I surely do not need to remind you of the incredible team of youngsters that Ajax had in the 2017/18 season and how they almost made it to the Champions League final. I also do not need to remind you which players made up that team.
But I will because unfortunately they are not playing for the Dutch side anymore. 22-year old centre-back Matthijs De Ligt moved to Juventus, 24-year old Frenkie De Jong joined Barcelona, Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech became a European Champion with Chelsea, and also moving to England was midfielder Donny Van De Beek. Still only 24-years old, Van De Beek is considered to be one of the most underrated talents in Europe. Ever since joining Manchester United in the 2020 summer transfer window, Norwegian boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has not given him the time of day to prove himself and many are blaming this fact on the 5-0 loss to Liverpool, and for not winning four straight Premier League matches.
During this summer's transfer window, Manchester United signed players such as Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, and were set to be favourites to compete for the Premier League title. They have a team full of strong individuals and on paper this club should be on top of the league competing alongside Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City. But they are not.
Instead they are in 7th, below West Ham, Brighton and Tottenham, who arguably should fear Man United's solid side. Well I take that back, because they did not prove to be solid at all, not only against Liverpool, but previously against Leicester in a shocking 4-2 loss, against Everton in a 1-1 draw and against Aston Villa who are in the second half of the Premier League table but won to United 1-0. Previously to that, they also lost their place in the Caraboa Cup to West Ham. So what is wrong with Ole's first eleven? Are they not good enough? Maybe they do not work well together? Or maybe combined they are a great team but they just need a better leader than Ole? The word on everyone's mouth is Donny Van De Beek. Having started midfielder Fred, many were furious that United have such a player like Van De Beek and is just there sitting on the bench.
Ole will be given another chance before getting sacked with the Red Devils, but will he finally give Van De Beek his chance? If not, they could easily see the Dutch midfielder out of the club during the next transfer window taking place in January.
TalkSport are already reporting that Everton, Newcastle and Barcelona are eyeing up the 24-year old. Everton had previously shown interest in the Dutch during the summer transfer window while Newcastle is considered as an option for many players after their new ownership. Meanwhile, Voetball International reported that Van De Beek got himself a new football agent, Ali Dursun. The agent also represents Martin Braithwaite and Frenkie De Jong, who both play for Barcelona. Considering the fact that the Spanish club is looking to come back from the turmoil that they are going through, Van De Beek can be a good addition to the club, especially with De Jong there. The pair worked great at Ajax. Also, it would be no surprise to see Van De Beek seeking a way out of the club, even if it is on loan maybe. The January transfer window includes a lot of loan deals, and an affordable loan deal for Barcelona is more than welcome. In my opinion, with this rate, Van De Beek will not be wearing the Red shirt for long, not that he wore it that much so far. After the 5-0 loss to Liverpool, he was seen training alone in Old Trafford, and in my opinion a player like that, who is already preparing to face the next battle despite the fact that probably Ole will not choose him, is a player who you would be lucky and ready to fight for to have on your team.
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Do you remember the 2016 Euros? That year France had one of the strongest sides in the competition, in fact they made it to the final. They had started out their campaign with a 2-1 win over Romania, and during that match one player stood out who set out the headlines for the rest of that summer.
That player was Dimitri Payet. The midfielder had an outstanding campaign and had been named with many top names in football but somehow, he never made it to the top tiers such as Manchester City and Paris-Saint Germain. So what happened to the French who has his named printed on Ligue 1 history and on French football? He had a spell with West Ham before returning back to his nation's football league. What went wrong for him? The Move to the Premier League
Euro 2016
Return to Ligue 1
Unfortunately, we never got to experience Dimitri Payet on another big stage, just like we did in the Euros, but it does not mean that he ever took a break from being so brilliant on the pitch. The volley he scored against Guingamp in 2018 says it all, although there are many great finishes by Payet for us to admire.
Teams Sharing Football Grounds in Italy
This topic raises a lot of controversy in Italy and it is one of the main reasons why many clubs suffer financially in Italy. Many clubs of a high profile share their home ground and are forced to pay a huge amount of rent to the local council. Some of these include AC Milan and Inter Milan who are currently sharing the historic Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, also known as San Siro. Lazio and Roma are two other major Italian clubs that both play in the Stadio Olimpico, while Genoa and Sampdoria have the Stadio Luigi Ferraris as their home ground. Hellas Verona and Chievo Verona both play at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi while Milanese club Atalanta are forced to play their European matches at the Mapei Stadium owned by Sassuolo, as their Gewiss Stadium does not comply with UEFA's stadium guidelines.
Juventus' Dominance in Italy
The term "farmers' league" is not new to us football fans, and many are who state that Serie A is one of them. This is mostly because of Juventus' dominance for nine whole years from 2011 till 2020. Having won the league nine years in a row, Juventus were the main name in Italy, even when it came to European football, as not many clubs had managed to make it through later stages in the Champions League and Europa League. AS Roma were the other club that managed to keep Italy in the run until the semi-finals after they managed a great comeback to Barcelona to make it through and unfortunately then got beaten by Real Madrid in 2018. Inter Milan then managed to make it to 2020 Europa League final in which they suffered a 3-2 loss to Spanish side Sevilla.
Considering that many clubs in Italy had to go through changes in ownership and financial trouble, it was difficult to keep up with Juventus. The side had its own taste of trouble, especially after they had been relegated to Serie B in 2006. What one needs to keep in mind is that Juventus were always a strong club because they had the backing of the Agnelli family. This partnership is the eldest sporting partnership in Italy, dating back to 1922. Having built Juventus to the team that it is now and given it its name in Italy and Europe, it is no wonder that the Agnelli family always find ways to invest in Juventus and make sure that it keeps its high profile. How can they let this family project fail? And unfortunately that is what other teams do not have in Italy, owners such as the Agnelli family. When AC Milan were owned by Silvio Berlusconi, they were one of the greatest clubs in both Italy and Europe. He made them the great side that they once were, but once foreign investors had to come in because of several financial and political issues, the club saw its way down and is now finally making its way back to the top. Underperforming in Europe
â"Slow" Football
Italy is the home of defensive football, and many claim that is what makes Italian football "slow" and boring to watch. I disagree with this opinion, as many talk about this art of football without knowing much about it. What we experienced in the World Cup of 2006, in the great run they had in the 2012 and 2016 Euros which saw Italy be a fan's favourite, and also what we witnessed in the Euro 2020 this year, was the art of Catenaccio.
This football is played by laying a strong defensive line and then take the first opportunity to strike an attack, surprising the opponent who would be playing an offensive style of play. What makes it an exciting game to watch is the agility of the full-backs which are quick to switch from defensive to offensive play and create counter attacks which include one-touch football which the opponent finds difficult to keep up with. Up front there would be a striker who would await the ball to find him through his teammates to then successfully score. This style of play made many Italian strikers big names in football such as Paolo Rossi, Roberto Baggio, Luca Toni, Mario Balotelli and so on. It had also brought to light many great full-backs such as Gianluca Zambrotta, Fabio Grosso and Leonardo Spinazzola. This is also what made Gonzalo Higuain a star for Napoli under Maurizio Sarri, before he moved to Juventus in 2016. Catenaccio is not "slow" football, it is simply a tactic which not many can play and because of its authenticity and Italian roots, many coaches who try to adapt it to foreign players in Italy fail, because not many foreigners can understand the art of defending like an Italian, as they had been brought up playing football at a faster pace and more offensively. Calciopoli
World Cup 2018
The failure to qualify to the 2018 World Cup played in Russia was named as a crisis in Italy, a country which holds football close to its heart. Gian Piero Ventura had failed his team in the play-off match against Sweden and saw the first World Cup without the Italians in 60 years.
It caused chaos in the country, and without a doubt. Meanwhile, for those who do not follow Italian football regularly, it just proved to them that Italian football is finished and made it even less likely for people to follow Serie A. What people do not see now in 2021 is that this country went from not qualifying for the World Cup to winning a major tournament against one of the strongest sides in the Euros that only conceded one goal throughout the knockout phase until the final. To bring a country back to life in just three years takes a lot of work, especially when comparing to other countries. If we take a look at Germany for example, they had won the World Cup in 2014 and then made it to the semi-finals in the 2016 Euros. After that, they failed to put on a great performance during the 2018 World Cup and fast forward to three years later, they could not advance further than the Quarter Finals in this year's Euros. Yet some people still claim that was Italy achieved was nothing out of the ordinary or impressive. Italy is a country that plays football from the heart with many loyal and die-hard fans. Italian football is not at a low level, it is simply underestimated and underappreciated. And it comes to an end tonight! One of the most exciting European Championship campaigns that saw Italy recover from the nightmare that they found themselves in back in 2017 when they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and which also saw England make it to their first ever final in a major tournament in 55 years after they brought it home in 1966. So how did the two sides make it to the final? Italy 1-1 Spain (Italy won on penalties 4-2)Spain gave Italy a real challenge to overcome, but at the end of the day the Azzurri believed in themselves and the sea of Azzurro in the stadium was surely an asset for the side. The Italians did not display their best game, but defensively Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were solid, which is what took the Azzurri all the way to penalties. There were less chances created by the Italians, and not much room for creativity to create goalscoring opportunities, not only because of Spain's determination but also because of the absence of left-back Leonardo Spinazzola. The Roma left-back who is out on an injury which he picked up during the quarter final against Belgium, was a great box-to-box player for Italy which brought the play forward from the defensive line of the field, while Emerson Palmieri who filled his shoes this time, is a player which retires more at the back. He is a great defender but with less offensive qualities, which proved to be a challenge for the Italians to adapt to. Eventually, Federico Chiesa figured out a way to help his team be threatening offensively together with Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne. We cannot forget to mention Jorginho either. One can say, he does not have many fans, I was not one of his fans either. Watching him play with his domestic side, Chelsea, is surely different from watching him play with his national team. This Italian side brought out the Italian game and the passion in him, and it is just exciting to watch honestly. He does most of the dirty work in the midfield and does his best to regain possession, retain it and bring play forward. The Italians showed once again that they never give up and their determination and passion for calcio is what awarded them their place in the final. England 2-1 DenmarkEngland finally made it, after 55 years, they made it to a major tournament final. Respect to Denmark though, who showcased great football against a strong English side and made them concede their first goal in this tournament from a great freekick take, despite the fact that they started out their campaign on a horrifying note. No one expected them to get this far, and they surely made their country proud. England is in it to win it this year, if Italy lets them. A penalty during extra time, which was also their first extra time of their Euro campaign, saved them from elimination. The penalty was taken by Harry Kane, after an auto-goal from Kasper Schmeichel forced by Raheem Sterling was scored in the first half of the 90 minutes to make the score 1-1. The penalty received was a controversial one, after it is claimed that there were two balls on the pitch in the action leading up to the penalty being given. Since the ball was in the Danish defender's way, it could have confused him and despite the fact that no Danish player brought the referee's attention to it, UEFA is still investigating the incident. Then there were claims that Raheem Sterling dived for the penalty, which is very controversial and will leave you guys to the decide whether it was a penalty or not. You can see it in the highlights below. And finally, there are claims that an English fan flashed a laser on Schmeichel's face to distract him during the penalty take. Despite the fact that Schmeichel did not argue about this, UEFA are still investigating and preparing any fines which might have to be paid by the English FA. Despite all the controversy, England might finally bring it home, while they are at home in Wembley. Can they make their fans proud? England vs ItalyEngland does not have a great history against Italy in major tournaments, can they change that tonight? The last time that these two sides faced each other was in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil during the Group Stage. During that match, Italy won 2-1 thanks to a goal from Mario