Abysmal own goals? Check. Stunning golazos from distance? Check. Dominant performances and questionable refereeing? Check. The second week of Euro 2024 had it all, and the tournament isn’t even close to being over.
As it stands, Germany, Spain and Portugal have already booked tickets to the next round, while Poland is the first to bow out early. That said, the fate of many top teams hangs by a thread, and it’ll all come down to a handful of 90-minute games over the next few days. Buckle up football fans, because the drama is only continuing.
Read on for key moments and takeaways from Matchday 2, as well as how teams should reset and move forward heading into the final group matches at the Euros.
GROUP A: Germany is far from wurst…get it?
Heading into Euro 2024, we knew Germany would come to play. We analyzed its stars, statistics and possible formations, ranking Julien Nagelsmann’s squad third on our list of Euro power rankings. But seeing how passionate, technical and dominant Die Mannschaft have been on home soil over its first two group games, perhaps it should have topped the list. On Wednesday, Germany became the first team to punch its ticket to the final 16 with a 2-0 win over Hungary, and boy, was it done in style. 21-year-old Jamal Musiala scored his second goal of the tournament in his hometown, while skipper Ilkay Gündogan provided the insurance. Is it too early to predict Musiala and Gündogan as Euro Golden Boot and MVP winners respectively?
While it’s good news for Germany, things aren’t looking good for Hungary, who cannot finish in the top two and have no chance of advancing if it cannot beat Scotland on Sunday. After heavily criticizing the referee’s decisions on Wednesday, Marco Rossi’s squad must put its emotions aside against the Scots, as its track record when acting on heated feelings isn’t great. Moreover, Hungary will be playing a team that’s running on hope. Can the same be said for the Hungarians, who are coming off of two straight losses with a dreadful goal differential? Scotland responded from a 5-1 German thumping with grace and attacking menace. Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and John McGinn must sustain their signature composure under pressure, especially as star left-back Kieran Tierney is ruled out with a hamstring injury he sustained vs. Switzerland.
With all eyes on Germany, and the upcoming battle between Hungary and Scotland, it feels as though the Swiss have been left in the dust. Perhaps it’s best for Murat Yakin’s side to remain under the radar and maintain its direct, convincing football. It’s tough to see it beating Germany on Sunday, but using its compact defending and quick passing to at least earn a draw would see Switzerland to the next round.
GROUP B: You got schooled by a 16-year-old
Ah yes, the Group of Death. It’s certainly been morbid for Croatia, hasn’t it? Zlatko Dalić’s side can’t seem to catch a break, first getting blanked by Spain then getting the rug pulled out from them by Albania in the final seconds of added time. Looking ahead to its third match against Italy, Croatia seriously needs to regroup and find a new gameplan, or else the only award it’ll get is one for participation. How will its midfield begin to click? Is it time to bring some younger, fiery players into the fray and leave the aging ones as substitutes? Right now, it’s also unclear what Croatia’s fighting for. On the pitch, the players don’t seem to be on the same page, which they’ll need to sort out ahead of a make-or-break match against Italy.
The Italians are also a curious case. After squeezing out a win against Albania, Luciano Spalletti’s side were victim to an absolute clinic by Spain (thanks to 16-year-old Lamine Yamal’s technical brilliance and Manchester City star Rodri’s fluidity). Quite truthfully, Italy were lucky the scoreline stayed 1-0. Against Croatia on Monday, Le Azzuri will need to prepare to play against a side that wants to redeem itself. Mentally, Italy need to lock in and statistically, they must improve passing accuracy, which was only 82 per cent against the Spaniards.
Spain is in a similar position to Germany, being the second team to advance to the next round with two wins in two matches. However, this isn’t the time for Luis de la Fuente’s squad to pump the brakes and hold up. It would be easy for Spain to check out knowing the last 16 awaits, but as proven against both Croatia and Italy, Albania have a knack for scoring early goals and catching opponents off guard. Albania is hungry, and clearly doesn’t see even the best of teams as threats. Will Sylvinho’s men turn this group on its head?
GROUP C: God Save the King (Southgate)
It has to be said. How can England have such talented, technical players, yet play abysmally as a unit? Harry Kane opened the scoring over Denmark with a smart close-range shot, but as soon as the ball found the net, Gareth Southgate’s squad took its foot off the gas, letting the Danes slide in with a golazo of an equalizer. Right now, the Three Lions are top of the group, but to remain at the summit, it needs a big result over Slovenia with the help of England’s diamond Jude Bellingham. The 20-year-old was uncharacteristically quiet last time out, and if he continues to misplace passes and mistime tackles, there’s surely no chance the trophy is “coming home.” But from Slovenia’s perspective, England’s lack of poise and performance is something to capitalize on. If Slovenia beats Southgate’s team, it will be through to the round of 16. What an upset that would be.
