Marko Arnautovic gave Inter Milan a single-goal advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie&nbsp;with Atletico Madrid after netting the only goal in Tuesday's hard-fought 1-0 win.&nbsp;

Austria striker Arnautovic replaced Marcus Thuram at half-time and rammed home Inter's winner with 11 minutes left at the San Siro after Jan Oblak failed to hold Lautaro Martinez's shot.

The 34-year-old turned jeers into deafening cheers with his goal, which came after a series of missed opportunities left home fans wondering whether Inter would get the win their performance deserved.

His worst miss came just after the hour mark when he ballooned over a sitter, a dreadful finish which came before and after failed attempts to latch on to promising balls.

"It is certainly one of the most important goals of my career," said Arnautovic to Sky Sport.

"In recent weeks I've missed a lot of chances. But the fans and the players showed they are behind me... It gave me the energy I needed to score the goal."

Arnautovic has had a hard time since returning to Inter on loan from Bologna last summer and those misses further frustrated supporters.

However, thanks to him Simone Inzaghi's side, who are nine points clear at the top of Serie A, take a slender lead to Madrid where they will face Atletico in the decisive second leg on March 13.

Atletico have been a more attacking proposition this season but retreated into the dogged defensive mode more representative of Diego Simeone's long reign in Spain.

They could not keep Inter out and now have to overturn Tuesday's result in order to reach the quarter-finals.

"We have to keep our heads up, there is one game left and we are going to do everything possible to to get through," said Oblak to Movistar.

"They had two or three chances when we weren't perfect and in a game like this you have to be perfect all the time."

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<h2>Arnautovic redeemed</h2>

A cagey first half between two resolute teams left fans with little to shout about, with only a few pot shots getting supporters off their seats until the 36th minute, when Martinez saw his powerful header from Nicolo Barella's cross saved by Oblak.

And moments later Martinez left Inter fans with their heads in their hands after uncharacteristically wasting a golden opportunity to open the scoring.

Martinez was handed a clear chance after Marcus Thuram intercepted Rodrigo De Paul's wayward pass and burst towards Oblak's goal, only for the Argentina forward to scuff his effort off Jose Maria Gimenez.

Thuram then had a powerful effort of his own easily saved by Oblak as Inter finished the opening half in the ascendency.

However the France forward hurt his right thigh while taking that shot and he was replaced at half-time by match-winner Arnautovic, who three minutes after the break could not quite direct Federico Dimarco's teasing cross on target.

Samuel Lino, who curled a decent effort wide in the first half, wasted Atletico's best chance of the night in the 56th minute when he fluffed his finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Rodrigo De Paul.

And Arnautovic, who has had a hard time since his return, did himself no favours when he shot over the bar when it looked easier to score.

But he was submerged by delighted teammates when he forced home the winner, which was just reward for a display which highlighted why Simeone said on Monday that Inter were one of the five best teams in Europe.

However the tight nature of the tie was evident when substitute Alvaro Morata headed wide when presented with a great chance to take Atletico back to Madrid level.

Marko Arnautovic gave Inter Milan a single-goal advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid after netting the only goal in Tuesday's hard-fought 1-0 win.

Marko Arnautovic gave Inter Milan a single-goal advantage in their Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid after netting the only goal in Tuesday's hard-fought 1-0 win. Austria striker Arnautovic replaced Marcus Thuram at half-time and rammed home Inter's winner with 11 minutes left at the San Siro after Jan Oblak failed to hold Lautaro Martinez's shot. The 34-year-old turned jeers into deafening cheers with his goal, which came after a series of missed opportunities left home fans wondering whether Inter would get the win their performance deserved. His worst miss came just after the hour mark when he ballooned over a sitter, a dreadful finish which came before and after failed attempts to latch on to promising balls. "It is certainly one of the most important goals of my career," said Arnautovic to Sky Sport. "In recent weeks I've missed a lot of chances. But the fans and the players showed they are behind me... It gave me the energy I needed to score the goal." Arnautovic has had a hard time since returning to Inter on loan from Bologna last summer and those misses further frustrated supporters. However, thanks to him Simone Inzaghi's side, who are nine points clear at the top of Serie A, take a slender lead to Madrid where they will face Atletico in the decisive second leg on March 13. Atletico have been a more attacking proposition this season but retreated into the dogged defensive mode more representative of Diego Simeone's long reign in Spain. They could not keep Inter out and now have to overturn Tuesday's result in order to reach the quarter-finals. "We have to keep our heads up, there is one game left and we are going to do everything possible to to get through," said Oblak to Movistar. "They had two or three chances when we weren't perfect and in a game like this you have to be perfect all the time." ALSO READ | IND vs ENG: Unfit KL Rahul out of fourth Test; Jasprit Bumrah rested, BCCI confirms Arnautovic redeemed A cagey first half between two resolute teams left fans with little to shout about, with only a few pot shots getting supporters off their seats until the 36th minute, when Martinez saw his powerful header from Nicolo Barella's cross saved by Oblak. And moments later Martinez left Inter fans with their heads in their hands after uncharacteristically wasting a golden opportunity to open the scoring. Martinez was handed a clear chance after Marcus Thuram intercepted Rodrigo De Paul's wayward pass and burst towards Oblak's goal, only for the Argentina forward to scuff his effort off Jose Maria Gimenez. Thuram then had a powerful effort of his own easily saved by Oblak as Inter finished the opening half in the ascendency. However the France forward hurt his right thigh while taking that shot and he was replaced at half-time by match-winner Arnautovic, who three minutes after the break could not quite direct Federico Dimarco's teasing cross on target. Samuel Lino, who curled a decent effort wide in the first half, wasted Atletico's best chance of the night in the 56th minute when he fluffed his finish from a tight angle after exchanging passes with Rodrigo De Paul. And Arnautovic, who has had a hard time since his return, did himself no favours when he shot over the bar when it looked easier to score. But he was submerged by delighted teammates when he forced home the winner, which was just reward for a display which highlighted why Simeone said on Monday that Inter were one of the five best teams in Europe. However the tight nature of the tie was evident when substitute Alvaro Morata headed wide when presented with a great chance to take Atletico back to Madrid level.