Balotelli and a wonderful strike from Claudio Marchisio. In the European Championship, the last time they faced each other was in the 2012 edition, when it ended in penalties during the quarter finals, and Italy went on to make it to the final. Unfortunately for Italy, they lost that final 4-0 to Spain, so they can use this final to redeem themselves from those years of agony which they had went through? That was their last great performance during a major tournament, and their last win was that of the 2006 World Cup. Can they add tonight to their trophy cabinet? This year's Euros just keep getting better and better as we now confirmed our four semi finalists, we are left clueless on who will be lifting the cup on Sunday, as these four sides are all pretty much threatening and strong enough to go head-to-head and come out on top against each other. You'll find Italy, who have been one of the strongest sides this summer, especially defensively as so far they have only conceded two goals, one against Austria in the Round of 16 and one against Belgium last Friday. Their players are shining and getting recognised, especially Leonardo Spinazzola and Manuel Locatelli. We love this Italian passion and the type of football that they are playing. Italy are a dynamic team which are surely favourites to winning this year's Euro Cup. Then there is Spain, who were not favourites at all, especially due to their Covid-19 outbreak in their camp which has disrupted most of their preparations for this tournament. But Spain are showing everyone that they are still here to compete, despite the fact that they have not done very well in international football tournament since their Euro 2012 win. A new young side, with a touch of experience added to it, it is surely an exciting candidate for Sunday. England hope that they will bring it home after 55 years. They have beaten Germany in the Round of 16, last done in 1966 itself when they won the World Cup, and they have got a great squad which has been doing superb at the Euros. So far, they have not conceded a single goal at the Euros, and their attack, especially Raheem Sterling has been on fire. Could this year, be their year? Let's not forget about Denmark, who had previously won this tournament back in 1992. Starting off their campaign with losing one of their best players, Christian Eriksen, it has surely not been easy for this side to come back from those horrifying scenes and thoughts of possibly losing a teammate. But they have fought through it, and now find themselves in the semi-finals, and it would be no surprise if they find themselves at Wembley too on Sunday. Belgium 1-2 ItalyOne can argue that having Eden Hazard missing and Kevin De Bruyne not in full form made things difficult for Belgium, but one cannot deny the fact that Italy are in it to win it and that they are one of the strongest sides that these Euros have to offer. Lorenzo Insigne was on top form, as he not only scored Italy's second goal, but he was essential for brining the play forward and defend against the Belgians too. Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella was the one who opened the score as he dribbled past the Belgians and fired a shot past Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to find the net and put Italy up front 1-0. Belgium's goal came after a challenge by Giovanni Di Lorenzo on Jeremy Doku resulted in a foul in the penalty box, and so Romelu Lukaku was the man to take the penalty and successfully score it. During the second half, Belgium had several opportunities to score, especially after Italy lost one of their most important left-backs, Leonardo Spinazzola. Having torn his achilles tendon, the Roma defender was carried out of the pitch on a stretcher, as he was crying after his Euros journey came to an end. The 28-year old will now spend six months on the sideline before returning to the field, and Italy will need to make do without him at the back, with possibly Emerson Palmieri replacing him. Italy will now be facing Spain in the semi-finals. The last meeting between the two nations was in the Euro 2016 during the Round of 16, in which two goals from Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle saw Italy go through to the Quarter Finals. Switzerland 1-1 Spain (Spain win on penalties 1-3)Switzerland's great campaign came to an end, as this time goalkeeper Yann Sommer could not do more to save his country in the penalty shootout. Despite going down to ten men, after a foul commited by Remo Freuler on Gerard Moreno, Switzerland managed to keep Spain to a 1-1 draw during both the 90 minutes and the 30 minutes extra time. Meanwhile Spain showed strong features but still could not find past the Swiss defense to settle the match beforehand. Their goal was also scored by Swiss midfielder Denis Zakaria, so no Spanish managed to put their name on the scoresheet before the penalties. Spain now face a hard opponent, Italy. This is always an exciting match between two great footballing nations. We previously mentioned how Italy won to Spain during the 2016 Euro, but before that they had also met in the final back in 2012, when Spain had one of the best teams in the world which had also won the country the World Cup in South Africa in 2010. That year, Spain thrashed Italy in a 4-0 win during the final thanks to goals from David Silva, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres and Juan Mata. But now both teams have went through changes in their teams but for Italy Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini remain at the back and we all know what a hard time the two can give to their opponents, so the young Spanish side will have to be on alert, as despite the fact that both defenders are basically a human wall, they both can successfully start up attacking threats from the back of the field. Ukraine 0-4 EnglandUkraine had a good attack, but not a strong enough defense to hold back the English side. Harry Kane is now on fire, as he scored two more goals in this match with defender Harry Maguire also finding the net and midfielder Jordan Henderson finishing it off for the English, to help them go through to the semi-finals with a win of 4-0. The English are having an exceptional campaign as they have so far scored eight goals and conceded none. They won every match and only had one draw which was that against Scotland. England have got a dynamic young squad which boss Gareth Southgate managed to form and incorporate players well together. Harry Maguire and John Stones have been crucial for the English defense while Bukayo Saka has become a key figure ever since he started against Czech Republic. The Arsenal forward has formed part of the English first eleven along with Jack Grealish, was had his breakout season this year with Aston Villa. Raheem Sterling is having one of his best international football campaigns, after many critics have doubted his abilities to push the England team forward while Harry Kane is the country's hero after he had scored three goals in the knock out rounds so far. England will now be facing Denmark, who are also a very strong side and should not be underestimated. Can England keep this form going on till the final? Czech Republic 1-2 DenmarkPatrick Schick's goal was not enough to safe the Czech Republic, because Thomas Delaney's and Kasper Dolberg's goals were enough for Denmark to win the match 2-1 and find themselves facing England in the semi-finals. For those who remember the 1992 Euros, you might remember when England and Denmark went head-to-head against each other in the Group Stage and that year it ended in a draw of 0-0. Having then won to the Netherlands in the semi-finals and to Germany in the finals, Denmark won their one and only European Championship title. Can history repeat itself with Denmark winning to England and going on to win the final? Who knows. We know that this year's Danish side has potential to face and win against England. Of course, they have got a huge challenge to face, considering England's positive stats. But Denmark should not be underestimated either. They have big names in their squad too, and it seems that all players, which are a mix of young and older players, form a great first eleven, which is threatening enough to face any side remaining. All players are highly experienced and faced an English opponent probably throughout their career, especially Kasper Schmeichel, Andreas Christensen, Jannik Vestergaard and Pierre-Emile Hojberg, who all play for Premier League clubs. This could result in an advantage for Denmark, as having players that play the English game can result in a game plan which can stop England's dominance and see Denmark on their way to glory again.
This year's Euros are keeping us on our toes, especially after an exciting Round of 16 which seen all teams from the group of death get eliminated. Meanwhile some other teams such as Italy, found it difficult to get past underdogs Austria, but eventually came out on top. Denmark on the other hand are playing with their heart and soul for their country and teammate Christian Eriksen after a stunning 4-0 win to the Welsh. Croatia vs Spain was another dynamic match which we saw end 5-3 in favour of Spain during extra time.
So let's see who were the winners and losers of this knockout phase of the Euros, and who everyone will be facing in the Quarter finals this weekend. Wales 0-4 Denmark
Denmark are not to be me messed with during this tournament, and it would not surprise me if they manage to go very far. Despite the fact that they started off their campaign with a horrible incident, they were able to pick themselves up again and now they face Czech Republic in the Quarter Finals.
Wales had to end this year's Euro campaign earlier than that of 2016, as they were beaten 4-0 and had to finish off their campaign with Harry Wilson being red carded after a mistimed challenge on Joakim Maehle at the 90th minute. Star of the Match, Kasper Dolberg, put his side in front during the first half with a great goal as he shot from a few centimeters away from the edge of the penalty box. Three minutes after the second half commenced, Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite tried assisting Dolberg but the fall was found by Welshman Neco Williams. Failing to clear, the Liverpool defender passed the ball to the ex-Ajax forward who found the net once again and made it 2-0 for the Danish. Maehle and Braithwaite went on to make it 4-0 in the last six minutes of the match, showing the Welsh their way out of the Euros. Denmark is not a side to be underestimated, in my opinion the whole team could have been a star of the match. Against Wales, they had a great set-up of Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel between the nets, and then a great back three which consist of Chelsea's Andreas Christensen, AC Milan's Simon Kjaer and Southampton's Jannik Vestergaard. In the middle, you'll find players such as 24-year old Joakim Maehle, who is leaving his mark on football thanks to the role that he plays with Atalanta while Thomas Delaney needs no introduction for those who follow Borussia Dortmund and German football. Jens Stryger in the middle is another player who holds great experience, and has been a great part of a strong Udinese side this season while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is making an even better name for himself, especially after moving to Tottenham last season. In the front, besides Braithwaite and Dolberg, you'll also find Mikkel Damsgaard. The 20-year old is about to be the next Serie A prospect that catches the scouts' eyes, as he gaining experience in the Italian game with Sampdoria, after he joined them last season from Danish side, Nordsjaelland on a transfer fee of €6.75 million. Italy 2-1 Austria (aet)
Credits to Austria for this match, because they gave Italy a real hard time, and it is fair to say that they did deserve to go through, but they found themselves unlucky unfortunately. This can still be considered as a milestone for the Austrians though, as this is the first time that they ever made it through the group stage and onto the Round of 16.
On the other hand, it was a wake up call for Italy not to get too overconfident just because the stats are showing positive results. Italy have been recovering from not making it through to the 2018 World Cup, and this campaign is all about redemption. They were considered as underdogs for the reason that they have been missing from the big international stage, but this Euros can show that the Italians are still a huge part of the footballing world, and their type of play has its impact. Mancini decided to bench Locatelli and Chiesa for this match, and it was not until they conceded a goal at the 67th minute that he decided to start making some changes to his starting 11. Luckily for Italy, the goal was ruled offside, and they held on to a goalless draw until the final 90 minute whistle. It was a dreadful time for Italy who were facing a threatening Austrian side who were on the verge of qualifying for the Quarter finals, but going into extra time, the Italians pulled themselves together and substitutes Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina made it 2-0 for the Azzurri. Austrian sub Sasa Kalajdzic tried giving his side some hope as he found the net at the 114th minute, but Italy gave it all they had got to make sure that they secure their place in the quarter finals. Now they face an even bigger threat, Belgium, but forward Eden Hazard will be missing out on injury, but that does not mean they do not have strong players to replace him. Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic
Some are surprised by how far the Czech Republic are going, but they do have a good record on an international stage and they have always produced some quality footballers. The last time that they made it through to the quarter finals was in the 2012 Euros, when they were beaten 1-0 by Portugal thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now, they went on to win against the Netherlands, who were not favourites to win the tournament but were to win this match. The teams went into the second half with a goalless draw, with Netherlands being on top of the stats. Czech Republic were doing great to defend any goal scoring opportunity from the Dutch and play the ball forward. Matthijs De Ligt was having a great game for the Netherlands at the back, and it surely made it difficult for Schick up front to find a goal. The trouble started for the Dutch during the second half, when De Ligt was sent off for handball at the 55th minute, and so they lost one of their strongest men at the back. That is when Czech Republic took the opportunity to take an advantage of the Netherlands having ten men and one of their stars out, and went on to open to the score at the 68th minute. A header from Tomas Holes gave the Czechs more confidence to then Patrick Schick joining the scoreboard at the 80th minute with a lovely strike assisted by Holes himself. Czech Republic - Tomas Holes
Holes was without a doubt rewarded the Star of the Match award. The Slavia Praha midfielder put his side in front and then nicely assisted Schick to double the score. He had a great game in which he was agile and creative against a strong Dutch side that eventually lost its tempo when they conceded and also went a player down.
