Although there was a lot of anticipation for the third round of fixtures, the actual games did not live up to the hype. Spain dominates with their second team and Austria shows that they mean business. Belgium, England and France don’t impress whilst Portugal gets turned over. In addition, there was heartbreak for Scotland and Croatia thanks to last-minute goals.
Germany v Switzerland: (1-1)
My Man of the Match – Granit Xhaka
What a performance by the Swiss as they suffered heartbreak late on to only settle for the draw against one of the tournament favourites Germany. Switzerland kept a strong and sturdy backline throughout which was key in limiting chances to the fluid attack of the Germans. In addition, when attacking the Swiss striker was superb in both holding up the ball and running Rudiger and Tah ragged at the back. Ndoye especially was superb at collecting the ball and dragging it up the pitch, but most importantly keeping possession of the ball. However, the key man for the Swiss was captain Xhaka. The midfield man was inspirational in linking attack and defence and could be seen constantly commanding his teammates around the pitch. At times it seemed like there was more than one of him in how he kept on popping up everywhere and was constantly a nuisance to the Germans. Germany put on a pretty uninspiring performance and seemed to be unable to create any concrete chances for themselves. The one positive for Germany was Fulkrug’s classic header to earn them a draw in the 92nd minute. This is his second goal of the tournament and will certainly ask questions of Julian Nagelsmann (Germany manager) about his future squad selection. In his substitute appearances, Fulkrug has been a proper target man and caused defenders a different kind of trouble.
Scotland v Hungary: (0-1)
My Man of the Match – Dominik Szoboszlai
This was a very poor game all around between 2 teams who if I’m to be honest, deserve to be knocked out. Neither team have done enough to qualify from the group and both sides were shocked in this game as well. Although I suppose Hungary were a little bit less shocking and did just about enough to win this game. They created some chances for themselves, mainly through Szoboszlai, and eventually got their goal with the last kick of the game. Individually Dominik played 4 key passes, played 8 long balls and attempted 7 dribbles, all in an attempt to get the ball up the pitch and put pressure on the Scottish back
line. As can be seen on the pitch chalkboard, Szoboszlai played a majority of his passes in the opposition half of the pitch and was the main piece of creativity and offensive pressure for Hungary. He was playing balls from all over the pitch and created problems for Scotland. Scotland however was poor throughout the games and fans were extremely disappointed with their team’s performance. In a must-win game for the Scottish, they didn’t have a single shot in the first half and were extremely negative throughout the match.
Croatia v Italy: (1-1)
My Man of the Match – Josko Gvardiol
This was another game where neither team looked like anything spectacular. Italy had very little upfront throughout the entire game and every striker they had at their disposal was extremely uninfluential. Raspadori ghosted the entire game and I can’t remember him touching the ball, Retegui had a few chances but lacked a clinical edge and Scamacca of
the bench had more of a presence but was still bullied by the Croatian centre-backs. Zaccagni was the player to rescue a point for the Italians with a superb finish and eliminate Croatia from the Euros. Croatia was not good enough either throughout the game but were sturdy at the back. They were physically dominant against the Italians and were unlucky to concede right at the end. Gvardiol was the standout player at the back for Croatia and was vital in relieving pressure from the left-back. He was up and down the left-hand side of the pitch and completed 2 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2 clearances and was not dribbled past once. As seen on the heatmap he commanded that side of the pitch and was not scared to come more centrally to crowd out the Italian attack.
Albania v Spain: (0-1)
My Man of the Match – Dani Olmo
Spain cements their position as one of the favourites to go all the way this year as they put on a solid performance with their B team. Throughout the game, there wasn’t a need for Spain to get out of second gear. They dominated with 60% possession as well as 1.5xG in comparison to Albania’s 0.5xG. They were able to stop Albania from creating any big chances and made sure that 60% of Albania’s shots came from outside the box. Going forward, Dani Olmo was the main man for the Spanish as he got himself an assist, made 2 key passes, completed 3 dribbles and even got 4 shots off for himself. I would say he gives the manager something to think about for future squad selection, but the Spain A team have been so good that I can’t see a single player getting altered from their side. Albania did not look bad during the game, as they have in all 3 of their games. They got shots off and showed more promise than some of the bigger sides in the tournament but were sadly beaten by their overall gulf in quality. They have surprised a lot of people in the way they play and it would not surprise me to see them back for future competitions.
