All 24 nations have now played their first matches of Euro 2020, with the opening round of games concluding when France beat Germany on Tuesday night.
There have been three 3-0 wins, just the one goalless draw, and a couple of goals for Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Patrick Schick – but which sides have impressed the most?
And which teams have work to do in order to reach the knockouts?
We rank the nations based on their opening-round performances…
Euro 2020 results so far
- Group A: Turkey 0-3 Italy
- Group A: Wales 1-1 Switzerland
- Group B: Denmark 0-1 Finland
- Group B: Belgium 3-0 Russia
- Group C: Austria 3-1 North Macedonia
- Group C: Netherlands 3-2 Ukraine
- Group D: England 1-0 Croatia
- Group D: Scotland 0-2 Czech Republic
- Group E: Poland 1-2 Slovakia
- Group E: Spain 0-0 Sweden
- Group F: Hungary 0-3 Portugal
- Group F: France 1-0 Germany
24. North Macedonia
The tournament’s outsiders had their magical moment when veteran Goran Pandev scored an equaliser against Austria, but after losing 3-1, North Macedonia will do well to get a point with matches against the Netherlands and Ukraine to come.
23. Hungary
It was an uphill battle from the moment the Euro 2020 draw took place, and now Hungary have a mountain to climb after losing 3-0 to Portugal. France and then Germany on the way… they’re in an unenviable position, but you just never know.
22. Russia
Perhaps a tad harsh to place Russia so low but an opening 3-0 defeat to Belgium leaves them with much to do. Another match in St Petersburg should lead to three points against Finland, but there is still a trip to Denmark to come afterwards. Too tough to call right now.
21. Turkey
Turkey were dark horses for many but were completely outplayed by Italy on Friday. That said, it was their toughest group match, and we should get a good measure of what this Turkey side are capable of when they take on Wales on Wednesday.
20. Scotland
More possession and shots than Czech Republic but nothing to show for it, Scotland’s return to the big stage left them learning a tough lesson. With England in their sights, they will look to bounce back in style – and shouldn’t be ruled out.
19. Poland
The makers of their own downfall with an own goal and a red card, Poland will hope for more from Robert Lewandowski as they aim to put the Slovakia defeat behind them and shock Spain in Seville on Saturday night.
18. Croatia
A narrow defeat to England does not damage Croatia’s chances too much, and with three points enough to reach the knockouts back at Euro 2016, Luka Modric and co will fancy their chances of qualifying. Second could still be the best place to finish in Group D, so maybe Croatia could still go far if they end up runners-up.
17. Wales
Robert Page will know Wales’ task only gets harder from here, for after a 1-1 draw with Swizterland it is Turkey on Wednesday and Italy on Sunday. Two difficult games, but claim a win over Turkey and the Welsh should book a last-16 spot without having to worry what the Italy result could mean.
16. Denmark
The fact Denmark played the remainder of their match with Finland was remarkable, and now with Christian Eriksen currently in hospital in a stable condition, the Danes must somehow re-focus on the task of getting out of the groups. No one would blame them if they fell short after what their players went through, and anything more would be celebrated the continent over.
15. Ukraine
A 3-2 defeat to the Netherlands should not bug Ukraine too much. It was a valiant effort against the best side in Group C and with Austria and North Macedonia next they should still reach the last 16.
14. Germany
The nature of a 24-team Euros means you’re almost certainly never out of contention to qualify for the knockouts until the final group game. Losing to France was not the ideal start for Germany, but they will look to make amends against Portugal, and even if they lose then a big win over Hungary on 23 June could be enough. If they reach the last-16, you just never know…
13. Sweden
Alexander Isak gave glimpses of why Sweden are still capable of topping Group E. They have got their toughest game out of the way after drawing with Spain, and they will believe they can topple Poland and Slovakia to qualify while knowing even third could be enough.
12. Switzerland
On another day Switzerland may well have come away from Baku with a comfortable win, but despite 18 attempts and four on target they were held to a 1-1 draw by Wales. The Swiss would rather focus on the positives ahead of their toughest group match – against Italy in Rome on Wednesday night.
