austria vs north macedonia LIVE Football Score 13 June 2021

Austria will be looking to claim their first ever victory at the European Championships, when they take on tournament debutants North Macedonia in their Group C opener in Bucharest on Sunday evening.

Both nations are already familiar with one another, having locked horns twice during their respective qualification campaigns, with the Austrians winning on both occasions.

Austria will be appearing in just their third ever European Championships this summer and will be hoping to improve on their previous two attempts to escape the group stage.

Das Team automatically qualified as co-hosts in 2008 along with Switzerland and then advanced from the qualifiers in 2016. However, in both major tournaments, they were eliminated in the group stage, losing two and drawing one of their three matches, meaning they are yet to win a single game at the finals.

Franco Foda – who will be leading the Austrian side at his first major tournament as a manager, after succeeding Marcel Koller in 2018 – believes that his squad have what it takes to reach the knockout rounds, although their form needs to improve if they are to secure a top-two place, or one of the four best third-placed spots.

Austria head into Sunday’s opener with North Macedonia having failed to score or win any of their last three international games; a 4-0 thrashing by Denmark was followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to England and a goalless draw with Slovakia in their final warm-up match last week.

Nevertheless, Das Team – who claimed victories in both of their fixtures against North Macedonia during the qualifiers, winning by an aggregate of 6-2 – will feel that this weekend’s encounter is their most realistic chance to claim three points in Group C.

For the first time in their 27-year history, North Macedonia will be taking part in a major tournament this summer when they compete on Europe’s biggest stage.

Ranked 62nd in the world by FIFA – the lowest of any side competing at Euro 2020 – few are predicting that the Red Lynxes will progress from the group stage, however head coach Igor Angelovski is keen to prove his side are not just here to make up the numbers.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• This is the first encounter between Austria and North Macedonia at a major tournament. Their only two previous meetings took place in the Euro 2020 qualifiers, Austria winning both, 4-1 away and 2-1 at home.

Austria

• Austria have yet to reach the knockout stages or even win a single game at the European Championships (D2 L4). No team has played more games in the tournament – six – without winning one.
• Austria have won only one of their past 15 games at major tournaments (D5 L9 – World Cups and Euros), a 2-1 victory against USA in the group phase of the 1990 World Cup.
• Austria have scored only two goals in their six games at the European Championship finals; one of them was a penalty (Ivica Vastic vs Poland, Euro 2008). They have never been ahead at any point in those six games.
• Austria last reached the knockout stages of a major tournament at the 1954 World Cup, finishing third. In their past 15 games at major tournaments they have won only one game (2-1 vs USA, World Cup 1990) and kept one clean sheet (0-0 vs Portugal, Euro 2016).
• Austria forward Marko Arnautovic was directly involved in seven goals in his eight appearances during the Euro 2020 qualifiers (six goals, one assist).

North Macedonia

• Including the play-off rounds, North Macedonia won each of their final three games in Euro 2020 qualifying – as many as they had won in their previous nine games of the qualifying campaign before this (D2, L4).
• North Macedonia’s 1.25 goals scored per game during Euro 2020 qualifiers (15 in 12 games) was the joint-lowest average of any team to have qualified for the finals, alongside Wales.
• Including the play-off rounds, Eljif Elmas was directly involved in more Euro 2020 qualifying goals than any other player for North Macedonia (five – four goals, one assist).