France v Poland: (1-1)
My Man of the Match – Lukasz Skorupski
France, with the exception of a masked Mbappe, was poor throughout this game and did not dominate as they have for the last 8 years. Their final ball was always loose and chances seemed to capitulate once they were within 18 yards of the goal. A majority of the time he took it upon himself to do it all and although it was from a penalty, he did get his name on
the scoresheet for the first time in this Euros. He had 6 shots during the game, attempted 8 dribbles, completed 6 of them and if not for the Polish goalkeeper, could have had a hattrick. The Polish new boy in net, Lukasz Skorupski, had a great game making 7 saves and actually managing to prevent 2.4xG. He was crucial in getting a draw for Poland and shows that he can continue Szczesny’s legacy in net. He was a vital part of a good performance from Poland who looked rejuvenated with Lewandowski back in the side. They were dangerous going forward and you have got to wonder what the outcome would have been if Lewandowski was available for all of their games.
Netherlands v Austria: (2-3)
My Man of the Match – Alexander Prass
Austria looks like a right force to be reckoned with. They press really well and are so hard to play against with their high line and superb fitness. The Netherlands were under pressure throughout the game and struggled to make any ground into the Austrian half when they had the ball. One of the key players for the Austrian side, outside of the obvious Sabitzer and Baumgartner, is Alexander Prass. He had a great defensive display with 5 tackles, 9 ball
recoveries and an interception. He kept a fairly defensive position on the left-hand side of the pitch and was vital in keeping both Malen and Simons quiet throughout the game. He and Posch are almost excluded from Ralf Rangnick’s gegenpressing tactics and as fullbacks, they keep a more defensive position. The Netherlands, although still qualifying, never look amazing going forward and this has to be put down to the lack of a clinical striker. Depay is good on the ball but seems to miss twice as many chances as he takes. In addition, Weghorst is great off the bench against a tired defence but looks poor when starting and both Brobbey and Zirkzee don’t seem to be in Ronald Koeman’s immediate plans with the national team. I cannot see them getting far in this tournament or causing any bigger sides major problems.
England v Slovenia: (0-0)
My Man of the Match – Jaka Bijol
This game was one of the worst of the tournament and was enough to send most watchers to sleep. England controlled the ball for the majority of the game but it was mainly useless passes along the back line which provided no attacking threat. Slovenia defended deep in their half and were good at restricting any threat from England’s wingers. Although the deep line can be seen as quite a negative set-up, it wasn’t needed to push higher and pressure the opposition due to England keeping the ball in their half of the pitch. England had 73% possession throughout the game and of that possession Guehi and Trippier each had 10%, Walker had 9% and Stones had 8%. Even more worrying is that Pickford had more possession of the ball than Kane upfront. One of the very few standouts on the pitch for both teams was Slovenian centre-back Jaka Bijol. He was very aggressive in defence and was vital in making Kane see very little of the ball. He made 9 clearances, made 5 ball recoveries and made 1 vital block. He has had a great tournament and it would not surprise me if he got a move to a bigger club during the summer.
Denmark v Serbia: (0-0)
My Man of the Match – Joachim Andersen
This match can go in the same category as the England match and to be honest all of the games in this group as one of the worst games of the tournament. Denmark earned themselves a draw making it 3 draws in 3 games throughout these Euros and Serbia see themselves eliminated after a poor tournament. During this game, Denmark could see themselves as the better side but neither team was exactly “good”. Defensively they were strong but attacking they lacked men and end product. Serbia played the same as they always have with long balls in the hope that Mitrovic could hold up the ball and bring the midfielders into play. However, thanks to Andersen, he was not able to do this and was monitored successfully throughout the game. Andersen won 10 aerial duels out of 13, completed 5 clearances as well as making 2 interceptions. He was physically better and stronger whilst not being scared to put his body about. Denmark won’t go into the knockouts full of confidence but they have proved themselves hard to beat.
