Category Archives: Euro 2024

Chelsea await the bad boys of Europe: Why Legia Warsaw have become a headache for UEFA

“Tonight’s trip to Chelsea, in all probability, will be the 16th and final European game of Legia Warsaw’s season. A 3-0 first-leg deficit in the Conference League quarter-finals has left a mountain to climb, and the adventures of Poland’s biggest club will likely end at Stamford Bridge. UEFA is too diplomatic to publicly celebrate any club’s exit, but parting with the perennial bad boys at least rids their disciplinary department of a long, nagging headache. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Football fans deserve better than ad industry’s cynical stereotypes

“How was Euro 2024 for you? Exciting, disappointing, fun, all right, intriguing tactically, a waste of environmental resources? There is a whole world of valid responses to that rather banal question. Though for those football fans you see in adverts, for whom the Euros was a busy time, what with ads for TVs, betting, specs, hybrid vehicles, Scottish fizzy drinks, sportswear, holidays, razors and – with Sir Geoff Hurst leading the charge in the no-nonsense style that made his name – beer, any answers would be less expansive. Television, radio, internet, YouTube and even dear old magazine and newspaper adverts have been dotted with depictions of the football fan. …”
Guardian

How Germany’s pink shirt rose past the culture wars to break barriers and sale records

“It was the morning of Germany’s first game in the European Championship. That evening, the hosts would thrash Scotland 5-1 in Munich and begin a restorative footballing journey. It would end cruelly with a last-minute extra-time defeat to Spain in the quarter-finals but not before the national mood and the country’s relationship with its team changed for the better. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

How Spain ruthlessly exploited England’s lack of collective quality at Euro 2024

Spain were worthy winners of the Euro 2024 final, but the investigation from England’s perspective should not be about how their opponents in Berlin were better on the night, but how they were so much better for the entire tournament. If you were to rank the 14 team performances by those two sides at this competition, in order of quality, you would list the seven by Spain and then the seven England ones. That was the extent of the difference. Spain impressed and enthralled in each game. They had weaknesses, like every side, but those weaknesses generally arose from their bravery and their commitment to attack. …”
NY Times/ The Athletic – Michael Cox
NY Times/ The Athletic – Euro 2024 tactical trends: Counter-attacks, youth, fast starts and comebacks
NY Times: A New Prince Leads Spain as It Rules European Soccer Again
NY Times/The Athletic – How Spain won Euro 2024: Proper wingers, an old-school No 9 and a Real Sociedad core
Euro 2024 Tactics: England’s substitutions are game changers and savers
YouTube: Spain vs. England Highlights | UEFA Euro 2024 | Final

Hunger, pride, desperation. I feel everything for England. All of it


Celebrating scoring for England against Argentina in 1998
“I knocked on Graham Taylor’s door and cleared my throat. England had just drawn 1-1 with Brazil in a friendly match at Wembley and I hadn’t played. It was the night before the manager named his squad for the 1992 European Championship and I was desperate to be in it, so desperate that I was fizzy and fidgeting. I couldn’t wait a few more hours. And so there I was, inside his hotel room, asking the question. I was 21. I had only been around the team for three months. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: Spain vs England – your ultimate tactical guide


“After 28 days of drama and more than 80 hours of football, 24 teams have been filtered down to two. There is only one more game to play. Spain and England prepare for battle at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on Sunday evening, meeting for the first time since 2018 to fight for the European Championship title — and there are some thrilling narratives to sift through. How do you stop Spain’s relentless wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams? Have England become predictably unpredictable? Can you cut off Spain’s supply at source? England substitutions…. discuss. The Athletic profiles the finalists’ strengths and weaknesses, the key battles, and the many sub-plots in your definitive tactical guide to the Euro 2024 final. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
England’s Tactical Shift: Crafting a winning back-three setup for EURO 2024 – scout report
The Conventional Playmaker – Tactics: Spain knock out Germany in test between tournament’s two best sides
The Conventional Playmaker – England’s substitutions are game changers and savers
The Conventional Playmaker – Some teams have used space better than others
Guardian: Control holds key for England and ‘haunted’ Rice insists team are wiser
ESPN – Euro 2024 final preview: Spain vs. England (Video)

Adolf Hitler, Jesse Owens and Berlin’s Olympiastadion: the complicated history of Euro 2024 final venue

“The showpiece final of this summer’s European Championship, likely to attract a worldwide television audience in excess of 300 million people, will be played on July 14 at the Olympiastadion in Berlina stadium originally built and funded on the orders of Europe’s most notorious dictator, Adolf Hitler. Eighty-eight years have passed since the 1936 summer Olympic Games were also staged there, three years after Hitler, the leader of the Nazi Party, became the country’s chancellor and ruler. These days, it’s a 74,000-seat stadium with a sleek, modern roof, but the setting stands as a testament to a blood-soaked history. Over the next month, three group games, starting with Spain against Croatia on Saturday, will be played there, as well as a round of 16 match, a quarter-final and then the final itself. The hundreds of thousands of football supporters who descend on the Olympiastadion will be confronted by many of the features that distinguished this venue as a Nazi shrine almost a century ago. Since 1945, Germany has grappled with its history in a thoughtful way. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Hitler during the opening ceremony of the 1936 Olympics