Champions League: Marko Arnautovic gives Inter Milan slender advantage over Atletico Madrid

UEFA has opened an investigation into Austria forward Marko Arnautovic's goal celebration in their opening match of the Euros against North Macedonia, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday.

North Macedonia urged UEFA to look into Arnautovic's reaction after he scored in the 89th minute to complete Austria's 3-1 win on Sunday.

Second-half substitute Arnautovic appeared furious as he celebrated his late goal before captain David Alaba stepped in to restrain him.

"An Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding the incident involving the player Marko Arnautovic that occurred during the 2020 European Championship group-stage match between the national teams of Austria and North Macedonia on 13 June 2021," UEFA said in a statement.

Arnautovic, who has Serbian background, apologized on Monday for his reaction towards North Macedonia fans but denied he had used racist language towards them.

Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province Kosovo.

North Macedonia's soccer governing body (FFM) said that Arnautovic's remarks were aimed at North Macedonia's Gjanni Alioski, who has Albanian roots.

Alioski said his arguments with Arnautovic during the match were nothing out of the ordinary but he took exception to the Austrian forward's reaction after the goal.

"We had some arguments during the game and I think it’s a normal thing," Allioski told a news conference on Tuesday. "The best thing is that after the game we spoke and shook hands.

"The problem is that after he scored he said something to me and UEFA has the videos. It's difficult for me to repeat what he said."

The FFM said it strongly condemns the "nationalistic outburst" of Arnautovic.

"We are always against nationalism, discrimination, and all other forms of insults and outbursts that are not in the spirit of&nbsp;football&nbsp;and values that we all stand together."&nbsp;

"We will always stand up and defend the interests and dignity of Macedonian national players wherever they perform."

UEFA has opened an investigation into Austria forward Marko Arnautovic's goal celebration in their opening match of the Euros against North Macedonia, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday.

UEFA has opened an investigation into Austria forward Marko Arnautovic's goal celebration in their opening match of the Euros against North Macedonia, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday. North Macedonia urged UEFA to look into Arnautovic's reaction after he scored in the 89th minute to complete Austria's 3-1 win on Sunday. Second-half substitute Arnautovic appeared furious as he celebrated his late goal before captain David Alaba stepped in to restrain him. "An Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has been appointed to conduct an investigation regarding the incident involving the player Marko Arnautovic that occurred during the 2020 European Championship group-stage match between the national teams of Austria and North Macedonia on 13 June 2021," UEFA said in a statement. Arnautovic, who has Serbian background, apologized on Monday for his reaction towards North Macedonia fans but denied he had used racist language towards them. Serbia does not recognize the independence of its former province Kosovo. North Macedonia's soccer governing body (FFM) said that Arnautovic's remarks were aimed at North Macedonia's Gjanni Alioski, who has Albanian roots. Alioski said his arguments with Arnautovic during the match were nothing out of the ordinary but he took exception to the Austrian forward's reaction after the goal. "We had some arguments during the game and I think it’s a normal thing," Allioski told a news conference on Tuesday. "The best thing is that after the game we spoke and shook hands. "The problem is that after he scored he said something to me and UEFA has the videos. It's difficult for me to repeat what he said." The FFM said it strongly condemns the "nationalistic outburst" of Arnautovic. "We are always against nationalism, discrimination, and all other forms of insults and outbursts that are not in the spirit of football and values that we all stand together." "We will always stand up and defend the interests and dignity of Macedonian national players wherever they perform."

