The first round of fixtures of Euro 2024 has created a lot of intrigue and demonstrated a lot of quality. Germany and Spain demonstrate why they are rightful favourites to become European champions. Turkey and Romania portray the qualities of dark horses, in addition, Belgium and Croatia look off the boil.
Germany v Scotland: (5-1)
My Man of the Match – Jamal Musiala
It is hard to discuss Scotland's performance due to how poor it was. It came as no shock to see Scotland lose to this strong Germany side but the manner of ho they lost was the embarrassing aspect. During the match, they were only able to conjure up the one effort at goal which
wasn’t even going close if not for the massive deflection from Rudiger. The result wasn’t helped by the red card to Porteous but if I’m being truly honest, they were just as poor before the dismissal. The main drivers of this result for Germany were the youthful pair of Musiala and Wirtz. They were involved in every goal and were key in running the Scottish defence ragged, especially Musiala. The young lad popped up all over the pitch as he played a very free and versatile role behind the striker. 5 dribbles completed, 100% pass success accuracy and 1 goal is a very impressive outing for a front runner of the Young Player of the Tournament award.
Hungary v Switzerland: (1-3)
My Man of the Match – Granit Xhaka
This was a game of 2 completely different halves of football. The first half was dominated by the Swiss and certainly earned their 2-0 lead. They passed the ball around well and with purpose and looked far more up to it than the Hungary side. Hungary were lazy, couldn’t retain possession of the ball and looked generally uninterested. Whereas the second half became far more interesting and equal. Hungary decided to finally put up a fight and work as a team, even getting a goal back. Until Bree Embolo got defrosted and secured the win for Switzerland with an excellent striker’s goal. One surprise however was the lackluster Szoboszlai who was lazy and poor. Although contributing with an assist, it cannot blur his overall game of low quality and a generally awful attitude to going behind. The same can’t be said however for Bayer Leverkusen man Xhaka. The midfielder was a general in the centre of the pitch and was a key aspect of this win for the Swiss. 3 tackles made, 4 out of 5 duels won and 4 key passes are the making of a complete midfielder and someone who could drive any team towards victory.
Spain v Croatia: (3-0)
My Man of the Match – Dani Carvajal
A Spain team full of youth show they have got top quality and demonstrate that they will go far in this tournament. The likes of Yamal and Williams were full of flair and had a strong end product. Pedri, Rodri and Ruiz had a superb work rate, exuded calm and took on both defensive and offensive roles. Combined these 3 won 10 duels, scored 1 goal and made 2 assists. However, this was all overshadowed by a tremendous Carvajal performance. The right-back got his name on the scoresheet but was also a rock in defence. 2 tackles, 8 ball recoveries and 3 out of 4 duels won is the portrayal of a defensive masterclass. He exuded calmness and made life hard for the Croatian attack. Whether it was chest passes back to the goalkeeper or constantly sprinting up and down the touchline, he showed why he is one of the best in the world in his position. Croatia on the other hand looked off the boil and demonstrated a lack of understanding between midfield and attack. Little was created and the midfield was completely nullified by the Spanish midfield.
Italy v Albania: (2-1)
My Man of the Match – Federico Chiesa
The game started with one of the biggest shocks in European championship history. Albania scored the fastest-ever goal in Euros history after just 23 seconds and seriously surprised the Italian team. However, their joy was short-lived as Italy responded quickly and went on to
win the game. The Italy first half was superb and filled with creativity, especially from Chiesa. The Juventus winger caused Albania all sorts of problems and was spinning the defenders at every available opportunity. He completed 4 dribbles, made 2 key passes including 1 big chance created, and got off 3 shots. This was replicated on the other side by Dimarco as well. The wing-back was highlighted by myself in the previews as a defender who gets forward a lot and creates problems for the opposition's defence. The defender played a lot of his game in Albania’s half of the pitch and was vital in creating an overload to get the win for Italy. He put 6 crosses into the box and manufactured 2 key passes as well as being unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet. Albania looked like a squad that could cause a potential upset but lacked possession of the ball and Broja didn’t provide much of an out ball.
Netherlands v Poland: (2-1)
My Man of the Match – Cody Gakpo
A game of discontent for the Netherlands and an overall unlucky result for Poland is the only way I can describe this game. Poland throughout the game looked good on the counter and
showed fight throughout the pitch. Holland lacked real quality and composure, especially in midfield where there were misplaced passes and mistimed tackles. One bright spark was Reijnders who placed in a more advanced role than his midfield partners and he looked good. He provided a goal threat and set up a few chances for the men in front of him. Another player who played well was Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo. Although I am not his biggest fan (you could say I am an avid hater of him), he did play well and looked like a player of real quality. Not only getting himself a goal but he was also willing to run with the ball and take on the Poland back line. As seen on the pitch map, these are the positions where he picked up the ball and then went on to dribble past and take on defenders. It shows a willingness to create chances and demonstrate his lack of fear in doing it all himself. Poland put their body on the line at every opportunity as they made 22 blocks in comparison to Holland's 8. They defended as a unit and were unlucky to lose to a deflected goal and the poacher's goal coming through a deflected through ball.