The 28-year old has spent his career playing in Czech Republic and so is a pillar of his country's footballing association. He is one of Czech Republic's strongest players that is incorporated well with the team of small names that make up a big and strong side. As put by UEFA Technical Observer Dusan Fitzel, "[Tomas Holes] decided the match with his goal and his assist for the second goal. He was excellent across the midfield as a screening midfielder. He played it safe in an important position." Croatia 3-5 Spain (aet)
With Pedri opening the score and putting Croatia in an advantage with his own goal, he officially made these Euros the most European Championship with own goals scored in it.
Croatia fought till the end, and that is how they got the draw at the fourth minute of extra time in fact thanks to a goal from Mario Pasalic, but Spain got the upper hand in extra time and it saw them go through to the quarter finals. Spain has not started off their campaign well and were thought to be making their way out of the tournament sooner. Having lost players such as Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and so on, Spain had to go through a shift of players which are of a younger generation. Players such as Pedri, Ferran Torres and Oyarzabal are new to the tournament and the squad. They all player for different domestic clubs, and so Luis Enrique had to figure out a way how to make these players complement each other. It took time, but eventually he is starting to get results and a great Euros campaign too. Now Spain face yet another test against Switzerland, who are not going down without a fight after they are having one of their best ever major tournament campaigns. France 3-3 Switzerland (aet, Switzerland win 5-4 on penalties)
It was a surprise to everyone on how the World Champions were eliminated so early from the tournament, and by Switzerland. But the French did not seem to be lucky this time and a strong and determined Switzerland side saw them eliminate one of the best footballing nations.
The highlight of the night for everyone was Kylian Mbappe, who is known as one of the best youngest forwards in Europe, missing the last penalty that eliminated France from the Euros. Well, even the best miss out on opportunities sometimes and there was nothing that the 22-year old could do to stop 32-year old Yann Sommer from performing an incredible save to his penalty. Meanwhile, Switzerland are better than ever before, especially as now they are bringing up new youngsters that hold more experience such as Breel Embolo. Another player that you should keep your eyes on is Kevin Mbabu. The 26-year old defender plays for Wolfsburg and is having a great campaign. He had exceptional performances in all four matches that he featured in, and he will surely make it difficult for Patrick Schick and co to go through the defense and score. Switzerland - Granit Xhaka
The 28-year old captain is not a man that needs many introductions. We all know how strong his presence can be in the midfield, especially the Switzerland one. Together with another great Swiss name, Xherdan Shaqiri, he is leading his side to a great Euros campaign, which can see his country reach a new milestone.
Making it to the semi-finals will surely show how Switzerland came far in football, after so many years trying to come out as one of the big footballing nations. Currently playing for Arsenal, Xhaka is a great midfielder who helps his side to move forward and create opportunities. His presence gives the players the determination that they need to keep fighting, just like they did against France, and keep them all in line and organised throughout the match. He assisted Siwtzerland's third goal which came at the 90th minute and sent them to extra time, which shows how strong and dominant Xhaka was on the field until the very last minute, alongside his teammates. England 2-0 Germany
It was a solid performance from the English as they dominated Germany to a 2-0 win and see themselves in the quarter finals. The first half was pretty levelled between the sides, with both of them being great offensively and defensively.
In the second half, the English came out stronger and the home support surely was in their favour. With Raheem Sterling opening the score at the 75th minute, Tottenham striker Harry Kane doubled the score soon after as he scored his first goal of this year's tournament. This loss and elimination from the Euros, saw Joachim Low bid farewell after coaching the German side for 15 years. The German boss had made it clear that he will be leaving his position after this year's campaign, and despite not progressing much through the Euro 2020, Germany has a lot to thank him for, mostly the 2014 World Cup victory. Meanwhile, England fans cannot stop singing that it is coming home, especially after realising that they have finally won to Germany in a knockout phase, the last time happening in 1966 when they had brought the World Cup home. Could history actually be repeated? England - Harry Maguire
The English captain, who is highly criticised because of previous incidents happening when he was on holiday or because of some poor performances for Manchester United, was surely praised after his performance against Germany.
The 28-year old helped keep the tempo going as he showed great leadership on the pitch, and defended very well against a strong German attack consisting of Timo Werner, Thomas Muller and Kai Havertz. From the defensive line he successfully brought play forward and helped to create some great goal scoring opportunities for England, which saw their results in the second half. England are yet to concede in this year's tournament, and Maguire's soliditiy at the back is surely an asset to keep this great feat going. Sweden 1-2 Ukraine (aet)
Two of the underdogs went head-to-head and the best came out on top. These sides were exciting to watching considering that they both offensively strong and do not play much at the back, giving fans exciting football to watch to keep them on their toes.
Andriy Shevchenko is one of the biggest footballing names in Ukraine and in Europe, mostly remembered for when he formed part of AC Milan's dream team that won several titles such as the Champions League final against Juventus in 2003. In 2006, Shevchenko led his country to their first ever World Cup quarter final, and now 15 years later, in his role of a coach, he led Ukraine to their first ever Euros quarter final. With players such as the Star of the Match Oleksandr Zinchenko, Roman Yaremchuk, captain Andriy Yarmolenko and more, he is leading Ukraine to one of their best ever major tournament campaigns. If they win against England on Saturday, they can see themselves in their first ever semi-final, and that will surely put the Ukrainian side on more headlines, and earn the country more recognition when it comes to footballing affairs.
We have got our last 16, and it is going to be an exciting knock out stage. The group stage was full of surprises and so today we will take a look at who shined and who the teams will now be facing in order to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Group A
Italy topped their group at the Euros with nine points, being unbeaten so far in all three matches and have not conceded a single goal. The Azzurri look strong to go into the Round of 16 in which they will face Austria, who are determined to progress and make their country even more proud after they managed to save themselves during the group stage for the first time in their footballing history.
Italy beat Wales 1-0 thanks to a goal from Matteo Pessina at the 39th minute. Despite this, the Welsh still made it to the last 16 as they finished in second with four points. Below them, Switzerland also qualified through third place with four points, thanks to their goal average. A 3-1 win against Turkey, who have not managed to grasp a single point during this competition, saw them qualify and now will face current World Champions France. Italy - Federico Chiesa
The Juventus forward finally got a start. He has been an essential part of the Juventus squad this season, as the Bianconeri struggled in the Champions League and even to qualify for it for next season.
Chiesa had one of his best seasons in Serie A as he shined with the Italian giants, and has also been essential for Italy during their qualifying journey. Having not qualified for the 2018 World Cup, Italy had to go through a shift of players and staff, and Federico Chiesa has been a pillar of this transition. The right winger is an agile and a great box-to-box player, which has been incorporated very well in the Italian squad. One should notice how Mancini is is setting up players with great chemistry thanks to their mutual clubs, as we have seen between Locatelli and Berardi in the match against Switzerland. For the match against a strong Wales side, Mancini set up Chiesa with his teammate at Juventus, and also during his time at Fiorentina, Federico Bernardeschi. Wales had some great goal scoring opportunities but the Italian defense was too strong for them, and the link up between the Juventus duo helped Italy to maintain a strong defensive front and present and offensive threat at the same time, which is after all what the Italians specialise at. Chiesa was great to watch against Wales, and we hope that Mancini chooses him more for his starting eleven, because the 23-year old is not one to mess with on the field. Switzerland - Xherdan Shaqiri
Without a doubt, the midfielder is one of the best for his country, and is a great leader on the pitch to help this side maintain hope that they will finally achieve a great result. The match against Turkey surely gave them some confidence but now the real test is against France.
Scoring two goals for his country, Shaqiri was a key figure during this match and did not give the Turkish a break. He surely made life difficult for them which is what earned him the Star of the Match award. Moving from Stoke City to Liverpool in 2018, the 29-year old only had 14 appearances during this year's Premier League season. It seems that he had not been having the best of times with Liverpool, who also had to deal with their struggles this season, especially due to several injuries suffered. A great Euro campaign can show his domestic club that he is worthy of being a regular for the Merseyside club. His two goals gave Switzerland their second win in which they scored more than a single goal in a Euro match. The last and only time that they managed to score more than one goal was back in 2008, in a 2-0 win against Portugal. The Swiss has now also scored in four major tournaments for his country which are the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the 2016 Euros and this year's Euros. A win against France, will surely make him a hero for his country who is still trying find ground in international football. Group B
The group that had gotten us all very emotional after what happened to Christian Eriksen, but now not only he is recovering and feeling better, but he will surely be supporting his teammates in the Round of 16. After having to play a match after their teammate had a cardiac arrest which could have been seriously fatal, and then suffering another loss of 2-1 to a strong Belgian side, the Danish came out stronger than ever against Russia, to beat them 4-1 and find themselves in second place with three points and a good enough goal average to be above Finland and Russia.
Belgium topped the group with nine points after they won each match, the last one being a 2-0 win to Finland, who their third place finish with three points still did not suffice to find themselves in the Round of 16. Belgium will now be facing Portugal, and it will be exciting to see Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku go head-to-head against Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo. Belgium - Jeremy Doku
So far, we have not heard much about Jeremy Doku but if Roberto Martinez chooses him again to play for Belgium and he keeps up his performance just like he did against Finland, he will surely be making headlines this summer. The 19-year old right winger is coming from his first season with Ligue 1 side Rennes who finished sixth. After joining the French side on a €26 million transfer fee, he managed 20 appearances in which he scored twice and also registered two assists.
His involvement in the pitch is key and he displayed a great performance for Belgium during his first ever match in the Euros. He started off his professional career with the youth team of the Belgium club Beerschot. He later on joined Anderlecht youth, one of the best sides in Belgium and progressed through the ranks there before moving to France. He was given his international debut in a 2-0 win over Denmark during the Nations League when he was only 18 years, three months and nine days old. He featured for two minutes as a substitute for Youri Tielemans, and then went on to start in a 5-1 win to Iceland, in which he also scored his first goal. Doku is a creative player, who is able to come up with some great opportunities for his teammates and also himself to score. He did miss out on some opportunities to find the net against Finland, but considering it was his first match, one can say that he is an exciting prospect to look out for during these Euros, if given the chance by Roberto Martinez of course. Denmark - Andreas Christensen
What a year the Chelsea defender is having. On Monday, he surely came through for his country, not only scoring one of the best goals that we have seen so far in the Euro Cup this year, but also an important goal which helped Denmark improve their goal average, get three points and make it to the Round of 16, despite the difficult campaign that they started off too.
The Champions League winner only managed 17 Premier League appearances this year, but with him in the back, Chelsea recorded nine clean sheets. Also, in the Champions League, in seven appearances, he helped the London side maintain five clean sheets, including the final to rivals Manchester City which ended 1-0. The other two matches ended in a 1-1 draw which were to Krasnodar in the Group Stage and Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The 25-year old is rock solid in the back and is a great team player which helps to boost his team up. With Simon Kjaer along his side, Christensen is learning how to be a great leader in defense and is already showing the potential to lead his side to bigger milestones in the future. Group C
Austria saw themselves achieving their best ever place in a major tournament's group stage, as they won 1-0 to Ukraine and finished second with six points. During their campaign so far, they only lost to the Netherlands, who won every match, topping the group as they earned themselves another three points thanks to the 3-0 win to North Macedonia.
Unfortunately, the Macedonians were eliminated after their first ever Euro campaign. The substitution at the 69th minute in which Tihomir Kostadinov came onto the pitch, saw the best Macedonian player, Goran Pandev play his last ever match in the red and yellow shirt. It was a heart-touching moment for the 37-year old who in 2010, lifted the Champions League trophy and celebrated the treble with Inter Milan alongside players such as Samuel E'eto, Javier Zanetti, Mario Materazzi, Wesley Sneijder and the list goes on. Despite the fact that The Netherlands and North Macedonia were opponents for that night, the Dutch displayed a class act where Dutch captain, Georginio Wijnaldum, gifted Pandev a Dutch shirt with his name on it and the number 122 which represented the number of appearances which he capped for his country. Austria - Florian Grillitsch
This is the first Euros that the Hoffenheim player is competing in, and he is yet to find his feet, but the match against Ukraine was a great one for him and will surely boost his confidence as he is set to face Italy, one of the best defensive sides in this tournament so far.