11. Finland
There is very little to take from a match which was overshadowed by Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, particularly as Finland and Denmark came back out onto the pitch to play the final minutes of the first half and then the second half. The end result was three points for Finland as they scored with their only shot on target – Denmark had 22 attempts – and so for the Finnish Wednesday’s game against Russia will be about proving this was no fluke despite defying the statistics in their opener.
10. Spain
On paper Sweden were the toughest task for Spain, but Luis Enrique will still be concerned that the 0-0 draw shone a light on their shortcomings in attack. Seventeen shots and a staggering 85.1 per cent possession produced exactly zero goals – they will be out to rectify that final stat against Poland on Saturday evening.
9. Slovakia
Gifted an opener by Wojciech Szczesny and then scoring the winner seven minutes after Poland were reduced to 10 men, Slovakia took the most of the opportunity presented to them and are unlikely to be phased by the prospect of facing Sweden and Spain in their bid to qualify from the groups.
8. Czech Republic
Patrick Schick and the Czechs will have given Southgate something to think about ahead of England’s final group game next Tuesday. The 2-0 win over Scotland proved to be a clinical display as the Scots were left ruing the fact 19 shots led to four on target and none beating Tomáš Vaclík.
7. Austria
It was a test of their mettle when North Macedonia, who were playing their first major tournament match, levelled the match but Austria made their dominance count when Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautovic struck late on. The Dutch will prove a mighty test on Thursday, and so Austria could find themselves slipping down the rankings unless they pull off a shock result.
6. England
Plenty to work on still for England but a 1-0 victory against their toughest group opponents – a nation which knocked them out of the 2018 World Cup – has to go down as a good start. The foundations are there for a clean sweep in Group D, with Gareth Southgate’s bench options stronger than most in this tournament. That may yet prove crucial, but first they must navigate their way past Scotland before they can think of topping the group.
Euro 2020 winner odds
At time of writing on 15 June:
- France 4-1
- England 5-1
- Belgium 6-1
- Italy 7-1
- Portugal 7-1
- Spain 8-1
- Germany 11-1
- Netherlands 12-1
- Croatia 45-1
- Denmark 50-1
5. Netherlands
In what will go down as arguably the most entertaining match of the opening round, the Netherlands’ 3-2 win over Ukraine proved to be a gung-ho affair which exploited the very best and worst of the Dutch. Letting a two-goal lead slip arguably makes their standing at fifth a little generous, but against tricky opponents their attacking prowess rose to the fore. Beat Austria on Thursday and they should be a shoo-in for top in Group C.
4. France
A 1-0 win but it could have been more against Germany with Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema both having goals ruled out. The pre-tournament favourites have got off to the perfect start, and know they can reach the knockouts with victory over Hungary on Saturday before worrying about Portugal on 23 June.
3. Portugal
The first 80 minutes against Hungary was littered with near-misses for Portugal, but having come away from Budapest with a 3-0 win there is no denying the holders are a major threat once more. Their forward line may not have clicked on Tuesday night, but their perseverance paid off and with Cristiano Ronaldo’s double leaving him three shy of the all-time international record, he will be out to chase that landmark feat in the coming weeks.
2. Italy
The Italians put out an early statement against a nation deemed by many as the tournament’s dark horses. A 3-0 victory over Turkey only tells the start of the story, with Roberto Mancini’s side having 24 attempts and reducing their opponents to zero shots on target. It also takes their unbeaten run to 28 games – the sort of streak other nations could find difficult to snap.
1. Belgium
Roberto Martinez’s side came through arguably their toughest Group B game with a comfortable 3-0 win to their name, and they will look to carry this momentum with them when facing Denmark and then Finland. Two goals for Romelu Lukaku, a dominant performance with two-thirds possession, and few chances gifted to Russia. Belgium will be targeting nothing short of nine points in Group B.
More from i on Euro 2020
- Eriksen’s collapse has thrown a spotlight on football and its relentless thirst for more
- ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ showing he has perfect blend of silk and steel to be a star
- Where Schick’s strike against Scotland ranks among greatest Euros goals
- Daniel Storey’s guide to all 24 teams – from hot favourites to no hopers
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3vtBtGu
Post a Comment