Slovenia v Denmark: (1-1)
My Man of the Match – Christian Eriksen
Slovenia doesn’t bow down to the classic underdogs of Denmark and shows that they mean business. Although conceding possession throughout the game, they looked good in attack and should have scored 2 or 3 goals. Sporar was wasteful and Sesko was unlucky, but they showed an attacking threat and looked like they could be a problem for many teams. On the other side of things, Denmark looked decent enough but don’t look like they have the same fight as they did at Euro 2020. One man to shine through it though was goals scorer Eriksen. In this game, he seemed to roll back the years and put on a star-studded performance. 5 shots, 7 key passes and 0.73 expected assists show the game he had and was instrumental in getting a point for Denmark.
Serbia v England: (0-1)
My Man of the Match – Declan Rice
England started the game well with Saka and Bellingham being the stars of the show. However, the second half was a completely different performance. Serbia dominated the ball and England looked both tired and out of ideas. Although Serbia didn’t trouble Pickford in goal, on another day the result could have been a lot worse for England. Another point to look at is Trent Alexander Arnold in midfield. He is quite simply NOT A MIDFIELDER. He looks out of position at all times, gives the ball away lazily and leaves a lot of space open. Hence why Decland Rice got man of the match from me, he was covering for his midfield partner at all times and did a very good job at it. Last-ditch challenges, composure on the ball and an overall defensive masterclass from the Arsenal man.
Romania v Ukraine: (3-0)
My Man of the Match – Radu Dragusin (Could have been anyone on the Romania side)
Romania is known for their defensive stability but I don’t think anyone expected them to be as strong as they were. They were warriors at the back and put on a defensive masterclass. Their work rate was top class and led by Dragusin, they were set up perfectly and deserved the win. Dragusin alone made 10 clearances, 2 blocked shots and 7 ball recoveries. In addition, one of the goals of the tournament was scored by Stanciu with an excellently taken first-time whack from outside the box. Ukraine on the other hand looked lost and lacked ideas going forward. Mudryk was ineffective and they only posed a threat once Yarmolenko came onto the pitch.
Belgium v Slovakia: (0-1)
My Man of the Match – Stanislav Lobotka
Looking back on the game, Slovakia were perhaps lucky to win the game but still defended like machines throughout and were dominant in midfield. The trio of Duda, Lobotka and
Kucka were good on the ball and were vital in keeping Belgium in their half of the pitch at times. Lobotka especially was all over the pitch and always looked calm on the ball. He is a leader and a vital aspect of the spine of the team. On the Belgium side, you have to ask questions about an uninspiring Trossard and Doku. Neither looked like damaging the Slovakia back line and it was even Doku’s vital mistake that led to Slovakia taking an early lead. The headline of the match however is dominated by Lukaku’s seeming inability to score. 3 big chances missed and 2 goals disallowed are the makings of a bad day for the striker. One positive for the Red Devils, however, is that Lukaku was picking up the right spaces and on a different day could have had 3 or 4 goals.
Austria v France: (0-1)
My Man of the Match – Theo Hernandez or Ngolo Kante
This is a game which was touted as an important one for both teams to progress from the group and come to an expected conclusion. France went ahead and was then sturdy and offered a small number of chances available to the Austria side. They were quick on the counter and Mbappe was vital in bringing the ball up the pitch. Kante was a monster in the middle of the pitch and seemingly never stopped running. Picking up stray balls, making vital challenges and being a commander in the middle of the pitch. Another key player for France who went under the radar is Theo Hernandez at left-back. Especially in the first half he was getting forward a lot and offered a lot of speed on that side of the pitch. He caused the defence a lot of problems and always added that extra man to the attack. Austria played well but never really threatened the French goal except for one big chance by Baumgartner. They pressed high but that did at times leave them exposed at the back they will for sure be a problem against “lesser” teams.
Turkey v Georgia: (3-1)
My Man of the Match – Giorgi Kochorashvili
This was a game which had little hype around it but surprised everyone. In a potential game of the tournament, both teams played their hearts out and both teams were deserving of a result. The final result flatters Turkey but they did enough to get over the line. 2 expectational goals from Guler and Mudlur were enough to win them the game and a last-minute goal from Akturkoglu was the icing on the cake. Both teams fought for every ball and played with such high intensity. Although on the losing side, I feel Kochorashvili was immense in the centre of the pitch for Georgia and deserved to be on the winning side. As well as picking up an assist for himself, he also made 2 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 clearances and won 7/10 duels in the middle of the park.
Portugal v Czech Republic: (2-1)
My Man of the Match – Vladimir Coufal and Vitinha
Czechia should walk away from this game with their heads held high and not take this unlucky loss too hard. Their undoing came from an unlucky own goal and an awful fumble in the box to concede in the last minute. Portugal throughout the game found it difficult to break down the Czechia defence and didn’t create many clearcut chances for themselves. Portugal was forced to take 47% of their shots from outside of the box, demonstrating just how tight the Czechs kept themselves throughout the game. Coufal for the Czech Republic was superb and cleared up the right flank really well. He dealt with Leao all game and managed 3 tackles, 7 clearances, 3 shots blocked, 2 interceptions and won 4 duels. He managed to also pick up an assist which should have been for a winning goal. Another player who had an exceptional game was Vitinha for Portugal. He picked up space all over the pitch and was the main driver of the Portuguese attack. He also did his defensive duties well with 2 tackles and 6 duels won. He was unlucky not to get a goal involvement during this game but was easily one of the best players on the pitch.
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