How the Netherlands shut down England’s midfield – and made Watkins the perfect substitution


“We tend to remember brilliant stories by their happy endings. Ollie Watkins coming on in the 81st minute last night, with Englanddrawing 1-1 in the semi-finals of the European Championship against the Netherlands, to score a 90th-minute winner will be carved into the memories of English fans for years. Yet, the lead-up to a climactic finish is sometimes the building block to a jovial ending; Cinderella’s story isn’t only about marrying the prince. Watkins’ strike put England into their second final in the past three tournaments under the management of Gareth Southgate, and his introduction of the Aston Villa centre-forward made complete sense considering the way the match developed. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: Ollie Watkins, Cole Palmer and an England goal that was worth the wait (Video)

Netherlands 1 England 2: Late substitute Watkins hits winner to set up Euro 2024 final with Spain

“A late winner from England substitute Ollie Watkins against Netherlands put Gareth Southgate’s team into the final of Euro 2024, where they will face Spain. The Aston Villa striker replaced Harry Kane, the England captain, with nine minutes of normal time remaining and made it 2-1 in the first minute of added time. Xavi Simons put the Netherlands ahead in the first half with a long-range strike after dispossessing Declan Rice, and Kane equalised from the spot after being fouled by Denzel Dumfries. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: The stutter run-up is Euro 2024’s trending penalty technique – but why do players do it?

Spain 2 France 1: A semi-final for the ages as Yamal makes history with wondergoal – The Briefing


“Spain are the first nation through to the Euro 2024 final after beating France 2-1 in Munich. After a series of games at this year’s European Championship that could safely be filed as ‘cagey’, Spain and France served up a superb encounter on Tuesday evening. Didier Deschamps’ side took the lead inside 10 minutes via a Randal Kolo Muani header from a delightful Kylian Mbappecross, but Spain hit back with two extraordinary goals, the first a welcome-to-the-big-time rocket from Lamine Yamal (who, as you might have heard, is 16) followed by a clever finish from Dani Olmo four minutes later. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Will France’s players be liberated after ‘immense relief’ of country’s election outcome?

“The France team were en route to training when news emerged that the far right in the French elections had been defeated. Happiness and relief coursed through a group of young sportsmen who had taken it upon themselves to speak out in favour of the legendary national motto of ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’. It took courage and confidence to tackle such a sensitive issue so publicly. The response to the election result from within the camp spoke volumes about how profound it has been for their message to have arguably helped swing the vote. … Kylian Mbappe had urged the public to vote and appealed in particular to the youth of France, warning against the dangers of extreme and divisive ideas. How must those players have felt watching the pictures coming through of young people crying in celebration as the election results assuaged their worst fears? …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: France, racial politics and why ‘the Mbappe effect’ is shaping a bitter election

England starting XI to face the Netherlands: Drop Kane? Guehi back? Eze for Foden?

England are in another major tournament semi-final, but let’s not pretend there are no issues to resolve. Gareth Southgate’s side has yet to deliver a convincing 90-minute performance at Euro 2024 and while that has not impeded their progress so far, the challenge cranks up a notch with Wednesday’s meeting with the Netherlands. So who should Southgate select for what could be either his last game in charge of the national team or the prelude to a glorious finale? Our experts lend him their thoughts. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

England penalties vs Switzerland analysed: Buddy system, Pickford bottle, crucial pauses

“Watching England’s penalties in their shootout victory over Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-final, it would be tempting to think: why do people always make penalties look so hard. Because the five penalties — by Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold — England took were so good it all looked very easy indeed. But, of course, it wasn’t — as generations of England players and fans will tell you. This was a long way from the failures of the past: this was a team that knew what they were doing, who had planned it all meticulously. It was the successful conclusion to a process that England have had in place for most of Gareth Southgate’s tenure but has been refined over the years. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic – Euro 2024 day 23: England’s ‘cheat code’ water bottle and can the Netherlands go all the way?