Grillitsch is not a player that we hear of everyday. He started his professional career in 2008 with Pottschach before moving to St.Polten to join their youth academy. He came up through the ranks with the Austrian side and eventually he got recognised by the Bundesliga side, Werder Bremen. In 2013, he joined the U19 side before eventually making it to the senior side in 2015. He immediately became essential for his side, as he made 25 appearances in his first Bundesliga season with Werder Bremen. In 2017, he then moved to Hoffenheim on a free transfer and signed a contract which so far keeps him there till June 30th 2022. Despite the fact that he is a defensive midfielder, he can of course play an offensive role. In his defensive position, he finds it easy to switch to offensive play and lay balls for his teammates to score, or even score some himself. During this season, he played as an attacking midfielder four times, three times in the Bundesliga and once in Europa League. He managed to find the net twice in the position in Hoffenheim's Bundesliga fixture against Augsburg. Having such a midfielder which can basically fill up any position in the midfield is essential. He covers a lot of ground, and so he is essential to helping Austria finally have a successful major tournament campaign, like they're already having. The Netherlands - Giorginio Wijnaldum
After having his breakout season in 2015 with Newcastle and being named the Netherlands Footballer of the Year, Wijnaldum signed for Liverpool and has been essential ever since. Now, that chapter is coming to an end as he aims at joining Paris-Saint Germain after the Euros, but first he needs to lead his country to victory, like he has been doing these last three matches.
In fact, he found the net twice against North Macedonia, which made him worth of the Star of the Match award. The midfielder has been essential so far in his country's campaign for the Euro, and even scored in their opening match against Ukraine who posed as a threat. Wijnaldum is not new to us football fans, we all know what a leader he can be and how dominant he can be on the pitch. Many have been doubting till where the Netherlands will make it through in this tournament, but with Wijnaldum's presence in the centre of the field, and players such as Matthijs De Ligt, Stefan De Vrij, Frenkie De Jong, Memphis Depay up front and more, the Dutch are not the ones to mess with. Group D
Patrick Schick could not find the net this time against England. Bukayo Saka showed how good he is during the match against Czech Republic by displaying his box-to-box skills as he helped to defend the three points and also create goal scoring opportunities. A goal from Raheem Sterling in the 12th minute was enough for England to top the group and qualify for the Round of 16 to face Germany. Meanwhile, Czech Republic made it through third place and will now be facing the Netherlands.
On the other hand, Croatia finally showed some dominance in the Euros against Scotland, as they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Nikola Vlasic, Luca Modric and Ivan Perisic. The Scots could not stop the Croatian attack and saw themselves eliminated from the tournament, as Croatia now head to Copenhagen to face Spain in Parken Stadium. England - Bukayo Saka
If there were any doubts about Saka starting for England, well now they are surely gone. The 19-year old got his debut and first start in a major tournament and he surely left his mark already on this Euros campaign. With Mason Mount having to isolate for having close contact with Scotland's Billy Gilmour, England had to introduce new faces in their midfield. Jack Grealish was also another English star who made his debut in a major tournament for England, and he got on well with Saka by his side.
Saka's involvement was crucial for England in order for them to stop a strong Czech Republic side from scoring. Both players were praised for how well they got themselves involved and tried to keep the play upfront and leave England out of danger from conceding as much as possible. Saka is coming from a great season with Arsenal, as in 32 Premier League appearances he scored five goals and registered four assists. By the end of the season, he was voted Arsenal's Player of the Season and now the Gunners are surely excited not to only see their star shine in the Euros as he tries to bring it home, but also for him to keep his form running for next season. Croatia - Nikola Vlasic
The 23-year old is one of the upcoming talents that Europe should be keeping its eyes on. Currently playing in Russia for CSKA Moscow, he was also voted as the Player of the Season for the club in the difficult season of 2019/2020.
You might remember Vlasic from his time in the Premier League with Everton in the season of 2017/18 when he joined the side on a €10.8 million transfer fee from Croatian side Hajduk Split. During that season, he only managed 12 Premier League appearances, but was given more playing time in the Europa League. He featured in all six group matches for Everton, and scored against Apollon Limassol in both legs while also recording an assist. Unfortunately for Everton, they were eliminated from the group stage and so Vlasic did not have enough time to showcase what he can do on the pitch at such a young age. A season later, Everton sent him on loan to CSKA Moscow, with whom he surely shined. In 25 Premier Liga appearances he scored five goals and registered five assists, while in the Champions League, despite getting eliminated in the Group Stage, he scored three goals and registered two assists in six appearances. One of these goals was that against Real Madrid, which was the only goal scored in that match and awarded CSKA Moscow three points against such a side. Can the Euros give Vlasic an opportunity to play football with a bigger club or will he remain in Russia, where he is happily making a name for himself? Group E
In my opinion, this was one of the most underestimated groups at the beginning of the Euros but it turned out to be one of the most interesting. Let's start off with Sweden who one can describe as underdogs in this competition. Topping the group with seven points is already a great start to the campaign, as they drew to Spain, beaten a strong Slovakian side 1-0 and then went on to win against Poland 3-2, who are normally considered as one of the strongest sides in a competition like this, especially with Robert Lewandowski up front. Surprisingly, Poland got eliminated from the compeition after finishing last with a single point.
Meanwhile, Slovakia started out very strong in this tournament, but a 5-0 loss to Spain ruined their goal average and they could not even make it through to the Round of 16 through third place. Spain on the other hand, had to face some obstacles with not having their full squad available because of a Covid-19 outbreak in their camp, but they overcame the hurdle and went on to achieve a second place finish with five points. Sweden - Emil Forsberg
The Star of the Match award had to be given to the 29-year old, who scored two of three goals for Sweden. He had also scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win to Slovakia, and so he has been outstanding for his country during this year's Euros.
Forsberg is one of the main names that plays for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, in fact he has been doing so since 2015 when he joined from Malmo FF on a transfer fee of €3.7 million. He is coming from a season in which he scored seven goals and registered five assists in 29 Bundesliga appearances. The Swedish playmaker is a huge part of Sweden's set-up as he teams up with Aleksander Isak, who we spoke about last week. Such offensive players give Sweden the boost needed to be threatening, and creates a great balance throughout the field. On the back, one will find Victor Lindelof leading the pack, and with such a player who brings the ball forward from the back of the field, these attacking individuals find it easier to link up to create chances and also block the opponent from scoring when possible. Sweden are a great attacking side, which is thanks to such players like Forsberg. It comes handy when the there is more work to be done in the defensive line, but so far it is working out brilliantly for the Swedes. Spain - Sergio Busquets
Is there really need for any introductions when it comes to Sergio Busquets? The 32-year old is still a great flame in the Spanish midfield and a great leader to follow too. After overcoming Covid-19, the Barcelona midfielder was ready more than ever to help his country make it through to the Round of 16.
He did not get to find the net in a 5-0 win over Slovakia, but this win showed how such a presence of a player like Sergio Busquets makes a difference around players who some of them are experiencing their first ever major tournament such as 18-year old Pedri, who also plays for Barcelona. Coming up against Croatia in the Round of 16 is no small feat for a team, but with the right mindset that Busquests can put the players in, Spain might be able to defy all odds and still go on to have a successful Euro 2020. Group F
We can all talk about how it was expected that France, Germany and Portugal go through, but I want to point out Hungary's performances and how they did themselves proud to be fair. Everyone was going on about how these three sides were going to batter them and they are done. Well, Hungary did not go down without a fight and displayed some great football, besides they are the ones who introduced England and other countries to the tactical way of playing football.
Having held World Champions France and now even Germany to a draw of 2-2, the Hungarians saw themselves finished in this competition with two points. Adam Szalai opened the score against Germany, giving hopes of maybe earning the team three points. Kai Havertz scored the equaliser in the second half at the 66th minute, with Andras Schafer putting Hungary in the lead again two minutes later. Leon Goretzka came through for the German six minutes before full time and so Germany finished in second place of this group with four points. France and Portugal also ended in a draw of 2-2, and saw France topping the group with five points, while Portugal went through to the Round of 16 thanks to finishing off in third place with four points. Germany - Joshua Kimmich
In my opinion, one of the best midfielders that there is in the game, but not given enough recognition, maybe because some fans claim that Bayern Munich are way too dominant in the Bundesliga and that it is a "farmers' league". I do not agree, because despite their dominance, this league and other smaller German clubs produced some of the best players which are competing in this year's Euros.
Kimmich has always been an important player, both for his country and domestic club. He had his breakthrough in international football during the 2016 Euros, in which he played in the last group stage match against Northern Ireland, saw Germany win 1-0 and then went on to start in the other knockout phases till the semi-final, which unfortunately for Germany, the lost 2-0 to France. Kimmich had one of his best campaigns during the 2019/20 season, in which Bayern Munich went on to win the Champions League during a difficult season in which all football was stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the circumstances, Kimmich was one of the best players that went on to shine, and still is. He is a crucial part of Low's plans for Germany and will be for any boss that will take up his position once the German manager departs from his duties as national coach. France - Karim Benzema
After six years, the French finally got his call-up for the Euro 2020 and he is making the best of it as much as he can. The 33-year old has gone through some hurdles in his career, and has started to shine again for Real Madrid as Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018.
Many claim that Benzema could not be as free as he wanted to because of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, and that is why he was not performing to the levels that people where expecting him to. In fact in the 2016/17 season he scored 11 goals in 29 appearances and only five goals in the following season, in 32 appearances. When Ronaldo left, of course the forward had to take up a bigger role and hold more responsibility for Real Madrid and so he did. He went on to score 21 goals in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, in which he recorded 36 and 37 appearances respectively. This season he scored 23 goals in 34 appearances, and also registered nine assists. With these stats, it is no wonder that Didier Deschamps looked into taking along Karim Benzema with him around Europe for this campaign. The Real Madrid player was always known as one of the best forwards in Europe and for France, in fact he was voted France's Player of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2014, which were also his first years playing in Spain. Maybe the spotlight was all he needed to regain his confidence, and if he manages to be France's hero these Euros, he will surely be making more headlines.
A week full of surprises and very important for teams to collect some more points to determine their place in the Round of 16. We take a look at some of the best players and moments of the second matchday of the Euro 2020 which got us all on our toes and eager to find out who will make it through to the next stages of the tournament.
Group A
Turkey remain without a single point as goals from Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts awarded Wales their first three points of the tournament. On the other hand, Italy are on a roll as they go 29 matches unbeaten and 10 matches without conceding a single goal. The Italians are showing a strong front and after beating Switzerland 3-0 they secure their place in the Round of 16.
Wales - Gareth Bale
The 31-year old needs no introduction. He is an integral part of Wales and is doing everything he can to help them progress as much as they can throughout this tournament. An accurate and great pass to Aaron Ramsey opened the score for the Welsh three minutes before the referee blew the half-time whistle. He later on also assisted Roberts in order to secure a 2-0 win against Turkey, who surprisingly are not presenting much of a threat in the tournament, when they were expected to be the dark horses.
