Iceland scored a dramatic injury-time winner in a pulsating match to eliminate Austria and set up a last-16 tie against England in Nice on Monday.
The contest might have lacked the six goals shared between Portugal and Hungary in the other Group F game, but there were ample opportunities to score that many, plus a scintillating – if cruel – conclusion.
There was always likely to be despair for one of these teams – and it happened to Austria after substitute Arnor Ingvi Traustason slid in at the far post to seal a victory that lifted Iceland from third to second in the group.
The signs of an entertaining contest were there from the start when Johann Gudmundsson rattled the woodwork in the second minute, before Jon Dadi Bodvarsson ended a sequence of 19 international games without a goal when he controlled a flick-on before shooting low past Robert Almer from eight yards.
Austria should have equalised from the penalty spot – there could have been three spot-kicks given in the match, with both sides denied decent second-half shouts – after Ari Skulason was judged to have pulled back David Alaba.
Aleksandar Dragovic, back in the side after suspension, took responsibility but struck the same part of the goal frame as Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo did against his team on Saturday.
Substitute Alessandro Schopf equalised with a crisp low strike after a mazy run into the area during an increasingly open second half – and should have found the net again but was denied by Hannes Halldorsson.
Kari Arnason made several crucial blocks close to his goal-line, but the decisive third goal came at the other end of the pitch.
Man of the match – Kari Arnason (Austria)
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