Ukraine v Belgium: (0-0)
My Man of the Match – Illia Zabarnyi
After both these teams put in a good performance during the second round of fixtures, those performances were seemingly just a blip and this was a matchup of poor quality. De Bruyne was the standout player for Belgium and looked like the only player capable of making a difference. He was willing to attempt the outrageous pass in an attempt to get a goal and his work rate in the opposition's half was impressive. Doku for Belgium is the definition of flattering to deceive and requires a lot of polishing. He does well on the ball and is good at driving it up the pitch, however, the final ball is always loose and never meets its target. There is an extreme lack of clinical decision making and leaves a lot to be desired. Ukraine defended well as a team but was pretty uninspiring going forward. They should count
themselves very unlucky being eliminated on 4 points and will look back at their result against Slovakia as the pinnacle of their Euros. In this impressive defensive display, the main man was Illia Zabarnyi who looked like a unit at the back. He kept Lukaku quiet for the majority of the game and was a commander at the back. In addition, he was full of confidence in his ability to bring the ball out from the back and was seen a lot of the time pushing himself up to the halfway line. As seen on the touch map, he was up and down from his box to the halfway line as he tried to push Ukraine forward. It was only once Carrasco came off the bench that Zabarnyi was required to sit further back but even then he was impressive and vital in keeping the clean sheet.
Slovakia v Romania: (1-1)
My Man of the Match – Stanislav Lobotka
Before the game, there were plenty of rumours about both teams agreeing to the 0-0 draw which would have seen both teams qualify. Although this didn’t happen, 1-1 is still just as positive for both teams. They both defended well and both deserve to qualify for the knockout stages. Slovakia was the more attacking of the 2 sides but it did seem that for a majority of the game, both sides were happy to keep it at a draw. Romania was strong at the
back as they have been all tournament really and were both composed on the ball and superior in the air. They did well at stopping a majority of crosses into the box and unfortunately, the one time they were weak in the air; they conceded. Burca especially was good at the back for the Romanians as he won 4 aerial duels and made 6 clearances. Lobotka was also impressive for Slovakia as he dropped deep to pick up the ball and sprayed the balls across the pitch. He put himself in a Kroos role and was constantly patrolling the centre of the pitch.
Georgia v Portugal: (2-0)
My Man of the Match – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Portugal put out their second-string side for this game but that doesn’t hide the fact that they were poor throughout. They had nothing going for them upfront and Ronaldo was man handles out of the game. Antonio Silva had a disaster class at the back and certainly won’t look back at this match fondly. However, Georgia completely deserved their win and put on a very good performance. They defended well and we were physically the better team whilst the attack was lethal on the counterattack. They attacked with purpose and with speed. Georgia took advantage of their superior speed and were more than willing to run at the centre-backs. The main man both in attack and for Georgia was Napoli winger Kvaratskhelia who put on a show. He backed up the hype around him and deserved to get his name on the scoresheet. He had 2 shots on target, completed 3 dribbles, and was running up and down the pitch for the entire game. He has been vital in creating history for the Georgian nation.
Czechia v Turkey: (1-2)
My Man of the Match – Baris Alper Yilmaz
This was such a feisty game which was interesting for the neutral and supplied 19 cards
including 2 red cards. In terms of game play, Czechia showed fight from the off and even with a red card, got themselves a goal to give them a chance of qualification.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have much going for themselves up front and required box-to-box midfielder Soucek to pop up with a goal. Turkey took advantage of the red card and was swift in attack but their main asset was their ability to rattle the opposition. They constantly got in the face of the Czechs and played the game at their speed. Baris Yilmaz was especially good in attack and played like a man full of confidence. He played 2 key passes, completed 4 dribbles, got 0.66xA and wasn’t too far away from picking up a goal for himself. The one downside for Turkey however is that due to the plethora of yellow cards they picked up, they will be without some key players for their round of 16 matches and that could stop them going too far in this tournament.
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