updated 4:54 p.m. ET June 16, 2008

VIENNA, Austria - When in doubt, the Germans can always turn to captain Michael Ballack.

Their big-time player came through against Austria, scoring on a thunderous second-half free kick Monday for a 1-0 win and a place in the quarterfinals of the European Championship.

In a game marked by the ejection of both coaches before halftime, Ballack sent in a 25-yard shot in the 49th minute to advance Germany and end the hopes of its smaller neighbor.

Germany finished Group B as runner-up to Croatia and will face 2004 runner-up Portugal in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“While we didn’t play as well as we would have wanted, I’m convinced this victory gave us the necessary push to play even better against Portugal,” Ballack said.

The goal ensured there was no repeat of “The Miracle of Cordoba,” when Austria shocked Germany 3-2 to knock the defending champions out of the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Ballack said just the talk of a possible repeat made his team determined to prevail.

“A lot was said before the match and maybe the Austrians bit off a little more than they could chew,” Ballack said. “To listen to them, you’d think we never managed to hit the ball and they were the world champions three times over.”

The game had a bizarre first-half incident in which both coaches were ejected.

Having been irked by several decisions against his team, including a yellow card to striker Erwin Hoffer for a late but minor challenge on Ballack, Austria’s Josef Hickersberger was the first coach expelled, in the 41st minute. Germany’s Joachim Loew then stood toe-to-toe with a UEFA official before being sent from the field as well.

With both coaches banished, it was left to Austria’s Andreas Herzog and Loew’s assistant, Hansi Flick, to handle their teams.

“Whatever happened had to do with the fact that things were becoming too chaotic and hectic,” Flick said. “Both of the coaches simply tried to explain to the fourth official that they wanted to keep coaching and they were sent off.”

The coaches shook hands before trudging away, with whistles and jeers echoing around the stadium from bemused fans. But the jeers, at least those of the German fans, soon turned to cheers.

Ballack had often dropped deep to help the defense rather than lead from the front as he did so convincingly at Chelsea last season. But a foul by Andreas Ivanschitz gave Germany a free kick and Ballack rocketed it into the top corner, far beyond goalkeeper Juergen Macho’s reach.

Needing victory to edge its rival for a place in the next round, Austria created several chances in front of a sold-out crowd of 51,428 at Ernst Happel Stadium, but — as in its 1-0 loss to Croatia and 1-1 draw with Poland — could not convert them.

The lack of a world-class player to finish off moves was the main reason a spirited and energetic team failed to make it to the next round.

“We have a very young team and they’re all depressed in the dressing room right now,” team manager Herzog said. “With two years of hard work we’ve been able to show that people can play good football in Austria.”

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