England’s change of shape against Switzerland worked – to a point – thanks to Bukayo Saka

“By this point, it’s time to accept that England will not play good football at Euro 2024. They will not exploit the full potential of the Bundesliga top goalscorer, the Premier League’s player of the year or arguably La Liga’s player of the year. There have been no vintage victories, no truly convincing performances, and the feeling is one of frustration as much as elation back home. But they could still win it. Gareth Southgate’s approach for yesterday’s penalty-shootout win over Switzerland was the clearest sign yet that England have given up on being good, and are happy to try to make the opposition bad. Southgate abandoned his Plan A, the system he used throughout the group stage and in the narrow 2-1 win over Slovakia, and switched to a back five featuring wing-backs. Or did he? …”
NY Times/The Athletic – Michael Cox

How Spain’s direct central midfielders unlocked Germany – they are the team to beat

“Under Luis de la Fuente, Spain are a different beast. The nation that came to dominate international football 15 years ago with its commitment to slow, methodical possession football has not entirely changed its identity. This is, after all, a side that plays 4-3-3, uses a high defensive line, has good ball-playing centre-backs and a sturdy holding midfielder who is good at distributing the ball. But they nevertheless possess a different mentality: a determination to get the ball forward quicker, to attack with genuine width, to use a proper centre-forward. The attackers received rave reviews in the group stage. The 2-1 extra-time victory in the quarter-final over Germany, a meeting between the tournament’s best two sides, was all about the central midfielders. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

France’s defence is controlled, disciplined and built in the image of Didier Deschamps

“Despite having an array of attacking talent at his disposal, not one of Deschamps’ players has scored a goal from open play during Euro 2024. And yet his team are through to a semi-final against Spain having beaten Portugal on penalties 5-3 following a 0-0 draw after extra time. For all of France’s offensive woes, they make up for it with the best defence of the tournament. They have conceded just one goal, a penalty against Poland (twice taken by Robert Lewandowski), in five games and are yet to go behind. Les Bleus have faced Romelu Lukaku, Lewandowski, Memphis Depay and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have a combined 344 international goals, admittedly some in better form than others. …”
HY Times/The Athletic

England against the world: Are players embracing a ‘siege mentality’ at Euro 2024?

“It was a surprise to hear Jude Bellingham, making a rare media appearance after being named man of the match in England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia, talking about a ‘pile-on’. Bellingham is one of the most lauded young footballers in the world and had just produced a moment that will be remembered as one of England’s best in this competition — but he had something very different that he wanted to get off his chest. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic – Why England lost their set-piece superpower: Bad deliveries, flawed routines and the Maguire factor

How Spain have evolved under Luis de la Fuente – through crossing

“One of the wonders of the human brain is how it translates words into experiences, sounds and images. The notion, which is called semantic processing, is how our brain understands what we read by searching for associated words, sounds or images in our memory. Try reading the following words: Spain national football team. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: Why Spain vs Germany is one of the biggest quarter-finals in international football history

Why are France not scoring goals from open play at Euro 2024?

“Didier Deschamps is a glass-half-full sort of fella. France’s three goals so far at this summer’s European Championshipconsist of two own goals and a penalty. But after the 1-0 win against Belgium in the round of 16, Deschamps said: ‘My only regret is the number of shots we had and tried to put too much power into them, and they went off target. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done, to be in the quarter-finals again.’ …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024 power rankings: how the teams in the last 16 shaped up


“A dominant 4-1 win against Georgia in the last 16 means Spain stay top of our rankings. They fell behind in the first half but the end result never felt in doubt. Luis de la Fuente’s side had 36 attempts to Georgia’s four; they attempted 823 passes and completed 94%. Or put it this way: Georgia were outplayed, yet they didn’t play badly. Spain were simply superb. Again. The starting XI seems settled now but there can be no complacency because the options from the bench are so strong. Against Georgia, De la Fuente put on, among others, Dani Olmo and Álex Grimaldo with the former scoring. …”
Guardian

Austria 1 Turkey 2: Missiles fall, records tumble – and the save of the tournament?

“This always promised to be one of the more frenetic nights at Euro 2024 — and Austria vs Turkey did not disappoint. A dramatic start. which saw Turkey take the lead inside a minute, relentless attacking, a miraculous late save and a feisty atmosphere — occasionally bubbling over into something more sinister — made for a compelling last-16 match. Ultimately, Turkey did enough to secure a quarter-final against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday night. Our experts debate the big talking points. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic: Euro 2024 day 19 – Turkey march into quarter-finals, Gakpo stars again, and who throws a shoe?

Romania 0 Netherlands 3: Stylish Dutch through to quarter-finals as Gakpo chases Golden Boot – The Briefing

“The Netherlands are through to the quarter-finals at this summer’s European Championship after beating Romania 3-0 in Munich. Romania started the game on the front foot but Ronald Koeman’s side grew into the game and deservedly took the lead after 20 minutes via Cody Gakpo’s third goal of Euro 2024. The Dutch dominated the remainder of the half — particularly on the right flank — but Edward Iordanescu’s side, as they have throughout the tournament, retained a threat on the break. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

The secrets of Diogo Costa’s penalty heroics: Patience, explosiveness, going with your gut

“As the game moved into its 120th minute, it was so obvious Portugal and Slovenia’s Euro 2024 last-16 meeting would end with one group of players sprinting towards their goalkeeper from the halfway line, arms aloft, hailing his heroics. And surely it was going to be the goalkeeper who had already saved one penalty and been his side’s last line of defence in a resolute but intelligent and skilful rearguard action. It had to be Jan Oblak, Slovenia’s captain and seven-time player of the year, right? …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

France 1 Belgium 0: Are the French improving? Was De Bruyne wasted deep? What now for Belgium?