Football: UEFA to investigate Marko Arnautovic's goal celebration versus North Macedonia

Late goals from substitutes Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic gave Austria a convincing 3-1 victory over European Championship debutants North Macedonia in their opening Group C clash on Sunday as they earned their first tournament victory in 31 years.

Gregoritsch prodded home David Alaba's cross in the 78th minute before Arnautovic struck in the 89th, as Austria earned the first win at the Euros at their seventh attempt and their first victory at a major tournament since the 1990 World Cup.

"We deserved to win today," Austria coach Franco Foda said. "The players made history today. You could feel from the first minute that they wanted to win it."

"The substitutions had an effect and brought new impulse. They were important and the team did everything to win it."

"I am very satisfied. We started well and were aggressive. Then they scored through a momentary lapse of concentration from us," Foda said.

"After the break, we wanted to increase our passing speed. We were more mobile. We did it really well."

The Austrians, who started unusually with Alaba in central defence, had possession and circulated the ball well but struggled to break through until Marcel Sabitzer floated a perfectly-timed cross to the far post.

Stefan Lainer latched on to it, leaping into the air to beat keeper Stole Dimitrievski from a tight angle.

The North Macedonians, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, drew level with their first chance of the game 10 minutes later when defender Martin Hinteregger's clearance first bounced off the back of Sabitzer and keeper Daniel Bachmann then let the ball slip for captain Goran Pandev to slot in.

That was his country's first-ever goal in a major tournament and the forward, who has 38 goals in 120 appearances, also became the second-oldest player to score at the Euro, after Austria's Ivica Vastic, who was 38 back in 2008.

Pandev had another chance just past the hour after Boban Nikolov had failed to beat Bachmann as Austria continued to struggle up front and hoped this would not be another missed opportunity.

Foda was forced to switch to a formation with two strikers, bringing on forwards Arnautovic and Gregoritsch and the move paid off and moving Alaba into a midfield role.

Gregoritsch timed his run to perfection to tap in Alaba's cross before keeper Risto Jankov got his hands on the ball.

Arnautovic then pounced on a defensive mistake to round the keeper and seal the Austrians' first tournament win in 31 years.

Austria plays the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Thursday, while North Macedonia stay in Bucharest to face Ukraine.

Late goals from substitutes Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic gave Austria a convincing 3-1 victory over European Championship debutants North Macedonia in their opening Group C clash on Sunday as they earned their first tournament victory in 31 years.

Late goals from substitutes Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic gave Austria a convincing 3-1 victory over European Championship debutants North Macedonia in their opening Group C clash on Sunday as they earned their first tournament victory in 31 years. Gregoritsch prodded home David Alaba's cross in the 78th minute before Arnautovic struck in the 89th, as Austria earned the first win at the Euros at their seventh attempt and their first victory at a major tournament since the 1990 World Cup. "We deserved to win today," Austria coach Franco Foda said. "The players made history today. You could feel from the first minute that they wanted to win it." "The substitutions had an effect and brought new impulse. They were important and the team did everything to win it." "I am very satisfied. We started well and were aggressive. Then they scored through a momentary lapse of concentration from us," Foda said. "After the break, we wanted to increase our passing speed. We were more mobile. We did it really well." The Austrians, who started unusually with Alaba in central defence, had possession and circulated the ball well but struggled to break through until Marcel Sabitzer floated a perfectly-timed cross to the far post. Stefan Lainer latched on to it, leaping into the air to beat keeper Stole Dimitrievski from a tight angle. The North Macedonians, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, drew level with their first chance of the game 10 minutes later when defender Martin Hinteregger's clearance first bounced off the back of Sabitzer and keeper Daniel Bachmann then let the ball slip for captain Goran Pandev to slot in. That was his country's first-ever goal in a major tournament and the forward, who has 38 goals in 120 appearances, also became the second-oldest player to score at the Euro, after Austria's Ivica Vastic, who was 38 back in 2008. Pandev had another chance just past the hour after Boban Nikolov had failed to beat Bachmann as Austria continued to struggle up front and hoped this would not be another missed opportunity. Foda was forced to switch to a formation with two strikers, bringing on forwards Arnautovic and Gregoritsch and the move paid off and moving Alaba into a midfield role. Gregoritsch timed his run to perfection to tap in Alaba's cross before keeper Risto Jankov got his hands on the ball. Arnautovic then pounced on a defensive mistake to round the keeper and seal the Austrians' first tournament win in 31 years. Austria plays the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Thursday, while North Macedonia stay in Bucharest to face Ukraine.

