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Dan Burke·27 June 2024
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Dan Burke·27 June 2024
The Group Stage of EURO 2024 is in the history books, and now we look ahead to the round of 16, which begins on Saturday.
But first, it’s time to update our Power Rankings.
Disagree with our rankings? Of course you do! Be sure to tell us why in the comments.
Ah Scotland. Their thousands of travelling supporters brought a great feel-good factor to the tournament, but those good vibes didn’t transmit to the players on the pitch, who conceded a 100th-minute winner to Hungary to close the book on their summer adventure.
The Czechs went into matchday three needing a win over Türkiye to qualify, but a 2-1 defeat in which they went down to 10 men (and then nine after full-time) saw them finish bottom of Group F.
It’s not like huge things were expected of Serbia this summer, but they might have been expected to score more than just one goal at the tournament. Group C was the worst of the Group Stage, and Serbia were sadly the worst team in it.
It was a valiant effort to be proud of for unfancied Albania this summer, but their 2-2 draw with Croatia on matchday two was as good as it got, and they exit the tournament as Group B’s bottom club.
Despite being the first nation to be eliminated from the tournament, Poland put in a respectable performance in their final group game, with Robert Lewandowski’s penalty earning them a draw against France. Might things have gone differently had their talismanic striker been fully fit for the first two games? We will never know.
So it’s official then, Croatia are a World Cup team, not a Euros team. Mattia Zaccagni’s late equaliser for Italy on Monday saw Luka Modrić and co. eliminated without a win in Group B. Disappointing.
Kevin Csoboth’s 100th-minute winner against Scotland sparked jubilant scenes in the Stuttgart Arena, but Hungary’s three points ultimately weren’t enough for them to qualify for the knockouts as one of the best third placed teams.
After finishing bottom of Group E despite having four points, Ukraine can consider themselves the unluckiest team so far at EURO 2024. Ultimately, it was that 3-0 defeat to Romania on matchday one that did the damage to their goal difference.
The beneficiaries of Ukraine’s misfortune were Slovakia, who ran a slightly tighter ship to qualify as the third-placed team in Group E. Their reward is a meeting with England in the round of 16.
When Slovakia take on England, they could do worse than taking a leaf out of Slovenia’s book, who successfully managed to sit deep and frustrate Gareth Southgate’s side on Tuesday night. Slovenia will hope to do similar when they meet Portugal in the next round.
The Danes qualified for the next round despite not winning a match and only scoring two goals in Group C. They also finished second above Slovenia due to a yellow card picked up by one of the Slovenian coaching staff, which saw them slip behind Denmark in the disciplinary standings.
England went through as Group C winners, but it’s impossible to put much gloss on three pretty insipid displays at the tournament so far. If they find their gear they have a manageable path to the final ahead of them, but that’s currently looking like a pretty big “if”.
It has already been a very up and down tournament for Belgium, with the low of their opening game defeat to Slovakia offset by the high of beating Romania on matchday two. But then a 0-0 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday drew the ire of their own supporters, and it will be interesting to see which version of the Red Devils turns up against France in the next round.
The Dutch are through to the last 16 but will have to improve, with coach Ronald Koeman making his feelings clear about their performance after Tuesday’s defeat to Austria. Romania could be very tricky customers in the next round if the Oranje don’t tighten up.
It’s a similar story for Portugal, who slipped to a defeat to Georgia in their final group game. They still won Group F and did rest a few players for the Georgia game, but they haven’t been entirely convincing so far, and their talented crop of players are surely capable of better.
Romania absolutely would have taken top spot in Group E before the tournament began, and four points and four goals scored was enough for them to achieve it, setting up a tie with the Netherlands in the last 16.
Storming up the rankings are Georgia, after their historic first ever European Championship victory stunned Portugal on Wednesday. Willy Sagnol’s side have arguably been the must fun team to watch at the tournament so far, and their round of 16 encounter with Spain will be unmissable.
That win over the Czech Republic was the perfect response to Türkiye’s 3-0 defeat to Portugal on matchday two, and Cenk Tosun’s 94th-minute winner meant they qualified from Group F in thrilling style. Their meeting with Austria in the next round could low key be the match of the last 16.
Italy haven’t been too clever at all so far, if the truth be told, but that stunning late Zaccagni equaliser against Croatia means the holders live to fight another day, and will take on Switzerland in Berlin on Saturday.
Kylian Mbappé returned and scored his first ever Euros goal in their draw with Poland, but it was another Les Bleus performance which prompted more questions than answers. If they are to grow into this tournament, Monday’s clash with Belgium would be a great place to start.
The Swiss were a bit unfortunate that a late equaliser from Germany’s Niclas Füllkrug denied them a second group stage victory, but will be pleased with their second-placed finish in Group A nonetheless, and will fancy their chances against Italy in the next round.
That draw with Switzerland was the only blot on the hosts’ tournament so far, but they will have been pleased to salvage a draw and top the group. Denmark in the next round looks like a winnable tie, after which things could really get interesting in that side of the bracket.
The surprise package of the tournament so far, Ralf Rangnick’s side have played some brilliant football and been thoroughly entertaining to watch, with their 3-2 win over the Netherlands seeing them pip France to top spot in Group D. Up next is the Battle of the Dark Horses, when Austria face Türkiye.
As the only team with a 100% record in the group stage, Spain’s form has been a surprise to many, but perhaps it shouldn’t be considering the talent at Luis de la Fuente’s disposal. We can’t wait to see what Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal, Fabián Ruiz and co. will cook up against Georgia next time out.