France are into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 — despite having mustered only a penalty and two own goals in four matches to reach the latter stages of the tournament. The substitute Randal Kolo Muani’s late shot took a wicked deflection off Jan Vertonghen to defeat Belgium in a dour contest in Dusseldorf as Didier Deschamps’ side forced passage rather unconvincingly into a last-eight tie against either Slovenia or Portugal. The centre-half’s own goal was the ninth of the finals to date. Daniel Taylor, Peter Rutzler and Mark Carey analyse the key talking points from Dusseldorf. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: France still striving to coax the best from Antoine Griezmann

What England can expect from Switzerland – their four tactical traits analysed

“It turns out Murat Yakin wasn’t lying in 2022. He was just one tournament early. ‘I think we are the best Switzerland national team that has ever existed,’ said their coach prior to the World Cup. He promised their best-ever finish at an international tournament but did not deliver — Portugal beat them 6-1 in the round of 16. From heartbreak to broken records as, 18 months on, Switzerland knocked out Euro 2020 winners Italy in the round of 16 at Euro 2024. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Spain 4 Georgia 1 – Yamal excellent (again), Williams’ wondergoal, exciting Georgia head home

Spain were worried at moments against Georgia but, in the end, their leading stars proved decisive in a brilliant performance. They dominated early on, but the Georgians took the lead with their first attack after a flowing move, finished off with yet another Euro 2024 own goal, the eighth of the tournament (this time from Robin Le Normand). Spain drew level with the man for the big moment, Rodri, scoring from just outside the area. Then their 16-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal set up Fabian Ruiz to head in the winner. Nico Williams, another of their leading stars to have made them the tournament favourites, scored a devastating third before Dani Olmo completed the win. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

England 2 Slovakia 1 – Southgate’s side scrape through, Bellingham to the rescue, tactical questions remain

“England edged past Slovakia to reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, but only after staring a humiliating defeat in the face. Anyone hoping for an improved version of England in the knockout stages was left sorely disappointed during a disjointed and dispiriting first half. Sloppy defending from Gareth Southgate’s team let Slovakia in on several occasions in the first 20 minutes, a foreshadowing of the opening goal from Ivan Schranz on 25 minutes — the 30-year-old taking advantage of acres of space to slot past Jordan Pickford. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

The Euro 2024 Adidas ball: Microchipped, slippery – and very quick

“People talking balls at international football tournaments is as old as inflating pigs’ bladders, and sometimes just as attractive. But it is slightly unusual for people to talk as much about the ball as they have about the Adidas Fussballliebe Pro EURO 2024 match ball, to give it its full name, as they have in Germany of late. The last ball to attract this much attention was the Adidas Jabulani, the official ball at the 2010 World Cup, but while that thermally bonded lump of polyurethane was loathed, this one is loved. …”

Germany 2 Denmark 0 – Havertz and Musiala put hosts through, and a night to forget for Andersen


Germany eased into the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 with a 2-0 victory against Denmark in Dortmund, courtesy of goals from Kai Havertz and the outstanding Jamal Musiala. The risk of lightning stopped play for nearly 25 minutes in the first half, as the players were taken off the pitch and water leaked through the roof at Signal Iduna Park, but Julian Nagelsmann’s side got the job done when the game resumed. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

The worst kick-off routine at Euro 2024 — and how Switzerland made Italy pay

“Twenty-seven seconds into the second half, Switzerland went 2-0 up against Italy in their last-16 clash in Berlin. But, hang on, didn’t Italy take the kick-off? Yes, they did — and they made a complete mess of it. Luciano Spalletti’s team started the second half with two players by the ball (the striker Gianluca Scamacca and midfielder Nicolo Fagioli), six players lined up along on the halfway line (three on the right and three on the left) and two players just deeper than the centre circle (the centre-backs Gianluca Mancini and Alessandro Bastoni). …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
NY Times/The Athletic: Italy went backwards at Euro 2024, every time they played it looked like the first time
NY Times/The Athletic: Switzerland 2 Italy 0 – Holders dumped out, Vargas stars, Yakin wins tactical battle – The Briefing

Euro 2024: Our ranking of all the games in Germany this summer

“You’ll see plenty of top 10 lists during this European Championship but how about a top 51 Starting today, The Athletic is ranking every game in the competition and we’ll be updating this piece each day. And with the group stage completed, there is already plenty (36) to choose from. Let’s dive in… …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Jamal Musiala – made in Fulda: ‘It’s crazy to think he used to play here’