Despite missing a penalty, the Wales captain showed what a great leader he is to help his country move forward and make it a great footballing nation. During the post-match interviews, he reacted saying, "I'm absolutely delighted with the win, we fought hard, worked our socks off, yes I missed a penalty but I feel I showed good character to keep going. That second goal at the end was the icing on the cake. Aaron got in a few times, we've always linked up well. It was important to get the victory today." And he did react well, displaying exceptional dribbling and passing throughout the match to help set up goal scoring opportunities for the rest of the team. Italy - Manuel Locatelli
If you did not know who Sassuolo's Manuel Locatelli was, you sure do now. The 23-year old who grew up through AC Milan's academy and also had his breakthrough in Serie A with the Milanese club has left his mark already on this year's Euros after scoring twice to help his country win 3-0 to Switzerland, while maintaining a clean sheet.
The midfielder positioned himself well enough for his teammates, in particularly his Sassuolo teammate Domenico Berardi, to find him and create a goal scoring chance for Italy. With the Switzerland defense left open and not marking Locatelli enough, the Italian banged in two goals out of nowhere, while also having good control of the midfield and bring the play more forward for the Italian side. It was a special moment for Locatelli and as he explained, "I'm very proud of this award but I want to share it with the whole team; I think we are a wonderful group. The first goal was for my family. After passing the ball to Berardi, I followed the action because I know him well and I knew he would do something with it. The second was for all the Italy fans because we play to make them happy." Group B
Russia earn themselves their first three points after they managed to hold newcomers Finland to a 1-0 score thanks to a goal scored by Aleksei Miranchuk during the second minute of extra time after half-time. On the other hand, Denmark tried presenting a threat to Belgium with an early goal from RB Leipzig forward, Yussuf Poulsen but Thorgan Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne scored the winning goals to put Belgium through to the Round of 16 and on top of Group B.
Russia - Aleksei Miranchuk
The Atalanta midfielder scored a great goal with his left foot while pressured by the Finland defenders. Maintaining patience and keeping calm during the match enabled him to help his side keep the score 1-0 and give Russia a chance of progressing. Miranchuk is focused on bringing his team forward and rather than thinking about his goal and award he looks forward for another win, as he admits that it is a tough competition full of strong teams, "Yes, I scored a good goal, but it's not important. What's important is that we completed our task, won the game, got the much-needed three points and now we want to build on that. At this stage, the victory was most important. This is a tournament full of good teams and every game is the only one that needs to be focused on."
The Russian just joined Atalanta last season on a move from Lokomotiv Moscow on a transfer fee of €14.5 million. The 25-year old can fill up several positions in attack, but was used mostly as an attacking midfielder in Atalanta's campaign. In 25 Serie A appearances, he managed to net in four goals and registering two assists. He made his debut in Italian football against Scudetto winners Inter Milan as he came on for Ruslan Malinovskyi at the 59th minute, and scored the equaliser to finish the match with a score of 1-1, 20 minutes later. Belgium - Kevin De Bruyne
Inter Milan star Romelu Lukaku got the Star of the Match once again for his involvement in the set-up of both goals for Belgium, but since we talked about the 28-year old in the last blog, this week I am going to talk about one of the best midfielders that there is currently in the game, Kevin De Bruyne.
The 29-year old not only scored the winning goal at the 70th minute, but he also assisted Thorgan Hazard in scoring the equaliser to send the Red Devils to the Round of 16. De Bruyne had to miss out on the first match against Russia due to an injury, but now he came back stronger for the rest of tournament and the Belgians are looking strong and threatening, even more with him in the pitch. De Bruyne is not new to football fans, the Champions League finalist this year also won the Premier League once again with Manchester City while scoring six goals and registering 12 assists in 25 appearances. He also signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club till 2025 and also made him the highest paid player in the Premier League as he will be earning £385 thousand a week. Group C
Ukraine display another strong performance, this time against North Macedonia to earn themselves their first three points of the tournament. Captain Andriy Yarmolenko opened the score in the 29th minute, with forward Roman Yaremchuk doubling the score to send the Ukrainian into half-time with two goals in hand. Ezgjan Alioski tried helping North Macedonia with scoring in the second half, but the Macedonians could not seem to get through the Ukrainian defence.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands also secured their place in the Round of 16 as a penalty scored by Depay and Dumfries doubling the score in the second half, saw them win 2-0 to Austria who now need to face Ukraine and determine who will go through in second place. Ukraine - Andriy Yarmolenko
The 31-year old midfielder is making quite a name for himself in this year's Euros, and he deserves the spotlight after he missed out on a lot during last season's West Ham's Premier League campaign which saw them enter the Europa League for next season. The injuries sustained last season gave Yarmolenko a lot of time to prepare and come back stronger to the field to help Ukraine make it through to the Euros and be a threatening side.
The Ukrainian has always been an essential part of his nation's football team, also being awarded the Ukrainian Player of the Year award in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. Despite his age, Yarmolenko is still a very strong figure. He is a great leader and captain to his side and pairs up well with his teammates. He helps defensively and manages to switch the game to move the ball forward for Ukraine and create goal scoring opportunities. After this match, Yarmolenko became the first Ukrainian player to score in two different Euro matches and also equalled his coach's, Andriy Shevchenko goals in the Euro tournament which amount to two goals. If he keeps this pace going, Yarmolenko will become Ukraine's all-time top goalscorer in the Euros. The Netherlands - Matthijs De Ligt
The Star of the Match for the Netherlands was awarded to Denzel Dumfries, but having already spoken about the 25-year old last week, I decided to give the spotlight to Matthijs De Ligt who finally made his return to the field after sustaining a groin strain. His absence has been felt and it showed, especially after the Netherlands managed to keep a clean sheet against a strong and determined Austrian side with him at the back.
The 21-year old had a perfect match and did not even commit a single foul. Completing 40 passes, he had a passing accuracy of 100%, as he helped to bring the ball forward from the defense. He was a strong defensive wall at the back together with Stefan De Vrij and Daley Blind. There was never a doubt that the Juventus defender is one of the best in the game and so far he did great to maintain a strong defense while Virgil Van Dijk misses out on the whole tournament due to his ACL. He is a great leader at the back who maintains great communication with his teammates and remains calm in stressful situations to help release his team from any threat. Group D
Results from both matches left the group quite open to who'll qualify and who won't to the Round of 16. Croatia earned their first point as Ivan Perisic managed to find the equaliser in the second half, after the Czech Republic got the lead in the first half thanks to a penalty taken by Patrick Schick. Meanwhile, Scotland held on to a 0-0 draw to arch rivals England during the derby as they were unlucky in finding the net. The Scots showcased a great display of football and surely surprised the English with their level of football. Meanwhile England did not have the best of matches, having only one shot on target and did not manage to dominate the game despite the fact of having more possession.
Croatia - Luka Modric
It was not Croatia's best performance against Czech Republic and in fact so far they have not shown any dominance in this year's Euros. Whether it is because of Croatia's footballing turmoil after some figures had been caught in fraud or maybe the team which is now getting older and the need to be looking at younger players that can adapt to the fast football that is now being played, the side need to get their act together if they want to see themselves progressing to the round of 16.
Despite this, it was 35-year old Luka Modric that was awarded Star of the Match, and it is no surprise considering that he is one of the key figures that keeps the Croatian midfield going. The Real Madrid midfielder did his best to try and create opportunities for his side. He helped bring play forward but he also helped to defend the point that Croatia were about to earn thanks to some important tackles. Scotland - Billy Gilmour
20-year old Billy Gilmour not only made his Euro debut but he made headlines after helping Scotland keep a 0-0 draw against a strong English side who can be said, underperformed. The midfielder was pivotal in Scotland's midfield, helping to bring the ball forward and create some great opportunities which unfortunately Scotland missed out on. He was great when it came to change from defensive play to offensive and vice versa and we can surely expect Steve Clarke to make more us of the youngster.
Gilmour started his professional career with the Rangers U17 side in Scotland, before he completed a move to London, when he signed with the Chelsea academy. He was promoted to the senior team in February 2020 but is yet to leave his mark and become a regular for Tuchel's squad. He was involved in the Champions League squad which won this year's Champions League final and also managed five Premier League appearances this year. Unfortunately Gilmour got infected with the Covid-19 virus, and is unlikely that he'll start against Croatia, so we hope that Scotland pull of a great performance against Croatia so that he'll maybe get a chance to play at a later stage in the tournament. Group E
Scoring a penatly for Sweden to help them earn three points from a 1-0 win, Emil Forsberg became the first Swedish goalscorer in the Euros, the last being Sebastian Larsson in 2012. The Slovaks did well to defend the goal but bringing down Robin Quaison resulted in Sweden being awarded a penalty.
Meanwhile, Spain earned another point from another draw, this time against Poland. Alvaro Morata opened the score for Spain in the first half, with Robert Lewandowski equalising in the second half. Sweden - Aleksander Isak
The 21-year old was awarded the Star of the Match awarded for the fact that "he was always dangerous and a threat behind Slovakia's defence," as UEFA Technical Observor Mixu Paatelainen explained. The forward currently plays for Real Sociedad in La Liga after signing with them from Borussia Dortmund in 2015 on a transfer fee of €15 million.
Isak is coming from a great season with Real Sociedad, after in 34 appearances, he netted 17 goals and registered two assists. In the season of 2018/19, he was the Copa Del Rey's top goalscorer with seven goals in. It is without a doubt that the Swedish is a goalscoring machine, he just needs to be given more opportunity with his national side. This is his first major tournament, and without a doubt, he needs to get comfortable when facing defenses which include the likes of Milan Skriniar, Jordi Alba or Kamil Glik. He already showed how threatening he can be, it won't be long if Sweden proceed to the Round of 16 before we see him score some goals for his national side too. Spain - Jordi Alba
Great effort by the Spanish captain to help his team keep a 1-1 draw. Spain have not been going through the best of years, and the Covid-19 outbreak which they had in their camp, had sent them back a step backwards with preparing for this year's Euro Cup. Only achieving two draws, Jordi Alba was an essential part in bringing these points home for Spain, in a group which is very open on who will qualify for the Round of 16.
The 32-year old is not new to football fans. He is loved mostly by Barcelona fans, who he played for ever since 2012 when he moved from Valencia. Speaking to the media in his post-match interview he said,"Yes, I think that, well, we have given it our all. It wasn't meant to be, which is a shame. There is still another match left and it's down to us." Told about his performance against one of the best strikers in Europe, Robert Lewandowski, he responded, "We knew that they're a very compact team with their star player, as you said, Lewandowski. And we tried until the end and we had chances and we just needed a bit more luck but now it's all about winning the next match." Group F
This group keeps getting interesting by the second. Let's start off with how Hungary showed a strong front against current World Champions France. It is no secret that most of us thought that France would batter Hungary, but Attila Fiola put his team in the lead right before half-time. The French found it very difficult to find the net, and in fact they only found it once at the 66th minute thanks to Antoine Griezmann.
Meanwhile, it was a goals galore between Portugal and Germany. Gosens almost opened the score for Germany, but it was ruled offside. Later on, Cristiano Ronaldo put Portugal in the lead but the his team's defense was all over the place with Ruben Dias and Raphael Guerreiro scoring own goals to put Germany up 2-1. Six minutes after the second half commenced, Kai Havertz scored Germany's first original goal to make it 3-1 and Gosens made it 4-1 at the 60th minute. Diogo Jota tried helping his team as he scored at 67th minute, but nothing was enough for at least Portugal to achieve a draw. Hungary - Laszlo Kleinheisler
The 27-year old played a huge part in stopping the likes of Mbappe and Benzema from scoring and performed well to earn his country their first point in this tournament. No one expected Hungary to hold the current World Champions to a draw, but they are proving Europe wrong and hope to at least earn enough points to at least finish in third place.
