OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·16 June 2021
OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·16 June 2021
So here we are, 12 games into Euro 2020, all 24 sides have played once. Sounds like the perfect time for some power rankings.
We’ve gone with just 22 sides after the first matchday and decided not to include Denmark and Finland after their game was stopped when Christian Eriksen collapsed and completed later that evening.
Russia were never in the game against Belgium, conceding the earliest opener (10 minutes) of the tournament to date before letting in two more.
Named as dark-horses by many pre-tournament, Turkey had an opening night to forget as Italy breezed to victory in Rome.
A spirited performance was cruelly undone as North Macedonia conceded two late goals to Austria in their tournament debut. Still, there was enough to suggest they will not go home without a fight.
It looked, for a moment, like Hungary were going to beat Portugal … but for an offside. The Portuguese then ran riot in the closing stages and while 3-0 perhaps felt a little harsh, it was clear who was the better team.
Poland started slowly but were on the up against Slovakia … until Grzegorz Krychowiak saw the tournament’s first red card. Defeat leaves them in a precarious position.
They may have lost 2-0 but Scotland still impressed against the Czech Republic and can still harbour ambitions of making it through if they improve just a little.
Croatia were disappointing at Wembley, with England in control of the Group D opener throughout. They’ll have to improve when they face the Czech Republic.
It wasn’t the dream start Wales enjoyed in 2016 but it wasn’t bad and you were left with the feeling there was more to come, especially from star men Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.
Sweden had a mind-bogglingly low share of the possession against Spain, mustering just 15%, but managed to keep the home side out thanks to goalkeeper Robin Olsen while still threatening on the break.
Slovakia are up and running with a win. We’re not sure how the game would’ve panned out had Krychowiak not seen red but Slovakia look a tough nut to crack.
Switzerland were far better than Wales as the sides drew 1-1 and were only denied a winner by some fine goalkeeping and the offside flag. Not the start they wanted but still very promising.
They may have lost but they were still excellent against the Netherlands and they’ve set the bar high for the rest of the group stage.
Austria flitted between impressive and throughout their 3-1 win but David Alaba shone and they got the job done to put themselves in a strong position in the competitive Group C.
Yes, it was defeat in the opener, but against the star-studded world champions. France were the better side but Germany gave them a game and you feel like there’s more to come from Jogi Löw’s side.
Were Spain poor or unlucky against Sweden? There seems to be some disagreement on that but you can really strongly argue they dominated and were very unfortunate not to score at least once.
What a goal. We’re still not over it. And we’re also not sure what exactly to make of the Czech Republic, who have much tougher tests to come before the group stage is over.
The 3-0 scoreline was flattering but there’s no doubt Portugal looked sharp, well prepared, and much more offensive than they were throughout the 2016 tournament. The holders are ones to watch.
England started superbly against Croatia before fading after a brilliant opening half an hour. Still, they were in control throughout, deserved their opener, and by far the better side against a disappointing Croatia.
Were the better and more entertaining team in the tournament’s most entertaining game to date. Flew out of the blocks and look like they could score bucketfuls … now they just need to work on the defence.
A dominant, deserved, 3-0 win against Turkey really set the tone: Italy aren’t messing about this summer, not after missing out on the 2018 World Cup.
Is it finally time for the golden generation? They looked superb against Russia and Romelu Lukaku got off to a flying start.
Did anyone else feel like France didn’t even look near their best in Munich? A frightening thought, considering they fully deserved to win. The world champions are back for more glory.