Football: Michael Gregoritsch, Marko Arnautovic strike late to end Austria's long wait

<div style="text-align: justify;">Cristiano Ronaldo will not be the only number seven hoping to redeem himself when his Portugal side meet Austria in their Euro 2016 group F match on Saturday. 
 
Ronaldo&#39;s less heralded opposite number for Austria, Marko Arnautovic, also came into the tournament with high hopes only to start with a below-par display made worse by a sulky attitude. 
 
Ronaldo missed a late chance, repeatedly wasted free kicks, protested to the referee and then made some unsporting comments about the opposition after Portugal drew 1-1 against rank outsiders Iceland. 
 
Arnautovic fared little better in Austria&#39;s 2-0 defeat by Hungary, losing heart as he was effectively marked out of the game. 
 
He went to ground far too easily, moaned at the match officials and his body language bore the hallmarks of a man who felt the world was against him. 
 
Arnautovic&#39;s temperament has often threatened to override his talent, with his career marked by some bizarre episodes. 
 
He famously borrowed a Bentley belonging to team mate Samuel Eto&#39;o at Inter Milan, only to have it stolen while he was eating at a restaurant. 
 
During a stint at Werder Bremen, he was pulled over for speeding in the early hours of the morning on the day of the game and he once injured his knee playing with his dog. 
 
But Austria coach Marcel Koller and his club coach Mark Hughes at Stoke City have between them managed to tame a man who was compared to a child by Jose Mourinho at Inter. 
 
Asked at a press conference earlier in the tournament how he had managed to curb Arnautovic&#39;s excesses, Koller said it was not an issue he could adequately explain &quot;in a few minutes&quot;. 
 
But he did give a feel for the efforts that have gone into keeping Arnautovic on the straight and narrow. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s always been important to look at his qualities as a footballer, he&#39;s always had ability from that perspective but he wasn&#39;t necessarily able to harness that ability on the pitch,&quot; said Koller. 
 
&quot;It is important that he has confidence even if he makes a mistake. Right from the outset, we knew we needed to support him, to try and talk to him, to try and help him to improve. 
 
&quot;I think he really has adapted very well. He has his own family, he has got a wife and two kids, he has calmed down and we are delighted he is finally able to harness his ability as a footballer on the field, and he can really help us.&quot; 
 
Koller will doubtless have his arm around Arnautovic&#39;s shoulder again in the run-up to Saturday&#39;s match.</div>

Portugal take on Austria on Saturday. Both their no. 7's have silky skills, but they haven't shown up as yet

Cristiano Ronaldo will not be the only number seven hoping to redeem himself when his Portugal side meet Austria in their Euro 2016 group F match on Saturday. Ronaldo's less heralded opposite number for Austria, Marko Arnautovic, also came into the tournament with high hopes only to start with a below-par display made worse by a sulky attitude. Ronaldo missed a late chance, repeatedly wasted free kicks, protested to the referee and then made some unsporting comments about the opposition after Portugal drew 1-1 against rank outsiders Iceland. Arnautovic fared little better in Austria's 2-0 defeat by Hungary, losing heart as he was effectively marked out of the game. He went to ground far too easily, moaned at the match officials and his body language bore the hallmarks of a man who felt the world was against him. Arnautovic's temperament has often threatened to override his talent, with his career marked by some bizarre episodes. He famously borrowed a Bentley belonging to team mate Samuel Eto'o at Inter Milan, only to have it stolen while he was eating at a restaurant. During a stint at Werder Bremen, he was pulled over for speeding in the early hours of the morning on the day of the game and he once injured his knee playing with his dog. But Austria coach Marcel Koller and his club coach Mark Hughes at Stoke City have between them managed to tame a man who was compared to a child by Jose Mourinho at Inter. Asked at a press conference earlier in the tournament how he had managed to curb Arnautovic's excesses, Koller said it was not an issue he could adequately explain "in a few minutes". But he did give a feel for the efforts that have gone into keeping Arnautovic on the straight and narrow. "It's always been important to look at his qualities as a footballer, he's always had ability from that perspective but he wasn't necessarily able to harness that ability on the pitch," said Koller. "It is important that he has confidence even if he makes a mistake. Right from the outset, we knew we needed to support him, to try and talk to him, to try and help him to improve. "I think he really has adapted very well. He has his own family, he has got a wife and two kids, he has calmed down and we are delighted he is finally able to harness his ability as a footballer on the field, and he can really help us." Koller will doubtless have his arm around Arnautovic's shoulder again in the run-up to Saturday's match.

Two sulky number sevens look for redemption