands blew a two-goal lead against Ukraine before recovering to win but there was no danger of that being repeated, despite some late openings for the opposition.

Dutch substitute Owen Wijndal survived a minor scare when he almost diverted the ball into his own goal after a corner, while Alaba flashed wide late on, before Austria replacement Karim Onisiwo tamely headed straight at keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

The Netherlands’ victory was a seventh in succession against Austria, delighting the majority of the 16,000 crowd and ensuring a second-round spot at the earliest opportunity.

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UEFA INVESTIGATE ARNAUTOVIC CELEBRATION INCIDENT AGAINST NORTH MACEDONIA

Uefa has appointed an ethics and disciplinary inspector to investigate Austria striker Marko Arnautovic’s reaction to his goal against North Macedonia.

The former Stoke and West Ham frontman, who is currently playing his football in China with Shanghai Port, was restrained by skipper David Alaba as he gestured angrily after scoring late in Sunday’s 3-1 Group C victory in Romania

A Uefa statement said: “In accordance with the Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, an Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding the incident involving the player Marko Arnautovic that occurred during the 2020 European Championship group-stage match between the national teams of Austria and North Macedonia on 13 June 2021.

“Further information on this matter will be made available in due course.”

The incident came in the 89th minute of the game at the National Arena in Bucharest when, after beating North Macedonia keeper Stole Dimitrievski, Arnautovic, who is of Serbian heritage, appeared to make comments towards opposition players and then turned towards spectators.

Reports have alleged his initial remarks were aimed at defender Egzon Bejtulai and Gjanni Alioski, who both have Albanian roots.

Arnautovic later apologised for his outburst, but insisted he was not a racist.

In a post on his official Instagram account, he wrote: “There were some heated words yesterday in the emotions of the game for which I would like to apologise – especially to my friends from North Macedonia and Albania.

“I would like to say one thing very clearly: I am not a racist. I have friends in almost every country and I stand for diversity. Everyone who knows me is aware of that.”

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SAKA ON TARGET, BELLINGHAM STARS, AS ENGLAND BEAT AUSTRIA IN EUROS WARM-UP GAME

Bukayo Saka got absentee-hit England’s Euro 2020 preparations off to a winning start against Austria but all eyes will be on Trent Alexander-Arnold after his late injury.

Having whittled his 33-man provisional squad down to 26 players on the eve of Wednesday’s friendly, Gareth Southgate’s side triumphed as they played in front of fans for the first time in 18 months.

Saka’s debut goal was the difference in England’s 1-0 victory against fellow Euros outfit Austria, but the main talking point after the match will be Alexander-Arnold limping off late on in Middlesbrough.

Southgate’s men will return to the Riverside Stadium for their final warm-up friendly against Romania on Sunday, when the England will be hoping there will be no repeat of the jeers that met players taking the knee.

There were around 7,000 in attendance as England fans got to see some new stars for the first time, with Jack Grealish, Saka and 17-year-old full debutant Jude Bellingham looking bright.

Harry Kane had the best chance of the first half and 19-year-old Saka kept his cool to put the Three Lions into a deserved lead early in the second period.

Jordan Pickford spared debutant Ben Godfrey’s blushes and got the slightest touch as Marcel Sabitzer struck the crossbar on a night that Southgate was unable to call on Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea players.

There were some hairy moments defensively and the night ended with widely-discussed right-back Alexander-Arnold hobbling off.

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Formula 1 season starts 4 months later in a different world

There will be no fans on hand at the remote Spielberg track in Austria, with the coronavirus still creating uncertainty over how many races can actually be held and where.

Four months after the opening race was called off at the last minute, the Formula One season finally gets underway this weekend on another continent and in a different-looking world.

There will be no fans on hand at the remote Spielberg track in Austria, with the coronavirus still creating uncertainty over how many races can actually be held and where.

That may not be the only unusual sight, as drivers are discussing whether to take the knee together on the grid before Sunday’s race in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Defending F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has been an outspoken supporter of the movement and will be competing in an all-black Mercedes car instead of the usual silver as a statement against racism.

“It is so important that we seize this moment,” said Hamilton, the only Black driver to become F1 champion.

The truncated campaign kicks off with back-to-back races in Austria, as part of a hastily reworked schedule. It was meant to start nearly 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) away in the Australian city of Melbourne.

But the fast-spreading impact of the coronavirus pandemic led to the Australian GP being canceled on March 13, two days before the scheduled race, while people were still queuing for the first practice sessions. Several other races, including the showcase Monaco GP, were also canceled.

A rescue package with eight European races squeezed into 10 weeks, culminating with the Italian GP on Sept. 6, was scrambled together. F1 still hopes to rearrange some of the postponed races in order to finish the season with 15-18 of the scheduled 22.

There will also be two consecutive races at the British GP. If the season continues beyond Europe, it will end with races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi in December.

We actually don’t even know the amount of races we are going to do,” McLaren and future Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr said.
“It’s an unprecedented scenario.”

Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring, cut off from major towns or cities, offers a reassuringly secluded feel amid coronavirus fears.
But strict health and safety measures have been put into place.

Everyone entering the track, including a greatly reduced number of media representatives, must have tested negative for Covid-19 and further tests will be carried out every five days. F1 teams are not allowed to mingle with each other, on or off the track, and media have no access to F1’s paddock area.

Drivers would normally have faced a barrage of questions in a news conference room, but health requirements dictate that drivers hold news conferences via video link and with questions sent in advance.

And, of course, Spielberg’s 4.3-kilometer (2.7-mile) circuit will be largely empty. It is normally swarming with tents, camper vans, makeshift barbecues and tens of thousands of orange-shirted Max Verstappen fans.

The Red Bull driver, hugely popular back home in the Netherlands, has won the past two races here.

The track is among the shortest in F1 but also one of the most aggressive. Drivers spend about 72 per cent of the time at full throttle, second only to Italy’s Monza track with 77 per cent.

That’s perfectly suited to Verstappen’s bold and abrasive racing style. Last season he chased down the leading trio before making a typically brazen overtaking move on race leader Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.

The 22-year-old Verstappen showed last season that he is closing the gap to Hamilton in terms of wheel-to-wheel driving. Red Bull’s car also made a considerable jump in speed, while Ferrari’s faded, and Verstappen is emerging as a major title threat to Hamilton.

The 35-year-old British driver is chasing a record-equaling seventh F1 title to equal Michael Schumacher’s record, and only needs to win eight more races to beat Schumacher’s mark of 91.

Aside from Verstappen and possibly Valtteri Bottas Hamilton’s improving teammate at Mercedes, the other main challenger is Leclerc.
The 22-year-old Monaco driver is extremely quick and impressed observers in his first season at Ferrari with seven pole positions, two more than Hamilton, and two wins.

He is now Ferrari’s No. 1 ahead of four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, whose star has faded after he wasted mid-season leads in 2017 and 2018 and lost those titles to Hamilton.

The German veteran is leaving at the end of the year after failing to agree on a new contract, and his future in F1 is uncertain.
Like so many other things this season.