BUCHAREST, Romania — Christoph Baumgartner put Austria into the knockout stage at the European Championship for the first time by scoring the only goal in his team’s 1-0 victory over Ukraine on Monday.
Baumgartner knocked in a corner from Austria captain David Alaba in the 21st minute, only four minutes after colliding head-to-head with Illia Zabarnyi on the other end of the field.
Baumgartner was then substituted in the 32rd minute, holding his head while leaving the field.
Austria finished second in Group C with six points and will next face Italy in London on Saturday. Ukraine is third with three points and could still qualify for the round of 16 as one of the four best third-place teams.
Alaba played in the middle of a back three in the previous games, but he was at left back in a four-man defensive line on Monday, supporting the attack with well executed crosses and corner kicks from both sides.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Karel Janicek, The Associated Press