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Captains in a duel: David Alaba (left), Goran Pandev
Photo: Vadim Ghirda / POOL / EPA
Austria achieved its first victory in a European football championship.
The game ended 3: 1 (1: 1) in Bucharest, where Stefan Lainer (18th minute), Michael Gregortisch (78th) and Marko Arnautovic (89th) met.
Goran Pandev meanwhile equalized for North Macedonia (28th), which made its debut at a European Championship.
The world number 62.
is considered a big underdog at the tournament, but caused a surprise in March with a 2-1 win against Germany in the World Cup qualifying.
Nine Bundesliga players were in the starting line-up for the ÖFB team, and captain David Alaba surprisingly started as a central player in the three-man defense chain.
The Austrian lead fell with the first chance when Stefan Lainer artistically transformed a chip from Marcel Sabitzer, who covered the entire defense, into the lead (18th).
The Austrians involuntarily helped to compensate.
After Martin Hinteregger's unsuccessful attempt to clear it, the ball rolled to goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann, but the latter could not secure it - and 37-year-old Pandev did not miss the chance in front of the empty goal (28th).
Ball losses every second
As a result, Austria seemed unsettled, many mistakes were made in the opening of the game and possession often changed in the second half.
Bobalan Nikolov after a through pass, Bachmann fended off in one-on-one.
It only became dangerous once when substitute Marko Arnautovic crossed from the left onto Michael Gregoritsch, who was also substituted on, and the keeper Stole Dimitrievski headed a parade that was well worth seeing (65th).
The decision was made in the 78th minute of the game - because captain Alaba joined in and served Gregortisch with a precise cross from the left.
Storm colleague Arnautovic also confirmed his substitution with a late hit (89th).
Austria is now taking over the lead in Group C, which also includes the Netherlands and Ukraine.
The two teams will meet on Sunday evening.
(9 p.m., TV: ARD, live ticker SPIEGEL.de)
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