The midfielder plays in the Croatian first tier league with Osijek. For some reason, it was decided to leave him out of the squad for most of the qualifying phase, but now he is back to help his country progress through in this year's Euros campaign and if they can pull out a great performance against Germany, who despite winning 4-2 to Portugal, are still a team which are struggling, they will be in the chance to actually making it to the round of 16. Germany - Robin Gosens
In my first blog before the Euros commenced, I gave you a little preview about Gosens and how finally he got chosen for the German national team. Well, now you understand why I was very excited to watch this player at the Euros. He is dynamic and a real threat to opponents and was well involved against a strong Portugal side.
He first found the net during the first 10 minutes of the match, but it was ruled out as offside. He did not back down though, and kept getting himself involved, setting up goal scoring opportunities for his teammates while still being defensively strong, leaving no space for Portugal to go in between him and Rudiger. As UEFA Techncial Observor Steffen Freund explained, "An outstanding performance from the Germany left wing-back. He was involved in almost all the goals and managed to find the net himself. He was always impressive off the ball and closed the space next to Rudiger: Portugal could hardly get in behind down his side. Gosens stayed high when going forward and always posed a threat in one-on-ones and with his crossing. World class."
We have only been through one round of the Euros and it has been a whirlwind of emotions. The headline of the week was surely that of Christian Eriksen, who collapsed on the floor after suffering a cardiac arrest during the match between Denmark and Finland. The footballing world was shocked by the fact that it could have lost one of its best players but thankfully he is better and recovering at the hospital now.
Now we get ready for Matchday 2, as teams such as Turkey need to make sure to grasp some points, other teams like Ukraine need to figure out a way to get a better result which will earn them points and some teams head into this matchday confident after a great group opening match. Group A
Mehdi Benatia opened Italy's campaign with an own goal which boosted their confidence to score two more goals and earn them their first three points at this year's Euros. The Italians displayed a great exhibition of football and it was an exciting match to watch. The Turkish tried to retire back and defend the goal but they could not stop the likes of Ciro Immobile, Domenico Berardi and Lorenzo Insigne from creating opportunities. Meanwhile Wales and Switzerland both hold a point after Kieffer Moore scored a 74th minute equaliser during Saturday's match.
This week, Italy will go head-to-head against Switzerland on their home turf in Rome, while Turkey will be facing another difficult test against Wales at the Baku Olympic Stadium. Italy - Leonardo Spinazzola
The spotlight was all on Leonardo Spinazzola on Friday night and honestly it is about time. The 28-year old has been trying to shine for quite some time now. He grew up in the Siena academy in Italy before moving to Juventus and started his journey in Serie A. With Juventus he displayed incredible talent but for some reason the club decided to let him go and now he plays for AS Roma. He is one of the best left-backs in Italy and if he had been given more chance to play in the Champions League with Juventus, he would also be known as one of the best in Europe. He showed that he belongs up there with greats in matches such as against Real Madrid and Tottenham when he used to play for Juventus.
On Friday, he had another exceptional match which saw him recovering balls constantly, defending maturely and also helped create goal scoring opportunities for his team. It is natural for Spinazzola to switch from defensive play to offensive play and he can read the situation of the game quickly. This intelligent player is surely one to look out for as the Euros progress and hopefully, Italy does so too. Switzerland - Breel Embolo
The 24-year old forward has been part of Switzerland's plan for quite some time now, having made his debut at 18-years old. He currently plays for German side Borussia Monchengladbach and unfortunately he is not given too much attention in European football. He featured for Switzerland in the Euro 2016, in which Switzerland lost in the Round of 16 to Poland on penalties. He then also went on to feature in the 2018 World Cup, where he scored his first national goal in a major tournament against Costa Rica in a 2-2 draw which saw them go through to the Round of 16.
The Swiss is a great talent which we hope that we get to see more of in the Euros. Now that he is competing for his country at an older age and holds more experience then when he was 19 or 21-years old, he is more able to compete at a higher level of football. This could be his chance to help his country move forward and maybe go through more than just the Round of 16 this time. He is a disciplined player and knows the game very well, that is how he tries to help his teammates throughout the whole field. It all started with FC Basel before he moved to Germany to join Schalke. Eventually he completed a move to Borussia Monchengladbach, but this summer might open new doors for him if he keeps up his dynamic performances. Group B
It was one of the worst experience that the footballing world experienced. During Saturday's match, Christian Eriksen collapsed and was unresponsive for about two minutes. Thankfully, the medical team conducted CPR which helped save his life. To this Simon Kjaer and referee Anthony Taylor were also key figures and basically the Danish side and these people were all considered as heroes at the end of the day.
The Finnish side eventually won the match 1-0 after it was continued when it was confirmed that Eriksen is stable. Later that night, Belgium won to Russia 3-0 with Inter Milan striker and Eriksen's teammate, Romelo Lukaku, scoring a brace and dedicating his first goal to the Danish midfielder. Now Belgium and Finland lie in first place with three points each while Denmark and Russia must find a way to get some points to progress through the tournament. This week Russia welcome Finland in St.Petersburg while Denmark will open its doors in Copenhagen to the Belgians. Denmark - Christian Eriksen
It was a great gesture to give Eriksen the Star of the Match, not only because of what happened to him but because he truly deserves it. Everyone can agree that Eriksen is one of the best midfielders that one can find in the game. He was a key figure at Tottenham which for some reason decided to let him go, and then went on to become an essential part of Inter Milan too, while winning his first Scudetto title with the club. He is also loved because of his humbleness and respect that he shows for others, which is what at the end of the day makes him a very great player and a role model for all of us.
Simon Kjaer can also be described as the Star of the Match, as he was essential in helping Eriksen alongside Anthony Taylor. Kjaer immediately helped Eriksen by holding his tongue before the medical team called by Taylor arrived. Everyone took immediate action to help save Eriksen's life, and Kjaer led the team to form a human wall around their teammate to block the scenes from the cameras. Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and Kjaer himself also made sure to show support to Eriksen's wife, who without a doubt was tormented by what she was experiencing. It was a horrifying experience to even think about the fact that we could have lost one of the greatest players in Europe who is basically loved by everyone. A humble and amazing player which would be such a shame to not see him play football ever again. Belgium - Romelu Lukaku
He dominated Serie A and now he is set to dominate the Euros too. This man is non-stop. Ever since joining Inter Milan, Lukaku has been on top of his game and the striker cannot stop scoring. The 28-year old was already an important figure in Antonio Conte's plans to help Inter win the Scudetto after 11 years, scoring 24 Serie A goals and registering 11 assists in 36 Serie A appearances this year.
There is not much to say except that Lukaku is a threat which will not make the opponent's life easy. He takes every opportunity to score and lines up great with his teammates to make the Belgium side a strong and terrifying side to face. The Inter Milan Player of the Year for the season of 2020/21 is a goal machine for Belgium, having scored seven goals in five European qualifying matches for Belgium to help them get through. His brace puts him on top of the goalscorer leaderboard for the Euros so far, and I wonder how many more he is about to score. Group C
We got to see some pretty exciting football from Group C considering that these footballing nations are still in the process of developing a stronger side. Austria won 3-1 to North Macedonia thanks to goals from Lainer, Gregoritsch and Arnautovic. North Macedonia's Pandev tried giving a threat to the Austrians with a goal at the 28th minute but unfortunately Austria went on to dominate the match during the last 20 minutes. Despite the loss, I am pretty excited to see how North Macedonia will now respond to the Netherlands and Ukraine, as they have shown a great display of football.
Meanwhile, Ukraine gave the Netherlands a hard time on Sunday as they managed to get the score to 2-2 thanks to goals from Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk. Despite the effort, Denzel Dumfries came through for his country five minutes before full-time to make the score 3-2 and reward the Netherlands their first three points of the tournament. After recording their first ever Euro win, Austria also lie on top with three points, while North Macedonia and Ukraine will now go head-to-head this week, both seeking chances at progressing to the Round of 16. Austria - David Alaba
The leader leading the pack. The 28-year old Austrian captain led his country to their first ever historic Euro win. They qualified to their first ever Euro Cup in 2008 and got eliminated from the group stage to Croatia, Poland and Germany. That year they only managed a draw of 1-1 to Poland and saw themselves in the Euros again in 2016. During the group stage of that tournament, they lost to Hungary and Iceland and drew 0-0 to Portugal. They did not have much luck in the World Cup either, having not qualified since 1998, in which they also got eliminated in the group stage.
Alaba is described as Austria's best player and this is based on facts and of course his amazing performances. He has been awarded the Austrian Footballer of the Year Award seven times, winning it six time consecutively from 2011 till 2016 and then getting the title once again in 2020. The defender who also plays in midfield, has helped his country develop in football, especially thanks to his breakthrough in European football with Bayern Munich. During Sunday's match his stats were just exceptional. He recovered seven balls, had a passing accuracy of 90% and also assisted Gregoritsch's goal. He is doing a wonderful job leading his country and helping his teammates get the motivation needed to help a small footballing nation write their name on European history too. The Netherlands - Denzel Dumfries
The 25-year old right-back is giving more reason to Everton to persist interest in him after his great performance for his country on Sunday. The Dutchman brought three points to his country after he headed it in from an outstanding cross delivered by Nathan Ake.
The PSV Eindhoven right-back was spot on throughout the match, being persistent on the right flank and helping his team offensively to create scoring opportunities. Frank De Boer can make great use of Dumfries' ability to play both in defense and attack, as he can also play as a right winger, although he only done this once with PSV during the last season. The Dutchman is also being viewed by Italian side Napoli, but if he keeps these performances consistent, he will be making more headlines and turning more heads from different clubs towards him. He transferred to PSV Eindhoven in 2018 from Eredivisie side Heerenveen on a transfer fee of €5.5 million. His value as per Transfermarkt is now at €16 million, but with his agent being Mino Raiola and the great performances expected from his throughout the tournament, this summer can mean big numbers for Dumfries. Group D
Raheem Sterling had the England fans singing that it's coming home after he scored his first ever major tournament goal for his country. One can say that it was quite a levelled match, even looking at the statistics. Both sides were attacking but only England got lucky and found a goal. The Croatians will need to put their head in the game as they face Czech Republic this week.
The Czechs seem to be a threat, especially if Patrik Schick keeps up his Star of the Match performance. Two goals from the Bayer Leverkusen forward put Czech Republic on top of the group with three points leaving Scotland with hope that they pull off a better performance against England on Friday. Scotland seemed to be threatening during the first half, mostly Andy Robertson who was dominating the left flank. After conceding their first goal, Scotland could not find their feet in the game again, and a huge error from the Scotland keeper, David Marshall, gave Schick the opportunity to score from the half-line. England - Raheem Sterling
The 26-year old is criticised by many but on Sunday he gave England the three points that they needed. The only shot on target that he achieved resulted in a goal and it was not only his first goal that he was celebrating but also the first opening match that England have ever won in the European Championship.
The Manchester City forward was calm and maintained patience and focus throughout the match to try and beat the Croatian defense. With this young squad, England hope to progress to the final and celebrate their first tournament win since winning the World Cup in 1966. Raheem Sterling is surely one of the key figures that gives England the motivation and pace needed for the tournament and is one of Gareth Southgate's favourites, so we will surely be seeing him fight for his country throughout this summer. Czech Republic - Patrik Schick
The 25-year old did not have it easy throughout his career but at the Euros, he is ready to show Europe what he is truly made of.
