THIS morning’s results saw tournament favourite France squeak past an obstinate Austria courtesy of an own goal by Max Wober.
But the big news centred around Kylian Mbappé’s nose which seemed to be broken after the new Real Madrid signing suffered a knock late in the game.
It is very likely that the player anointed by many as the world’s best will miss the heavyweight clash against the Netherlands.
Given that France are red-hot favourites to lift the trophy, the injury to Mbappé may just give the other teams a glimmer of hope, especially if he is to miss the rest of the tournament.
The earlier kick offs had seen Ukraine comfortably beaten by Romania 3-0 while Slovakia created the tournament’s first upset by beating Belgium 1-0.
The Romanian team are ranked some 20-plus places lower than Ukraine in FIFA rankings but put on a highly disciplined display to take all three points. Despite having less possession, Romania made better use of the ball and constantly stretched their opponents with quick, purposeful movement.
The first goal came after a defensive mix up presented Romania with the ball in a dangerous position just outside the box and Nicolae Stanciu struck what surely must be an early contender for goal of the tournament.
The second goal by Razvan Marin was another beautifully constructed goal with an equally precise finish that underlined Romania’s supremacy.
Denis Dragus put the icing on the cake as Romanian supporters celebrated a famous victory that will give them plenty of belief that their side can go deep into the competition.
The first shock result of Euro 2024 came courtesy of Slovakia who beat highly fancied Belgium by a single goal, scored by Ivan Schranz inside the first eight minutes.
The Belgian team that boasted the likes of Romelo Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku were left to curse its luck as VAR stepped in to chalk off two goals.
There is a lot to be said for keeping things tight at the back as Slovakia rode their luck and frustrated their more illustrious opponents time and again by keeping their defensive shape and a few well-timed challenges.
Is this the beginning of the end for this highly-talented Belgium team? – June 18, 2024
Upcoming fixtures:
Turkiye v Georgia – 12am (19 June)
Portugal v Czech Republic – 3am (19 June)
Croatia v Albania – 9pm (19 June)
Main pic credit: The Guardian