Fulda, the city where Musiala spent his youth in Germany.
“The first greeting comes from a youngish guy who is going about his business in the old TSV Lehnerz clubhouse. His name is Bastian Stumpf. He is one of the coaches and, though there is a considerable language barrier, it turns out that mentioning Jamal Musiala around these parts is a form of entry. Bastian doesn’t speak much English, so he brings out his laptop and loads up a translation page to confirm that, yes, this is where it all started: a bumpy football pitch on the outskirts of Fulda in Germany’s Hesse region. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024 refereeing: More bookings, quicker VAR decisions, tactical foul crackdown

UEFA’s chief refereeing officer Roberto Rosetti has said he is “super happy” with the quality of decision-making during Euro 2024 so far, hailing a crackdown on tactical fouls, less dissent and quicker video assistant referee (VAR) calls. On a video conference call with reporters on Friday, Rosetti presented the key refereeing statistics from the 36 group-stage games and showed clips of several of the tournament’s most contentious decisions. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Euro 2024: Ranking every team in the group stage – England 13th, Georgia 5th, Austria 2nd


Romania
“The group stage of Euro 2024 is done. Opinions have been formed, conclusions drawn, rash predictions (revised from your pre-tournament rash predictions) have been made, players/teams/managers have been written off as chumps and losers or hailed as the next geniuses of the game. But who has been the best team at the tournament so far? There is a natural way of determining who’s been good and who’s been bad: specifically, who’s qualified and who hasn’t. However, that’s a little dull, isn’t it? It doesn’t take in the nuances of entertainment and subjectivity; just because you progress to the latter stages of a tournament doesn’t mean people want to watch you play football. So here’s a definitive ranking of the 24 teams who have done battle at Euro 2024. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Winners and Losers of the Euro 2024 Group Stage

“There are 67 hours between the conclusion of the Euro 2024 group stage on Wednesday and the start of the knockout stage on Saturday. After the near-constant soccer action for the first 12 days of the Euros—which brought breathtaking goals from outside the box, late drama, and history for multiple nations—it’s time for the business end of the tournament. The tournament began with 24 teams and is now down to 16. We bid adieu to Scotland, Hungary, Croatia, Albania, Serbia, Poland, Ukraine, and Czechia and are left with all of the top eight pretournament favorites in the round of 16. Switzerland and Italy will begin the knockout stage at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, the first of eight matches in four days. …”
The Ringer

How Czech Republic v Turkey became the dirtiest game in Euros history

“As Cenk Tosun finished off a seven-on-four counter-attack in injury time, the Turkey bench were off their seats to celebrate a 2-1 victory that sealed their qualification for the knockout stages. It was chaotic stuff, and yet that was only the start of it. In the madcap aftermath, Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs handed out five bookings, extending the record set 20 minutes earlier for the most cards awarded in a single game at a European Championship. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Georgia 2 Portugal 0: Biggest shock of Euro 2024, Ronaldo’s frustration, glorious Kvaratskhelia


“In the biggest shock (by the FIFA world rankings) of Euro 2024 so far, Georgia defeated Portugal 2-0 to secure a place in the knockout stages in what is their major tournament debut. Georgia, ranked 74, took advantage of Roberto Martinez rotating a Portugal team (ranked sixth) who had already qualified top of Group F, scoring in the second minute through the immensely talented Khvicha Kvaratskheliabefore Georges Mikautadze converted a second-half penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo started the game but his pursuit of becoming the oldest player ever to score at a Euros — he is 39 — goes on and he was substituted on 66 minutes with only a booking to show for his efforts. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Kvaratskhelia propels Georgia to last 16 with famous win over Portugal
Independent: Georgia’s glorious victory over Portugal reveals Euro 2024 quirk that helped them make history
NY Times/The Athletic – Czech Republic 1 Turkey 2: Most cards in Euros history, Montella’s entertainers qualify, Czechs out
Guardian: Turkey progress after Tosun finally puts out 10-man Czech Republic’s fire

Slovakia 1 Romania 1 – Heavy rain and genuine excitement as both sides progress to last 16


Romania and Slovakia came into their final Euro 2024 group game today knowing that a draw would take them both through to the last 16… but the match did not begin sedately. There were 11 shots in the opening 25 minutes and the last of them resulted in a Slovakia goal — via a powerful header from Ondrej Duda. By half-time, Romania were level, thanks to an equally emphatic penalty from Razvan Marin. The two sides continued to trade blows into the second half, in a match further enlivened by lightning, heavy rain and one of the themes of the summer: a questionable pitch. Despite several close shaves, there was no more scoring, meaning we got the draw many expected, but in a significantly more exciting fashion than most imagined. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Dignity reigns on stormy night as Romania and Slovakia battle into last 16
NY Times/The Athletic – Ukraine 0 Belgium 0: Qualified success for Belgians, heartbreak for Ukraine
Guardian: Belgium booed despite edging through as Ukraine receive heroes’ farewell

