Charlie Austin, a striker with a distinguished career from the lower leagues to the Premier League, has become a figure around whom stories of big wins have unfolded. His goals in key games have often been the basis for successful bets.
In this article, we will look at several landmark matches where bets on Austin on sites such as beonbet-uk.com brought maximum payouts.
Queens Park Rangers vs Manchester City: 5 goals and a million-pound win
In the 2014/2015 Premier League season, Charlie Austin shone for Queens Park Rangers. One of the most memorable matches took place on 5 October 2014 at Loftus Road Stadium. The opponent was Manchester City, the championship favourite with Manuel Pellegrini at the helm. The match started tensely: City took the lead in the 24th minute thanks to Joe Hart, but Austin quickly responded, scoring in the 31st minute after a pass from Eduardo Vargas. The teams went into the break with the score at 1-1.
The second half was a triumph for the hosts. In the 58th minute, Austin scored his second goal, taking advantage of a mistake by the visitors' defence. In the 74th minute, he scored his third goal with a header from a corner by Robert Green. By the 81st minute, the score was 4-1, with another goal from Armando Brasilia. But the climax came in the 90th minute: Austin, who came on as a substitute, finished off a cross and completed his hat-trick, making it 6-0.
Bets on Austin scoring more than 2.5 goals at odds of around 15 brought a £1 million win to one fan who had invested £65,000. The bet paid off thanks to an incredible performance: Austin beat the goalkeeper four times out of five shots on target.
Promotion to the Premier League: play-off against Derby County
Moving on to the 2013/2014 season in the Championship, we cannot ignore the play-off final on 24 May 2014. Austin's Queens Park Rangers fought Derby County for a place in the elite. Wembley Stadium was packed with 87,000 spectators. The match began with Derby dominating: in the 32nd minute, Chris Martin opened the scoring after a solo run. At half-time, the visitors led 1-0, and Rangers looked confused under the pressure of Steve McLaren's favourites.
The second half turned on its head in the 85th minute: Rio Ferdinand, Rangers defender, made a mistake in a tackle, but the referee awarded a penalty. Austin confidently converted the kick, shooting into the corner of Lee Grant's goal to make it 1-1. The goal caused euphoria in the stands. In extra time, the teams exchanged chances: Derby missed an opportunity in the 108th minute when Will Hughes hit the post. In the 104th minute, Jordy Clasie crossed the ball and Austin tapped it into an empty net to make it 2-1.
Bets on Austin's double at odds of 12 doubled the fan group's investment, paying out around £240,000 for £20,000.
Debut goal in the Premier League: against Newcastle
The 2014/2015 season marked Austin's debut in the top flight. On 16 August 2014, Rangers hosted Newcastle United at Loftus Road. Harry Redknapp's team, new to the league, took to the field with Austin in the starting line-up. The match got off to a lively start: in the 12th minute, Matt Phillips went on the counterattack and passed to Austin, who beat Fabricio Coloccini and shot into the far corner to make it 1-0. The goal came early, shocking the visitors' defence.
Newcastle responded in the 37th minute: Yoan Cabaye equalised after a set piece. At half-time, Redknapp made adjustments, increasing the pressure. Rangers dominated in the second half, but Austin's second goal did not come. In the 68th minute, Cabaye scored his second goal, putting the visitors ahead 2-1. The hosts pressed, but the match ended in defeat.
Despite the result, bets on Austin scoring in his debut at odds of 3.5 brought a £350,000 win to one player who had invested £100,000.
Call-up to the national team: bets on the future and the match against Lithuania
Although Austin never played for England's senior team, his call-up in November 2014 for friendly matches against Germany and Scotland was a catalyst for betting. A group of 16 fans of Poole Town, his former club, placed a £155 bet in 2010 at odds of 50 to 1 that Austin would score for England. By 2014, with his 15 goals in the Championship, the odds had risen and the payout was close to £7,905.
The match in question was a friendly against Lithuania on 8 June 2015, where Austin could have made his debut but remained on the bench. England thrashed their opponents 4-0 with goals from Raheem Sterling in the 7th and 68th minutes, Wayne Rooney in the 28th and Harry Kane in the 82nd. Austin came on as a substitute in the 78th minute but failed to score. The match took place at Wembley under the leadership of Roy Hodgson: England controlled the ball 68% of the time, taking 18 shots.
Bets on Austin's participation at odds of 4 brought £40,000 to a group of bettors for £10,000. This bet was made against the backdrop of his form: 9 goals in 12 Premier League matches at that point.