"Anything can happen"

Arnautovic announcement: “Now the tournament begins”

Marko Arnautovic (right) is looking forward to the round of 16.

(Bild: APA Pool/APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

"Group winners, group winners" could be heard on the streets of Berlin late into the night. Austria's national team players were already at a party in the team hotel, to which their families and close friends had also been invited. The ÖFB players were aware of what they had achieved with their 3:2 coup against the Netherlands on Tuesday. They now go into the round of 16 as favorites. "The tournament is only just beginning," said Marko Arnautovic.

Nobody thought the ÖFB team would win the pool in this tough group. "I always rate my team at the top level," emphasized Arnautovic. They had already shown a good game against France (0:1) and then achieved a much-needed victory against Poland (3:1). However, just because of their group win, Austria are far from being favorites in the round of 16 against Turkey, the Czech Republic or Georgia. "The nations that advance are top nations," claimed Arnautovic. "Anything can happen in the 'knock-out stage'. You have to win there."

Indeed, Austria's journey, which has now really taken off, would come to an abrupt end with a defeat next Tuesday in Leipzig. Arnautovic therefore wisely decided not to go overboard with the celebrations. "I'm already 35," recalled the Inter Milan striker. "I have to slow down and make sure I regenerate so that I can bring the same quality to the next game."

The quality is there
The ÖFB team has six days to recover. Philipp Lienhart says he needs every single one of them after a long injury break. The Freiburg international will once again be called upon in the center of defense in the round of 16, especially as Gernot Trauner will be racing against time after his thigh injury. "We've now got through this tough group. Of course we want to progress again, but no European Championship game is easy," emphasized Lienhart.

Team boss Ralf Rangnick used several reserves due to the threat of yellow cards - and successfully so. "That shows how much quality we have in the squad," said Lienhart. "It's nice when the coach puts his trust in so many players. That welds us together."

Leopold Querfeld, who came on as a substitute, took a similar view. "You can tell that there's not only breadth in the squad, but that everyone is ready - ready to take a back seat if they're not playing," said the former Rapid player, who at 20 years and 188 days was the youngest ÖFB player in history to play in a European Championship match. He suffered a deep wound to his thigh from an opponent's stud, which had to be stitched up in the dressing room.

Füllkrug congratulated him
Romano Schmid, who greeted his three-week-old son Emilio with a thumbs-up cheer after taking the lead 2:1, was less marked. The 24-year-old said he missed his family "extremely". "My wife might also need a bit of support from me, so it's a bit sad as a dad when you can't really get to know your son in the early stages. But I'll make up for that."

Romano Schmid celebrates his first ÖFB goal.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The European Championship journey should not end so soon. "It's just getting started. These are the coolest games, it doesn't get any cooler than this in soccer," said Schmid about the knockout phase. He doesn't put much stock in the role of favorite. "We approach every game the same way - with high intensity. If we play like we have in the last few games, it will be difficult for every opponent."

If the 1.68 m tall Schmid then also works his magic with headed goals, all the more so. His former Werder Bremen colleague Niklas Füllkrug has already congratulated him. "Every day I saw headers from him that I didn't understand how they could go into the goal," said Schmid with a mischievous grin about the German international striker. "I learned a bit from that."

"Incredible moment for Austria"
Schmid was in the European Championship starting line-up for the first time. He is also an option in the round of 16 following Patrick Wimmer's yellow card suspension. "I took my chance and showed that I'm a force to be reckoned with," said the midfielder. "If they need me, I'm there."

The same goes for Maximilian Wöber, who says he has "arrived at the tournament" after his own goal against France. "We've improved from game to game so far. If we do that again, we can beat anyone," said the Mönchengladbach legionnaire. The team celebrated for half an hour after the end of the game in front of the fan curve, and the party continued in the bus to the sounds of "Sweet Caroline". The scenes speak for themselves. Wöber: "That was an incredible moment for all Austrians."