Euro 2016: Iceland edge past Austria, in knockouts
Paris: Substitute Arnor Ingvi Traustason’s last-gasp winner fired Iceland past Austria 2-1 in their final Group ‘F’ match at Euro 2016 on Wednesday to book a last-16 showdown with England.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson swept Iceland into an 18th-minute lead at the Stade de France, with Austria paying dearly for Aleksandar Dragovic’s missed first-half penalty.
Alessandro Schopf came off the bench to level for Austria on the hour, but Traustason’s 94th-minute strike condemned Marcel Koller’s side to a premature exit.
Iceland, the smallest nation to appear at a major finals, will play England in the last 16 in Nice after finishing second in the group, behind Hungary but above Portugal, following a thrilling 3-3 draw in Lyon.
Dragovic returned to a three-man Austrian defence after suspension, with captain Christian Fuchs and Florian Klein operating as wing-backs in what was a must-win game for the world’s 10th-ranked side.
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s intricate flick found Johann Gudmundsson in plenty of space and the Charlton Athletic winger hammered a 30-yard drive that crashed against the crossbar.