🔬 The Debrief as Poland knocked out and France survive VAR scare | OneFootball

EURO 2024 is into the midway point of the group stages with France, Netherlands and Ukraine all in action today.

Here's The Debrief of the action from day eight.

What happened? 📝

Ukraine came from a goal behind to beat Slovakia 2-1 in a game that ensured they still have a strong chance of qualification heading into the final round of games.

Meanwhile, France survived a VAR scare as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Netherlands.

It was a result that eliminated Robert Lewandowski's Poland, who became the first side to crash out of the tournament as they lost 3-1 to Austria.

Player of the day 🔥

Christoph Baumgartner put in an excellent performance as Austria brushed aside Poland, popping up with the second goal courtesy of an excellently taken finish.

As well as having four touches in the Poland box, he also won eight duels and was fouled on four occasions in an all-action performance.

Moment of the day 😍

VAR had been virtually anonymous so far this tournament, with decisions being made quickly and relatively easily. Then came the English.

As Netherlands' effort against France was ruled out for offside by the linesman, all eyes turned to the VAR booth, being run by Stuart Atwell.

And so we waited, and waited, and waited.

For what felt like an age, no one knew what was going to happen, until the decision eventually came to stick with onfield conclusion, much to the frustration of the Netherlands players and fans.

Photo of the day 📸

The Dutch may not have won, but they have won the hearts of plenty with their widespread support so far this tournament.

That continued against the French, with Netherlands fans parading statues of their stars through the streets of Leipzig. Dennis Bergkamp, Johan Cruyff, Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten and Arjen Robben were all on display as their support continues to impress onlookers.

Stat of the day 📊

Two games into the tournament, and the favourites are yet to really get going.

England have been drab in both of their games, drawing widespread criticism on their way to four points.

Meanwhile, France have seen their side do exactly the same, following up a 1-0 win with a 0-0 draw that they could well have lost.

Worse still, a French player is yet to even find the back of the net, with their only goal coming courtesy of an own goal from Austria's Max Wober.

What this means 🤔

As already mentioned, Poland are the first side to wave goodbye to EURO 2024, having lost both of their two games.

Meanwhile, the tournament's first 0-0 draw means that both Netherlands and France are forced to wait to fully ensure their qualification, and will need results in their final game to be sure of a spot in the knockout rounds.

In Group E, Ukraine's win has put the pressure on Belgium, who are the only side in the group yet to pick up three points and face Romania tomorrow. It also means that Slovakia, Romania and Oleksandr Zinchenko's side are tied on three points heading into the final round of fixtures.

What they said 🗣️

Austria match-winner Christoph Baumgartner sent a warning to other sides following their 3-1 win over Poland.

We had a really good period and people started to think big quite quickly, but we as a team knew how to assess the situation.

“We knew that against France we weren't at our maximum but that’s what we need – if we do that, we can beat a lot of nations.

Meanwhile, Poland goalscorer Krzysztof Piątek admitted his side had been caught out by Austria's fast start.

"It is difficult to say just after the game what exactly happened. We lost the game we did not want to lose. We had better and worse moments, but in the end Austria got all three points. Austria played very well with the ball, they surprised us at the beginning with their aggression and pressure. Then we played better, and also started the second half better, but it was not enough."

And Ukraine skipper Oleksandr Zinchenko was keen to play up his side's chances of success despite a poor start to the tournament.

"Even after going 1-0 behind, we were trying to push each other on the pitch and that's what we showed in the second half. We were trying to score goals. We were trying again, again and again. And when we play like this, it's tough for our opponents."

What comes next? ⏭️

Georgia and Czech Republic both battle to stay in contention for qualification in the early kick off on Saturday, with both sides having lost their opening games.

Then, Turkey take on Portugal in a game that sees future Real Madrid star Arda Güler take on former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, in a game that will see the winner qualify for the knockout stages.

Finally, Belgium will look to bounce back from their shock opening day defeat to Slovakia with a much better performance as they face Romania, knowing that a defeat....