The Germany-France match drew a line under the first round of the European Championship group stage. Each of the 24 participants of the tournament played one game, showing their football goods on their face. Some teams, especially those who do not really expect to break into the playoffs or get to its later stages, tried to reach their peak form already in their first matches, and those teams that are usually referred to as favorites are expecting to gain the maximum move a little later. … We recall how the teams, which were named among the main contenders for the title even before the start of the Euro, played their debut matches at the Euro.
Classical Portugal
The reigning champions of Europe, headed by their captain and leader Cristiano Ronaldo, did not surprise, nor delight, nor disappoint. At the end of the debut match in Budapest, in which the Portuguese met with the Hungarians at the crowded Puskas Arena, the home team gave more topics for conversation with their combativeness and dedication, and not the big (3: 0) winner of their opponent. Until the 84th minute, honorable zeros for the Hungarian national team burned on the scoreboard, but in the end Portugal put the squeeze on the opponent: first, Rafael Guerreiro scored the winning goal, and then CriRo scored a double, first implementing a penalty, and setting the final score.
Many experts hinted at the unfairness of such an outcome of the meeting, or even spoke directly, even though the score did not leave any questions. The Portuguese were really not impressed and won on a thin one, but Fernando Santos’ team has long accustomed their, and not only, fans to such a game. You can also recall the qualification for Euro 2020, in which the Portuguese national team lost first place in the group to Ukraine, but the most indicative path of the team in the previous, victorious for them, the European championship.
5 years ago, the Portuguese drew three times in the group stage (with Hungary, Iceland and Austria) and advanced to the playoffs from 3rd place. Cristiano Ronaldo and his partners won only one match in the final stage in regulation time, in the rest of the meetings bringing matters to victory either in stoppage time or in a penalty shootout. Only once in the Euro 2016 playoffs would future champions have scored more than one goal. But this did not stop them from becoming the winners of the European Championship. And now you shouldn’t write off Portugal. Yes, the group is not sugar, but the rivals, in addition to the Hungarians, are the Germans and the French. Yes, it is possible that Santos’ team will not be able to overcome the group stage even after winning the debut match, but do not forget how this team is able to achieve the desired result at the right moment.
Scary Italy
The Italians, with a match against Turkey in Rome, opened the Euro 2020 game program and did it brilliantly. Roberto Mancini’s team did not leave a stone unturned from the Turkish defense, and the final 3: 0 can be called a real gift of fate for the losing side. The Italians, who missed the 2018 World Cup in Russia, at the current European Championship must regain their good glorious name and status as one of the leaders of European football. “Squadra Azzurra” rushed forward at crazy speeds, and on the approaches and in the very penalty area of the opponent did not hesitate to take creative actions. The players went dribbling at an opportunity, which is a rather rare phenomenon for classic Italian football, in which pragmatism should be incomparably more than creativity.
Neither the Belgians nor the Portuguese, who won just as big in their debut meetings, left such a vivid impression with their game. It is the Italians, based on the results of the first round, at the moment in terms of the game they look like the main contender for victory at Euro 2020. Confused by only one moment. The highest game pace, which from the first to the last minute was supported by the Italian national team in the match with Turkey, suggests that Mancini’s team is already in peak physical shape, but it is hardly possible to be at this peak for a whole month.
Confident France
The main signboard of the entire first round was the Germany-France meeting. The Germans, who are holding the last tournament under the command of Joachim Loew, hosted the reigning world champions in Munich and did not find anything to oppose Didier Deschamps’ team even at their own Allianz Arena. Let the French for their only and winning goal should thank Mats Hummels, who cut the ball into his own goal in the middle of the first half, but in general, against the background of one of the Euro favorites, the tricolors looked much more preferable.
There are no frankly weak points in Deschamps’ team. In all lines, with the exception of the goalkeeper, the stars of the first world magnitude are collected, and any national team, without exception, will envy the selection of performers in the attack of the French. France, both by the result and by the game, has confirmed the status of one of the main favorites of the European championship, but the feeling that the team is playing to the limit in Munich never arose.
Swift England
In the first 20 minutes of the meeting with the Croats, the British acted at exorbitant speeds, which are far from even the already mentioned Italians. Even though they came to Euro as a finalist of the previous World Championship, the “checkers” came under a powerful starting onslaught of Gareth Southgate’s team, not only could not carry out a single attack during this time, but also crossed half of the opponent’s field a few times. But not a single team on the planet is capable of acting at such a pace for all 90 minutes, and when the pace of the game slowed down, it turned out that the “lions” had serious problems with meaningful attacking actions.
The Englishmen scored an elegant goal, no doubt, but they did not write down more sensible combinations to their account in this match. The Wembley hosts should be grateful to the Croats, who leveled the game in the second half of the meeting, but did not organize anything even remotely resembling a finishing assault or even a banal bulk. As a result of the meeting, which the British won, there was no feeling of the champion’s potential in the winner. For the England national team, the picture looks quite familiar, when the team clearly shows itself in qualifying and group tournaments, but does not withstand resistance in the playoffs from opponents of approximately equal class. If Southgate does not add thought to the actions of the British on the field, then it is likely a repetition of the usual scenario.
Powerful Belgium
The team that has occupied the first place in the FIFA rankings for the past few years has warmed up in its debut meeting against the Russians in St. Petersburg. The wards of Roberto Martinez won easily and naturally, quickly providing themselves with a comfortable advantage in the score. Considering that Stanislav Cherchesov’s team did not create a single dangerous moment at the Thibaut Courtois goal from the game, it is not possible to assess the defensive potential of the Red Devils. And in the attack, in which there are enough star players, Romelu Lukaku confirmed the leader’s status, playfully twice upsetting Anton Shunin.
One can only guess how the Belgians will look when they wait for the return of Kevin de Bruyne and Axel Witsel, who plays an extremely important role in the center of the field, but the team will definitely not become weaker from this.
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