Austria beat N.Macedonia 3-1 in group to have 1st EURO win

By Can Erozden

ANKARA (AA) - Austria on Sunday won against North Macedonia 3-1 in UEFA EURO 2020 Group C match – the country’s first-ever EURO victory.

Playing as a defender, Stefan Lainer scored the opening goal for Austria in the 18th minute with a classy volley in the far post at National Arena Bucharest in Romania.

North Macedonia's 37-year-old forward Goran Pandev – a former player for Istanbul’s Galatasaray – leveled the match, as this was his nation's first goal in major tournaments.

Pandev took advantage of Austrian goalie Daniel Bachmann's mistake to score an open goal.

Austria took a 2-1 lead in the 78th minute as Michael Gregoritsch made a close-range finish after team star David Alaba's cross from the left flank.

Organizers confirmed on Twitter that forward Gregoritsch scored the 700th goal in EURO finals history.

Near the end of the match, Austria secured the 3-1 win as forward Marko Arnautovic dribbled past North Macedonian goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski to find the net.

A former midfielder for Istanbul’s Fenerbahce, Eljif Elmas played for North Macedonia in this match.

In the next fixtures, Austria will face the Netherlands while North Macedonia will take on Ukraine.