Netherlands 2 Austria 3: Sabitzer’s sublime winner and Koeman outfoxed by Rangnick


Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen can only look on after an own goal by Donyell Malen opens the scoring.
Austria are through to the knockout stage as group winners after a sensational and topsy-turvy 3-2 victory over Netherlands. Ralf Rangnick’s side took the lead twice but were pegged back on both occasions before Marcel Sabitzer’s 80th-minute winner sealed the three points and condemned Ronald Koeman’s side to a third-place finish. The result caps a disappointing group stage for Netherlands and they will have to wait and see which side of the draw they end up on. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Austria top group with Netherlands in third after Sabitzer strike settles thriller
NY Times/The Athletic – France 1 Poland 1: Mbappe scores at last but draw sees French finish second in Group D – The Briefing
Guardian: France settle for second place as Robert Lewandowski earns Poland point

England 0 Slovenia 0: Southgate’s side seal top spot in Group C but underwhelm again – The Briefing

England qualified for the knockout stage of the European Championshipwith a 0-0 draw against Slovenia that means they win Group C. Gareth Southgate’s team were underwhelming in their opening two games of the tournament and there was little sign of a revolution in the first half of their group finale on Tuesday evening. England dominated possession but managed just four shots on target, and a Bukayo Saka goal that was disallowed for a Phil Foden offside. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Boos rock England fans’ Cologne party as team turn clock back 15 years
Guardian: England disappoint again but still top group after stalemate with Slovenia
Denmark 0 Serbia 0: Danes advance but Hojlund was isolated and Germany have little to fear – NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Denmark edge through as runners-up but Serbia exit after tame draw

Croatia 1 Italy 1: Zaccagni goal puts Italy through, Modric’s minute of mayhem and more beer throwing


“A 98th-minute equaliser from Mattia Zaccagni secured Italy’s place in the knockout stages of Euro 2024 — at the expense of their opponents Croatia. Zaccagni’s outstanding finish in the closing minutes of the match for the reigning champions cancelled out Luka Modric’s goal for Croatia in the 55th minute — seconds after the midfielder’s penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. On his 178th appearance for Croatia, at the age of 38 years and 289 days, he became the oldest-ever goalscorer at a European Championship. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Mattia Zaccagni strikes at death to crush Croatia and send Italy through to last 16

Albania 0 Spain 1: Rotation rewarded, Torres hits 20 and outsiders’ dream ended


Spain’s Ferran Torres, centre, scores the opening goal during an international friendly soccer match between Spain and Albania at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona
Spain underlined their credentials as a team with the quality and depth to go a long way at the European Championship, as they beat Albania despite making 10 changes. This was only the third time in the tournament’s history a manager had altered the starting XI so significantly (and the first for 16 years) but Spain’s understudies were dominant for the most part in Dusseldorf. Ferran Torres’ 20th international goal gave Luis de la Fuente’s side a first-half lead and though they did not add to their advantage and did lose a degree of control in the second half, they rarely looked in any real danger of being denied victory. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Ferran Torres’ first-half strike earns rotated Spain victory against Albania

Switzerland 1 Germany 1: Fullkrug is the saviour but hosts look vulnerable


“This was the night Germany’s party almost fell flat. The Euro 2024 hosts had looked imperious at this tournament, winning both of their opening games, but Switzerland seemed certain to bring that momentum to a halt in Frankfurt as they led 1-0. But Niclas Fullkrug’s stoppage-time equaliser ensured a point for Julian Nagelsmann’s side and means they progress to the last 16 as group winners. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Germany relieved to qualify top after Füllkrug denies Switzerland at the last

Belgium 2 Romania 0: Lukaku denied again, a 73-second goal and the tightest of groups

Belgium came into their game with Romania on Saturday as the only team yet to score at Euro 2024, but they fixed that particular issue after only 73 seconds, with Youri Tielemans scoring his nation’s quickest goal at a major tournament. Domenico Tedesco’s side dominated the remainder of the first half, but they couldn’t add the second their pressure deserved. For their part, Romania improved significantly after the break, but an entertaining game was sealed when Kevin De Bruyne latched onto a long kick from Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels to make it 2-0. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: De Bruyne and Tielemans sink Romania to get Belgium back on track

Turkey 0 Portugal 3: Win secures top spot, a calamitous own goal and pitch invaders target Ronaldo

Portugal’s midfielder #10 Bernardo Silva celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Euro 2024 Group F football match between Turkey and Portugal at the BVB Stadion in Dortmund on June 22, 2024.
Portugal began Euro 2024 as one of the teams strongly fancied to win the competition, so they hardly needed the huge helping hand given to them by Turkey in Dortmund. Bernardo Silva’s strike midway through the first half put Portugal in control, but this game will surely be remembered for their second, when a calamitous mix-up in the Turkey defence led to an own goal by Samet Akaydin, gifting the 2016 champions a 2-0 lead. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Portugal into last 16 as Silva and Fernandes sink Turkey

 

Georgia 1 Czech Republic 1: Flawed entertainers, Czech misfortune and Schick’s injury blow

Georgia and the Czech Republic will head into the final round of matches with little room for error after they couldn’t be separated in Hamburg. The Czech Republic’s Adam Hlozek had a goal ruled out for handball before his side were penalised in the opposite penalty area for the same offence, Robin Hranac judged to have handled, allowing Georges Mikautadze to give Georgia the lead from the spot. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Mikautadze and Georgia denied historic victory as Schick saves Czech Republic

Netherlands 0 France 0 – Why was Xavi Simons’ goal disallowed? Should Rabiot have shot?