He was meant to sign for Italian giants Juventus in 2016, but his medical report showed that he had heart problems and the Turinese club did not want to risk taking him on. So he signed for Serie A side Sampdoria instead and then also spent some time with Roma. Eventually, he made the move to Germany and joined RB Leipzig on loan. Now, the Czech plays for Bayer Leverkusen after Roma sold him for a transfer fee of €26.5 million. During this Bundesliga season, the forward netted in nine goals and registered two assists in 29 appearances. Against Scotland, his brace awarded the Czech Republic their first three points of the tournament and also gave his country confidence for the upcoming matches against Croatia and England. Group E
Things did not go to plan for Poland on Monday as they lost 2-1 to Slovakia. Polish and Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny gave Slovakia their first goal at the 18th minute and Star of the Match Milan Skriniar put his country in front at the 69th minute. Poland's Grzegorz Krychowiak also got a red card after being shown his second yellow and now the Polish will have to make do without the midfielder for the upcoming match against Spain on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Sweden managed to keep Spain to a goalless draw till the end. It is definitely not how Spain wanted to start off their Euros campaign, as they had a Covid-19 outbreak in their training camp and had to keep some key figures out, such as David De Gea in goal and Jose Gaya in defense. Sweden played quite a defensive match, having only four attempts throughout the 90 minutes when compared to Spain's 17. They had 27 clearances completed, seven won tackles, four blocks and 39 ball recovered. The both sides that have struggled to get on track for the Euros so far, Spain and Poland, face each other this weekend while Sweden go head-to-head against Slovakia. Slovakia - Milan Skriniar
If you've read mylatest blog about players to look out for in the Euros, then you have already heard about the Inter Milan Scudetto winner. Look out because Milan Skriniar is not the one to mess with. He is great defensively and can easily switch to attacking, which makes him a dynamic and dangerous player to play against.
Besides scoring the winner for his country from his single attempt, the Slovak was exceptional defensively. Out of nine attempted clearances, he completed eight, while recovering four balls and managing two blocks. He had a passing accuracy of 94% and did not commit a single foul throughout the match. The stats speak for themselves. The 26-year old is set to have a great Euros campaign and it is going to be difficult for sides to stop him or get through him. Sweden - Viktor Lindelof
It will be great to see who will be the best defender out of Lindelof and Skriniar when they face each other. The Manchester United defender made sure not to let any Spaniard get the ball across the goalline and he succeeded.
Covering a distance of 9.8km, the Swedish wall recovered eight balls, blocked two shots and completed six out of nine clearances. He had a passing accuracy of 93% and made sure not to commit any foul on the back line. He was the key figure that kept Sweden defensively strong and earned themselves a point in Group E. Sweden does not have a squad with big names, so Lindelof is a great leader at the back to help guide his fellow teammates. He has shown with Manchester United how strong and disciplined he can be, and he is doing so at the Euros too. Group F
The group that everyone has been talking about, before the Euros even started. Current European Champions Portugal came out on top against Hungary thanks to a brace from the one and only Cristiano Ronaldo and a goal from Borussia Dortmund's Raphael Guerreiro. The goals were scored in the last ten minutes of the match as despite the 3-0 score, Hungary had shown a great display of football throughout the match. Unfortunately the first goal that came at the 84th minute made them lose their tempo, and then Ronaldo joined the party and of course there is no stopping the Portuguese.
Meanwhile, Germany showed that they are still struggling to find their feet in international football after a poor performance and an own goal from Mats Hummels cost them three points against France. During their last World Cup, the Germans got eliminated in the Group Stage as they lost to Mexico and South Korea and they seem to not have recovered from it. Germany seek redemption against Portugal on Saturday and hope to get themselves some points while France prepare to face Hungary at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. Portugal - Cristiano Ronaldo
It is no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo is Star of the Match. The Portuguese is non-stop, especially when it comes to his country. He had already led them to the final and the title back in 2016 as they surprised everyone and went on to win against a strong French side. Be it on the pitch or on the sidelines just like what happened in 2016, Ronaldo is ready to lead his team to victory. Scoring his 106th goal, the 36-year old became the overall Euro Cup goalscorer.
Despite the fact that Hungary made it difficult for the Portuguese captain to find the net, Ronaldo still managed to find the way in the end and now they lie in first place in a very difficult group, with three points. France - Paul Pogba
The 28-year old only had one thought on his mind last night and it was not on whether he will be leaving Manchester United or not during this summer, that can wait for after the Euros. It was on leading France to three points in Group F, and he managed to do so.
Covering a distance of 10.6km, he had a passing accuracy of 80% while maintaining a great level of possession in France's midfield. The own goal came from Pogba's cross at the 20th minute, with the French being effective throughout the whole pitch recovering five balls, blocking a shot and also successfully completing two clearances which he attempted. It is no news that Paul Pogba is one of the best midfielders in Europe and of course we look forward to what more the Man United midfielder can bring to the field and how far he can help lead his country.
It's finally here! Euro 2020 is with us and that is why in this week's blog we are going to go through the groups and teams that are facing each other and I'm going to choose a player from each squad that will surely be worth to keep your eyes on.
Group AItaly: Nicolo Barella
Arguably, one of the best midfielders that you will find currently in Italian football. The 24-year old come through Cagliari Calcio's youth system before joining Scudetto winners Inter Milan on loan. Eventually, the Milanese side sealed the deal with Barella and became one of the most figures in Conte's plans to win the Scudetto.
He was also important to Roberto Mancini's plans on getting Italy back where they should, after the turmoil that the national side went through in 2017 when they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup held in France, against Sweden. The midfielder scored three goals and registered two assists in eight European qualifiers appearances to help Italy finish on top of Group J with 30 points. Switzerland: Manuel Akanji
I've spoken before about Akanji. The 25-year old defender who makes part of Borussia Dortmund's strong squad which has been making them competitive throughout these past few years.
Akanji is a humble player who makes sure to go out on the pitch and do his job properly. He is great to watch. He isn't the type of player to cause any drama and will defend maturely and rarely makes a mistake. He has become one of the most essential players for German side Borussia Dortmund and eventually he is leaving his mark on Switzerland too. He made seven appearances for his national side while they were trying to qualify for the Euros in Group D. With him at the back, they managed a draw of 1-1 and another of 3-3, three clean sheets against Ireland and Georgia, a 6-1 away win to Gibraltar and only a 1-0 loss to Denmark. He is surely a great prospect to keep your eyes on the look out for during this year's Euros. Turkey: Cengiz Under
Under is not a new name and is a class striker who we will hopefully gets to see lots of at the Euros. He made headlines during his time with AS Roma when he had his breakout season back in 2017/18 having scored seven goals in 26 Serie A appearances.
The winger was essential to Roma for three season before they decided to let him go on a season-long loan with Premier League side Leicetser. Unfortunately he only managed nine Premier League appearances in which he only registered two assists after having to miss out on half of the season due to injury. So he was not made available enough to Brendan Rodgers to showcase his talent in England and when Turkey were trying to qualify for the Euros, he had to miss out on most of the campaign due to injury too. So now, the Euros can finally be his chance to make his comeback to European football and show Europe what he's made of. Wales: Daniel James
Ryan Giggs given the Welshman his debut after he signed for Premier League side Manchester United from Swansea on a deal which cost €17.8 million.
He missed out for a bit in May after suffering an injury and returned to the field just in time to play in the Europe League final which United unfortunately lost to Villareal on penalties. The 23-year old is a great winger which is set to help his team perform at their best as much as possible, after being an essential part of their qualifying journey. He featured in each match to help Wales finish second in Group E which also included World Cup finalists in 2018 Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary and Azerbaijan. He had a significant impact on the group matches against Slovakia, scoring the only goal of the game in the home leg which awarded Wales their first three points in the group, and assisting the goal in a 1-1 draw during the away leg. Group BBelgium: Youri Tielemans
In 2019, Leicester signed Tielemans on a €45 million transfer deal after having him along on loan from French side Monaco. The 24-year old is by far one of the most underrated midfielders in Europe, probably for the reason that he does not play with as big of a club as Real Madrid or Juventus or Liverpool.
But watch out because he is going to be one of the most threatening players these Euros without a doubt. He has also had a stunning season with Leicester this year, surely leaving a mark on the fans after he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final to win them their first ever title. Brendan Rodgers made much use of him after he featured in each Premier League match scoring six goals and registering four assists. He was also an essential part of helping Belgium finish on top of Group I with 30 points and make it to the Euros. Denmark: Kasper Dolberg
Do you remember the threatening AFC Ajax side back in the Champions League season of 2018/19 which eliminated teams such as Real Madrid and Juventus, only to then be beaten in the semi-finals by Tottenham? Well Kasper Dolberg was part of that squad, and a key figure too. The forward is now playing for OGC Nice in France after he attracted the Ligue 1 side after that incredible season that the Dutch side had.
The centre-forward made his national debut at the age of 19 in order to help his country qualify for the 2019 World Cup. Despite the fact that they failed to do so, they came back stronger for the Euros and managed to finish second in Group D with 16 points, just a point behind Switzerland. Denmark had previously won the Euros in 1992. Despite not being favourites to have history repeat itself this year, can they be one of the teams that actually shock us and give the bigger sides a difficult time of making it through. Finland: Glen Kamara
We have heard lots about the 25-year old defensive midfielder this season, after he was racially abused by Slavia Prague player Ondrej Kudela. Now he is ready to take on the Euros and show Europe that he is not here to mess around. This is the first time that Finland have qualified for the Euros after they finished in second place in Group J, which also consisted of Italy, Greece, Bosnia Herzegovina, Armenia and Liechtenstein. Overcoming countries which have the likes of Kostas Manolas, Miralem Pjanic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan playing for them, shows just how much Finland have also come a long way in football and we hope to see them go through many stages in the Euro Cup.
Kamara is an essential part of both Scottish side Rangers which he plays domestic football for and also his national side, which he helped throughout the whole qualifying stage. Russia: Aleksandr Golovin
Fabio Capello gave Golovin his debut eight days after he turned 19-years old and is one of Russia's best products. He was voted Player of the Year for CSKA Moscow in the season of 2017/18 and went on to have a great World Cup campaign with Russia then.
He helped his country reach the quarter finals of the competition which unfortunately they lost to runner-ups Croatia on penalties. They made it to that stage after they had beaten Spain on penalties in the Round of 16 and throughout this whole time Golovin was attracting the eyes of several football clubs and leagues in Europe. So that is when he ended up playing for Ligue 1 side Monaco that year and have been ever since. This season he could only manage 21 Ligue 1 appearances in which he scored five goals and contributed with nine assists. He missed out on a big part of the first half of the season due to a hamstring injury. He then also missed out on a bit during the second half when he suffered some thigh problems and then also got infected with Covid-19. Group CAustria: Marcel Sabitzer
Sabizter was only 18-years old when he made his debut for his national side and has been a great product of the Red Bull football academy having had spells with both RB Salzburg in Austria and RB Leipzig in Germany.
In 2015, he was named as Austria's Footballer of the Year after he scored 19 goals and registered 16 assists in 33 Austrian Bundesliga appearances. Unfortunately, Austria displayed poor performances in the Euros 2016 in which they suffered two losses and a draw to Portugal, which saw them get eliminated from the tournament as they only achieved to earn a single point. This time round they hope to achieve a better result with RB Leipzig captain being more ready than ever. He has become an integral part of the RB Leipzig squad ever since he rejoined them from the RB Salzburg loan. He is a strong midfielder with a dominant presence which will surely be beneficial for a team that consists of players such as David Alaba at the back and Marko Arnautovic at the front. Netherlands: Nathan Ake
The 26-year old is a great defender who will surely be given more time to showcase his skills now that Van Dijk is omitted from the squad. A link-up between Juventus' Matthijs De Ligt and Nathan Ake will surely give opponents a hard time to find the back of the net.
Ake had his breakout season while at Bournemouth, where he was a rock solid defender and attracted the eyes of Pep Guardiola. Unfortunately with the return of John Stones, Kyle Walker's leadership at the back and a horrible injury spell, Ake didn't have much of an opportunity to show Manchester City what he can do for them after he only managed ten appearances in his first season. The Euros this summer are his opportunity to make his comeback and convince Pep Guardiola to make him a regular starter for the following season and that is why you should surely make sure to keep your eyes on the Dutchman. North Macedonia: Eljif Elmas
The 21-year old is another attacking talent that you should be on the look out for, he will surely be feeding Pandev some scoring opportunities to help North Macedonia make the most of their first ever major tournament.