On the other hand, Denmark will want to take its disciplined midfield and relentless attack into its next game against Serbia. Kasper Hjulmand’s team will be through to the round of 16 if it earns three points, which seems like a manageable task. Morten Hjulmand’s intelligent passing will be necessary on Tuesday, alongside Pierre-Emile Højbjerg’s leadership and Christian Eriksen’s playmaking abilities. That said, things aren’t so clear cut for its opponents. To avoid elimination, Serbia must beat Denmark and Slovenia has to lose to England. Moreover, questions loom as Serbia threatened to quit Euro 2024 after degrading and harmful chants were reportedly heard in the crowd last week. No matter what lens this group is analyzed from, things are certainly getting nervy.
GROUP D: Can VAR get it together?
It wouldn’t be a football tournament without some refereeing and VAR controversy. In Friday’s match between Netherlands and France, Xavi Simons whipped in a cracker from 14 yards. The 21-year-old celebrated his first international goal at a major tournament with tears in his eyes, but the elations were short-lived as Denzel Dumfries was caught in an offside position. After a lengthy VAR check, the goal was overturned as Dumfries was actually ruled to be impeding the goalkeeper’s ability to dive. However, that’s subjective, is it not? Naturally, the Internet erupted, with some fans saying the goal was rightfully discredited, while others were outraged it didn’t count. No matter what, the lesson is this – questionable calls will happen. If a team wants to win amidst the game’s unchanging technology and inconsistent refereeing, it’ll have to actually score clean goals. France and Netherlands must do this in Matchday 3 in order to secure three points.
Perhaps more notably, the French-Dutch showcase proved that life without its star, Kylian Mbappé, is more difficult for Didier Deschamps than anticipated. It was a moment for Les Bleus to show the world that it can take down quality opponents without relying on Mbappé to score goals, but instead questions remain. Will Deschamps play the injured striker against Poland on Tuesday in an attempt to get his team back on track, or will he rest the 25-year-old knowing Poland is already eliminated from the tournament?
From a Polish perspective, its game against Austria was a total disaster. Despite Robert Lewandowski being deemed fit, why did the talisman not start? Then when he stepped on the pitch 60 minutes in, why did he look like a fish out of water, almost bamboozled by Austria’s strength? While Poland has no chance of advancing, the team (and its hero, Lewandowski) will still want to finish the tournament strong. Additionally, its result against France on Tuesday will help determine who moves on in the group.
GROUP E: “Oh, Kevin De Bruyne”
No matter what stadium Belgian sensation Kevin De Bruyne plays in, the chant “Oh, Kevin De Bruyne” is surely to come alive – and that’s exactly what happened in Cologne on Saturday. The midfield maestro put in a shift in Belgium’s 2-0 win over Romania, pressuring the opponent’s backline, finding pockets of space and scoring a goal of his own. Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans got festivities started with a goal in the second minute, and helped set the tempo of the game. The 27-year-old was left out of the starting XI on Matchday 1, and surely made his case to not be dropped next time out. Overall, Belgium recovered well from a shock upset against Slovakia last Monday, and need to carry the winning energy into its final group game against Ukraine on Wednesday.
Sometimes, moments off the pitch are more meaningful than the results themselves. But on Friday, Ukraine received both. After a 2-1 win over Slovakia, the players gathered in the fan zone and performed a booming thunderclap, the unsaid connection between the athletes and fans clear amidst the country’s unrest and suffering. After a 3-0 loss to Romania, Ukraine needed that result, too. Serhiy Rebrov’s side came out with fight and spirit, and despite coming second in almost every metric, found a way to earn three points. Next up, Ukraine will play the Belgians – which will be its most difficult test on paper. While Roman Yaremchuk has a nose for last-minute winners, the Blue and Yellow cannot rely on the 28-year-old’s brilliance. Instead, Ukraine should stick to what it does best: no-nonsense defending combined with rock-solid mentality.
At the end of Matchday 2, Group E is probably poised for the most dramatic finish. All four teams are tied at three points each, while Belgium hopped from the bottom to the top of the group. As it stands, it’s truly anyone’s game.
GROUP F: Don’t score on the wrong net
Georgia has some work to do heading into Matchday 3. Willy Sagnol’s team only had 38 per cent possession against Czechia on Saturday, with five shots compared to its opponent’s 27. Moreover, the Czech Republic recorded 36 crosses into the box, the most by any team so far at Euro 2024. Holding the game to a 1-1 draw was a miracle, but it’ll have to do better at creating, finishing and defending against the mighty Portuguese on Wednesday. That said, the same goes for Ivan Hašek’s side. Scoring once with 12 shots on target is… not great. It’ll play Türkiye next, a team known for creativity and aggression. After netting a disastrous own goal against Portugal on Saturday afternoon, the Turks will surely come for blood next time out, especially because it’ll advance to the last 16 with a win.
Speaking of Portugal, gosh does it look good. After its 3-0 masterclass, Ronaldo & Co. are looking prepped and primed to make a deep run in this competition having already topped the group. Roberto Martínez’s squad looked balanced on attack with free-flowing football for the entire 90 minutes, and it was a treat to see veteran Bernardo Silva net his first international goal at a major tournament. Perhaps Georgia’s saving grace is that winger Rafael Leão will be out of the lineup, serving a suspension for receiving yellow cards in back-to-back games. However, it’s tough to imagine anything else but dominance from the Portuguese.