“The Netherlands and France played out the first 0-0 draw of Euro 2024 as both moved closer to qualification for the knockout stages. The first-half was defined more by a strange decision than anything else. Adrien Rabiot was played through on goal courtesy of a flick from Marcus Thuram. Just yards away from the net, he chose to try and pass the ball to Antoine Griezmann rather than shoot. The ball was slightly behind Griezmann, and his attempt did not trouble Bart Verbruggen in the Netherlands goal. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Netherlands have to settle for draw with France after VAR rules out Simons strike

Poland 1 Austria 3 – Arnautovic shines as Rangnick’s changes prove effective


Manager Ralf Rangnick
“An impressive Austria beat Poland 3-1 in Berlin, thanks to goals from Gernot Trauner, Christoph Baumgartner and a Marko Arnautovic penalty. Poland, who were again unable to start Robert Lewandowski, offered little throughout and will now need to beat France in their final group game to have any chance of reaching the knockout stage after losing their first two matches. …”
NY Times/The Athletic

Ukraine prove their football is alive: ‘The strong man is the one who can get back up’


“They came down the Rhine, at first in flecks and clumps and then in a yellow and blue torrent from the centre of Dusseldorf to the football ground on the city’s northern edge. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, the presence of any Ukraine fans in Germany feels improbable. Their domestic league has been shattered, their squad scattered across Europe. And for the first 150 minutes of this tournament, defiant support appeared to be all Ukraine had brought to Euro 2024. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Ukraine show ‘different spirit’ as Yaremchuk completes comeback in win over Slovakia – Jonathan Wilson

Spain 1 Italy 0: Calafiori own goal settles ‘European Clasico’, Nico Williams shines


“Meetings between Spain and Italy rarely disappoint and this one was no exception — even if it was an own goal that decided the contest. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente described Thursday’s Euro 2024 Group B match as a ‘European Clasico’ in the build-up, and his players certainly came out motivated to impress. They completely dominated the first half, and Italy only went in level at half-time thanks to several key saves from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. After the break, Spain’s luck changed and they finally found the goal they’d been pushing for when Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori turned into his own net after Donnarumma palmed out an Alvaro Morata header. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Guardian: Spain race into Euro 2024 last 16 after Calafiori’s own goal floors Italy

England 1 Denmark 1: Kane scores but struggles, England drop deep, Hjulmand wonder goal


“It was a familiar story for Gareth Southgate’s England in their second game at Euro 2024, as they took the lead against Denmark before dropping deep and allowing their opponents back into the game. England started brightly and took the lead in the 18th minute through their captain Harry Kane, but after that produced little. Denmark’s influence grew and grew and they scored a deserved equaliser through Morten Hjulmand after 34 minutes. The result means England are top of Group C with four points, going into the final round of matches and play Slovenia on June 25. Denmark are second in the group with two points and play Serbia in their final game. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: England hit new low with dire performance too bad to be boring – Jonathan Liew

Slovenia 1 Serbia 1: 95th-minute Jovic equaliser leaves Group C in the balance – The Briefing

“The games in the early slot at Euro 2024 have generally provided sensational entertainment so far. It took a fair while for the Group C encounter between Slovenia and Serbiain Munich today to ignite, but it eventually delivered the now-customary drama. As they were against England, Serbia were subdued in the first half, with Slovenia the more aggressive and impressive side. What chances Serbia did create were invariably squandered by Aleksandar Mitrovic, which almost proved costly when Zan Karnicnik put Slovenia 1-0 up with 20 minutes to go. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Luka Jovic rescues Serbia with last-gasp header to deny Slovenia historic win

The retro kick-off tactic that is proving popular (and effective) at Euro 2024


“It was the first act of Euro 2024, it led to Albania’s goal against Italy (the fastest in the competition’s history), and is also a tactic used regularly by the top two in the Premier League, Manchester City and Arsenal. Back with a vengeance, it is the old-fashioned hoof up the park at kick-off. Aimless punts may seem like a relic of a bygone age in today’s football, largely a revolving battle between one team pressing high and the other trying to find space to play through, but this more rudimentary approach is back in fashion. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Scotland 1 Switzerland 1: Shaqiri’s stunner, own goal confusion, Tierney’s agony – The Briefing