Elmas has had a great breakout in Italian football ever since he joined Napoli in 2019. He started his first season with 26 appearances in which he scored a single goal. He is a dominant presence in Napoli's midfield which led Gennaro Gattuso to feature him in 33 Serie A matches this season in which he found the net twice and also recorded an assist. He made his national debut at 17 years old and was an integral part of North Macedonia's qualifying campaign. They finished third in Group G but a second place finish in Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League 2 put them forward for a play-off and Elmas was a key figure during this journey. He had to miss out on the semi-final win to Kosovo due to Covid-19 but he returned stronger than ever to help his country win 1-0 to Georgia and make it to their first Euros after 27 years of foundation. Ukraine: Oleksandr Zinchenko
There is no need for much introduction to Zinchenko because I'm sure that you already know who he is. The Manchester City left-back is a great player who goes out on the pitch, does his job properly and maturely and is a great teammate to watch.
In 2019, he was voted as Ukraine's Footballer of the Year, mostly after his involvement in his nation's qualifying campaign. Ukraine came out on top of Group C with 20 points, above reigning European Champions Portugal. With him playing, Ukraine managed five clean sheets, including the goalless draw to Portugal and also managed to win against them in their final leg with a score of 2-1. The one time that Zinchenko did not play was when he suffered a knee injury and had to miss the last match against Serbia which resulted in a 2-2 draw. The 24-year old was close to becoming a European Champion with his domestic club Manchester City, after he helped them reach the final for the first time but unfortunately a 1-0 loss to Chelsea took that dream away from them for this season. Now, he will try to lead his country to a great Euros campaign. Despite not being favourites to win the tournament, you never know who the underdogs might turn out to be in football. Group DCroatia: Mario Pasalic
The 26-year old midfielder is not given enough attention in my opinion in European football. Maybe because he plays for Atalanta, who are underdogs and have come a long way in Italian and European competition. Having finished second in Serie A, Atalanta will be competing in the Champions League once again next season, and Pasalic will be ready more than ever to shine there, but before he must do so in the Euros.
The midfielder will be giving us a little sneak peak of what to expect from him next season, as he is one of the most disciplined and effective midfielders in the game. With Luka Modric in the Croatian midfield, they will surely be presenting a threat to opponents. Zlatko Dalic did not make much use of him during the European Qualifiers, but after breaking out as one of Atalanta's best players, which also urged the Milanese club to seal the deal and complete a permanent move from Chelsea, the Croatian boss realised that Pasalic needs to become a key figure in his national team and that is why we should be eager to see how he will be incorporated in the squad during the Euros. Czech Republic: Jakub Jankto
If you're a fan of Italian football, then you might have seen the likes of Jakub Jankto being a definite player for Sampdoria. The 25-year old is a great forward who knows how to read the game well and create goal scoring opportunities for his teammates. In 35 Serie A appearances this season, he scored six goals and registered three assists. He also got to captain Sampdoria once this season, when they played their home leg against Scudetto winners Inter Milan and also won 2-1.
Jankto made the move to Italy at a very young age in 2014 to join the Udinese academy. Udinese sent him on loan to Ascoli before arranging a loan move to Sampdoria for him. Eventually, Sampdoria were very happy with his performances and sealed a €14.5 million transfer deal in 2019. Jankto was also part of the travelling party for the Euro qualifiers and made a huge impact on helping his team finish second in Group A, which also included England, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Montenegro, with 15 points. England: Mason Mount
There is no need for me to tell you who Mason Mount is, but I will tell you anyways because we just cannot get over how great the 22-year old is. He was brought up through the Chelsea youth academy and went on to be an important figure in winning them the Champions League final against probably the strongest current English side, Manchester City.
Mount is one of the best midfielders that will be playing in the Euros this year and we wonder, with the likes of Phil Foden and Jack Grealish playing alongside him, could this English team be bringing it home this year, especially since they will have their home supporters along their side in Wembley in every group match? It's exciting to see how it will all eventually unveil for England, one thing that I am sure of is that Mason Mount will bless us with his brilliance and technique in the midfield and opponents should be really afraid of him. Scotland: Keiran Tierney
After 25 years, Scotland make their return to the Euros and Keiran Tierney is an exciting young talent that you should have your eyes on. You might have already saw him play for Arsenal after he completed a €27 million move from Celtic in 2019.
The Scotsman was brought up through the Celtic academy and having been an integral part of the 2018/19 squad for Celtic despite suffering a hip injury, he attracted the London club. Unfortunately due to injury, Tierney missed out on most of the qualifying phase for Scotland, but made sure to be back for the last play-off final against a strong Serbian side which included the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Tadic and the list goes on. Tierney was essential to help Scotland keep the score at a tie of 1-1 and eventualy the Scots went on to make it to the Euros on penalties, winning 6-5. Group EPoland: Arkadiusz Milik
You surely must have heard of the 27-year old striker who had his breakout season back in that of 2018/19, when he went on to make 35 appearances for Napoli and score 17 goals.
He had made the move to Italy from Ajax back in 2016, on a €32 million deal and had a great stint in Serie A. Currently, the Polish plays for Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille, on a loan deal which ends in June 2022. In half a season, he managed 15 appearances for the French side scoring nine goals and registering a single assist. The striker was also linked with moves to clubs such as Juventus but it seems that they never went through. Without a doubt, a striker of his talent, no wonder that he will be linked to great clubs. He is confident in front of goal and makes sure not to miss an opportunity, he will surely be a great link up with Robert Lewandowski during these Euros. Unfortunately we did not get to see much of him during the qualifying phase due to a groin and muscle injury, but the Euros are his time for redemption. Slovakia: Milan Skriniar
After 11 years, Milan Skriniar was a key figure in helping Inter Milan win their 19th Serie A title. He is arguably one of the best centre-backs in Serie A, together with his partner at the back Stefan De Vrij who will be playing for the Netherlands during these Euros. His success in Italy saw him being named the Slovakian Player of the Year for two years consecutively in 2019 and 2020. Opponents will surely not be getting past him easily, and don't be surprised if he ends up scoring out of nowhere too.
He is a beast on the pitch, fighting for possession, maintaining it, helping his teammates out and creating opportunities for the whole side to score. He is a complete player who you won't get tired of watching. Slovakia qualified for the Euros through the play-off finals. He had to miss out on the semi-final against the Republic of Ireland due to being infected with Covid-19, but then returned stronger than ever for the final against Northern Ireland, which Slovakia won 2-1 after extra time. Spain: Mikel Oyarzabal
If you watch La Liga, then you are surely familiar with the 24-year old winger. He is a product of Real Sociedad and so far, he is set to keep playing for them till 2024. A great talent, which will surely threaten defenders in the Euro Cup. He has become an essential part of the squad back in the season of 2015/16, when he scored six goals in 22 appearances. From then, he became a regular for the Spanish side and has been on every La Liga's fan's mind ever since.
He has played six matches for Spain to help them qualify for the Euros, scoring against Sweden in a 2-0 win and in a 5-0 win to Romania. The Euros are his chance to shine and he will surely be turning heads and catching the scouts' eyes. His technique has already linked him with clubs such as Real Madrid and Manchester United but it will be after the Euros that we will probably know for sure which shirt Oyarzabal will be wearing next season. Sweden: Dejan Kulusevski
During his first season at Juventus, the Swedish had already won the Coppa Italia and the Super Coppa Italiana and without a doubt that as seasons pass by, more silverware will be added to his trophy cabinet. The 21-year old though is not new to the tabloids in Italy, as he has been making headlines for quite some time now.
He moved to Milan to start his professional career with the Atalanta academy back in 2016. In 2019, they sent him on a loan spell to Parma and that is when people started wondering, who is this exceptional talent? He only needed half a season to impress one of the best clubs in Italy, Juventus and in January 2020, they announced that he will be completing a move of €35 million, which will enable him to start playing in the black and white shirt in the summer of 2020. He finished the season at Parma, with Serie A naming him the Best Young Serie A Talent of the season for 2019/20, after he scored ten goals and registered nine assists in 36 Serie A appearances. With Juventus, he is yet to find his feet as the whole team is going through changes to find the best 11 for Juventus, but he is surely in Allegri's plans for next season, as the Swedish was made for the Italian game. It's exciting to see what he will be able to do for his country these Euros after they qualified by finishing second in Group F with 21 points, five points below Spain. Group FFrance: Benjamin Pavard
It is without a doubt that current World Champions have one of the best teams in the world, and they also have a 2020 Champions League winner in their squad. The 25-year old right-back has basically won every single trophy that a football player would dream of, and at such a young age.
Pavard currently plays for Bayern Munich and has just helped them in winning their ninth Bundesliga title. Didier Deschamps gave the French his national debut at 21-years old and has been a key figure in the squad ever since. He was essential during France's 2018 World Cup journey to victory, having also scored in a 4-3 win to Argentina in the Round of 16. He was also an essential part of the qualifying phase for the Euros and we eagerly wait to see what Pavard has in store for us as he will surely be crucial to face teams such as Germany and current European Champions Portugal. Germany: Robin Gosens
Finally, at 26-years old, Joachim Low realised that Gosens needs to be given the international call-up. The left-back who plays Serie A football for Atalanta has been established as one of the best in the field in Europe thanks to Atalanta's breakthrough and hopefully he will be given enough chance to bless us with his talent and technique.
He is a great box-to-box player who can adapt to the different situations that he and his teammates find themselves in during a match. He made his international debut in a 1-1 draw to Spain in the UEFA Nations League back in September 2020, after Atalanta had made a huge name for themselves in European football when they made it to the Champions League quarter finals against Paris-Saint Germain. After missing out on the qualifiers for this tournament, we hope that we will get to see Gosens incorporated into the team during the Euros, as he will surely pose as a threat to opponents, being excellent both defensively and offensively. Hungary: Rolland Sallai
Now Hungary do not hold many big names in their team sheet and they are least favourites to be passing from one of the toughest groups in the Euros considering that they have to face current World Cup Champions France, current Euro Cup Champions Portugal and one of the best footballing nations, Germany. So it is going to be a tough one for Hungary but luckily they have Roland Sallai up front who might be presenting a threat to these three sides and letting them know that Hungary are competing to go through too.
The 24-year old plays in the Bundesliga for Freiburg, and this season he went on to score eight goals in 28 appearances while recording six assists. It is no surprise that Sallai will go on to be one of Hungary's best talents considering that football runs in his blood. His father used to play for Vac in the mid-90s, with whom he won the Hungarian league with and his uncle, Sandor Sallai played in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups for Hungary. Meanwhile his other uncle, Laszlo Sallai also played football but did not make it to the top level, while his sister previously also played the sport but went on to become a professional handball player. Can the forward finally be the Sallai that brings hope to Hungary, a country which has significantly left its mark on football during the 1950s? Portugal: Diogo Jota
One of the most exciting players that I am sure that we are all eager to see play for Portugal alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Felix this summer. During his first season at Liverpool, with whom he signed a five-year transfer deal which cost at around €44.7 million from Wolves, he scored nine goals in 19 appearances. He would have probably scored more, but a knee injury in December saw him miss out on most of the season.
He made his national debut in 2019 during a 6-0 win to Lithuania in the European qualifiers. He then went on to score his first national goal against Croatia in a 4-1 win during the Nations League. His agility and intelligence makes him one of the best players that will be competing at the Euros this year, and he will not go down without a fight. In a group which involves so many big names, many hope that Diogo Jota will come out on top of them, because even if you don't support Liverpool or Portugal, you've got to be impressed by his talent. |