“To Stuttgart then for Scotland and Hungary — where a winner will like guarantee one of them a passage through to the round of 16. After being thumped 5-1 by Germany in the opening game of the competition Scotland responded in style. A fine move down the left ended with Scott McTominay’s scuffed shot going in off Switzerland defender Fabian Schar after 13 minutes. The lead did not last long though and the equaliser was a stunner — Chicago Fire’s Xherdan Shaqiri firing home from the edge of the box after Anthony Ralston’s woeful pass. A pulsating battle ensued as both sides pushed for a winner with Arsenalfull-back Kieran Tierney carried off in clear pain with a leg injury. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)

Germany 2 Hungary 0: Nagelsmann’s tactics, Neuer’s revival and hosts through first


“Host nation Germany are through to the knockout stage of Euro 2024 after a convincing 2-0 win over Hungary in Stuttgart. A 22nd-minute strike from Jamal Musiala put Julian Nagelsmann’s side in front and then captain Ilkay Gundogan made sure of the three points midway through the second half. Hungary didn’t roll over like Scotland did in losing Friday’s tournament opener 5-1, however — with veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer making several key saves to keep Marco Rossi’s side from scoring. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
NY Times/The Athletic: Manuel Neuer offers Germany glimpses of past brilliance but remains a figure under scrutiny

Croatia 2 Albania 2 – How did Croatia let it slip? How far can Albania go? Unluckiest own goal?


Albania’s Klaus Gjasula looks on in horror as he scores an own goal that gives Croatia the lead.
“Just when it looked as though Croatia had disproved their doubters by coming from behind to beat Albania, they let it slip at the end. As against Italy in their first game, Albania scored with their first shot. Against Italy, it was after just 23 seconds. This time, it came after 11 minutes, via Qazim Laci’s header. But despite struggling in the first half, Croatia took the lead in the second half, with Andrej Kramaric equalising before an unfortunate own goal shortly after. But then Klaus Gjasula, who had scored the own goal, equalised to rescue a 2-2 draw for Albania. Both sides, with one point each and one game to play, can still reach the knockouts. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Guardian: Klaus Gjasula strikes late after own goal to snatch Albania draw with Croatia – Jonathan Wilson

French far-right leader condemns Mbappé’s anti-extremism remarks

“The French far-right leader Jordan Bardella has criticised the footballer Kylian Mbappé over his call for young people to vote against the ‘extremes’ in parliamentary elections this month. ‘I have a lot of respect for our footballers, whether Marcus Thuram or Kylian Mbappé, who are icons of football and icons for youth … But we must respect the French, we must respect everyone’s vote,’ Bardella told CNews TV on Tuesday. …”
Guardian

Arda Guler: Choir-boy looks, thunderous foot and the hearts of Ancelotti, Montella and Turkey


“Giorgi Mamardashvili pawed the free kick away. As he did, his Georgian team-mates ran over to celebrate as if he had scored. His compatriots in the press tribune in the Westfalenstadion turned to their colleagues, grasped their arms and said: ‘The best in the world. The best goalkeeper in the world.’ Mamardashvili was the hero when Georgia qualified for a European Championship for the first time since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. When the 23-year-old goalkeeper flew to his left and saved Tasos Bakasetas’ penalty in the play-off against Greece, he flew his nation to Dortmund too. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Guardian: Arda Guler brings the thunder as Turkey survive storm to beat Georgia

Francisco Conceição comes off Portugal bench to break Czech Republic hearts


“A night of mayhem and confusion, of futures and pasts dragging each other in different directions, and at its climax a goal of pure catharsis. Portugal, one of the tournament favourites, are away: a poacher’s goal by the 21-year-old Francisco Conceição sealing victory in the first minute of injury time and underlining the bench strength available to Roberto Martínez. And this was a redemption of sorts for Martínez too, a coach who knows that he will need to shed Portugal’s past if he is to shed his own. Perhaps unfairly maligned as the man who inherited Belgium’s golden generation and won nothing, …”
Guardian

France’s altered defensive shape worked against Austria – but game state was a crucial factor

“When Didier Deschamps was asked a question about the pairing of N’Golo Kante and Adrien Rabiot in midfield after France’s 1-0 victory against Austria, he politely interrupted it to make a small correction. … France’s switch to a midfield three featuring the Atletico Madrid forward has continued throughout the European Championship qualifying campaign and into the tournament, but they slightly adjusted their shape off the ball in their opening game against Ralf Rangnick’s Austria. Usually, France’s 4-3-3 moves to a lopsided 4-4-2 when they are out of possession, with Kylian Mbappe maintaining a high position, while the right winger drops deeper to form a midfield four and the left midfielder is tasked with defending the flank. This way, Deschamps frees Mbappe of any defensive responsibilities and keeps him in an advanced position to be a threat on the transition. …”
NY Times/The Athletic