Golden Goals Euro 2024 Matchweek 2: Belgium Already Face Tournament Decider

Germany made a big first impression, Spain looked like the Spain of old, Belgium lost their opening game... Euro 2024 may only have just begun but already the second set of group games could be make or break for a raft of nations.

That includes Scotland, who have a tough hill to climb after a 5-1 opening-game humbling. They face a Switzerland side that ran like clockwork in their 3-1 win against Hungary.

All eyes will also be on England this Thursday as they prepare to face arguably their toughest opponent in Group C: Denmark. Despite winning the opening game against Serbia 1-0, Gareth Southgate’s men left a lot to be desired. Was it first game nerves or will the Danes shock the system in Frankfurt?

Elsewhere, Spain go from one main event clash to another when they play reigning European Champions Italy. Who stands tall at the end of the 90 will almost certainly go on to win the group.

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There are some fantastic games lined up but let’s start with Germany vs Hungary in Group A…

Germany vs Hungary

Group A. Wednesday 19th June (17:00). Stuttgart Arena.

The hosts could not have asked for a better start to their Euro 2024 campaign. Germany dispatched a lacklustre Scottish outfit 5-1 in Munich, registering the biggest win by a host nation in their opening game of a European Championships.

Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz were at the heart of it all. Bayer Leverkusen’s number 10 got the party started when he found the net after 10 minutes of action, becoming Germany’s youngest scorer at the European Championships and the youngest player to score the opening goal at the tournament in the process.

Who’s the second youngest German player to score at the Euros? That would be Musiala, who added to the scoring just nine minutes after his 21-year-old counterpart. It was the first time that two players 21 or younger found the net in the same game of a European Championships.

As much as we could continue to eulogise about the German’s performance on Friday night, they were unable to keep a clean sheet against Steve Clarke’s 10 men despite the opposition failing to register a shot on target. Antonio Rudiger’s 87th-minute own goal was the only blemish on a five-star curtain-raiser for the three-time champions of Europe.

While Germany were the epitome of consistency in their first outing, Hungary had a more polarising approach. They were dismal in the opening 45 minutes against Switzerland, allowing tournament debutant Kwadwo Duah and Bologna’s Michael Aebischer to race the Swiss into a two-goal advantage.

There was some fightback from the Hungarians through prolific forward Kevin Varga in the 66th minute – scoring his seventh goal in only his ninth start in all competitions. Varga’s header came courtesy of a sublime cross from the youngest captain in European Championship history, Dominik Szoboszlai.

Liverpool midfielder Szoboszlai now has 10 goal involvements in his last 15 international appearances for Hungary but they will need him at his peak to get a result against the Germans on Wednesday.

The hosts blew us away with their attacking output against Scotland and they are in line to do the same against Hungary.

Prediction: Germany 3-1 Hungary

Scotland vs Switzerland

Group A. Wednesday 19th June (20:00). Cologne Stadium.

Steve Clarke’s side knew they were going to have a tough opening game when they drew the hosts in Munich but nobody could have prepared the Tartan Army for the despondent performance which followed.

Scotland’s 5-1 defeat was the largest in the opening game of a Euros and the heaviest defeat by their national team at a major international tournament since 1954 (7-0 against Uruguay).

As disappointing as the Scots were in the opening 20 minutes, they were given a monumental task when Ryan Porteous was sent off on the stroke of half-time for his careless challenge on Ilkay Gundogan.

The Watford defender's dismissal was the first at an opening game of the Euros since 2012 when both Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Wojciech Szczesny were sent for early showers. However, his lack of discipline should not be a surprise as he collected 14 yellow cards in 37 games for Watford last campaign.

Tactical breakdown, key players to watch & more… check out our in-depth Scotland team guide here

Being a man down meant Scotland couldn’t muster anything offensively. They did not register a single shot on target in 90 minutes, the first time they’ve failed to do so at a major tournament since 1992, and as such offered a measly 0.02 xG.

Question marks were raised about Switzerland’s attacking output before their Euro 2024 campaign commenced on Saturday. Breel Embolo was nursing his way back from a litany of injuries and has not featured prominently, so Murat Yakin lent on Ludogorets forward Kwadwo Duah.

It was a decision that turned out to be inspired. Duah carried on his impeccable form from his domestic campaign in Bulgaria where he scored 13 goals in 24 league appearances by being on the end of a 22-pass move by the Swiss to give them a 1-0 lead after 12 minutes. The pass-heavy passage of play was the longest sequence leading to a goal at the European Championship on record (since 1980).

The Swiss could effectively secure qualification into the next round with a win over Scotland in Cologne and – with the mood in Clarke’s squad likely at an all-time low – they are capable of picking up another three points to set up a juicy final group stage game against the Germans.

Prediction: Scotland 1-2 Switzerland

Denmark vs England

Group C. Thursday 20th June (17:00). Frankfurt Arena.

England began their group stage campaign with a win… but it was hardly convincing from the Three Lions.

When Jude Bellingham smashed home a header in the 13th minute, becoming just the second player to score at a World Cup and Euros before turning 21, it looked like Gareth Southgate’s side were set for a convincing victory on Matchday 1.

However, the trend that has dogged England under Southgate reared its ugly head once again – they sat back and did not offer much in terms of offensive output when they got the lead. Indeed, Harry Kane and company ended the game having generated just 0.52 xG.

For context, the combined xG in that game (Serbia garnered a measly 0.18) was lower than any Premier League game this season and only three of the Championship’s 557 games had fewer. One of the victims of England’s stifled attack was Phil Foden. The Manchester City man ended the game with 0 accurate crosses, 0 successful dribbles and 0 shots.

Lack of attacking impetus aside, the Three Lions put in another valiant defensive effort, securing a fifth consecutive clean sheet in European Championship group games, the longest run in the tournament's history. Sunday evening’s win also extended Southgate’s impressive run of victories in opening games of major tournaments, with the manager having won all four since his tenure began.

All eyes were on Christian Eriksen in Stuttgart on Sunday. A whole 1,100 days after he collapsed on the pitch in 2020, he returned to the European Championship stage with a mesmerising display of creativity.

Alongside his goal, the Manchester United midfielder recorded a further four shots and created seven chances for his compatriots, making him the first player to register five or more shots and create five or more chances since the beginning of Euro 2020.

Kasper Hjulmand’s side appeared to lack such attacking vigour in the second half, allowing Slovenia to gather a foothold in the game and eventually tie things up in the 77th minute through Erik Janza.

Overall, this game seems finely balanced but does not lend itself to goals. Three of the last four encounters between the teams have ended with under 1.5 goals and England are likely to continue their trend of rigid defensive performances.

The upshot? Another win for the Three Lions.

Prediction: Denmark 0-2 England

Spain vs Italy

Group B. Thursday 20th June (20:00) Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen

One team had it easy and one team made hard work of it in their opening fixtures but a win for both sets each up for progression from a tough-looking Group B.

Spain were electric against Croatia, opening up a 3-0 lead at half-time thanks to goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Daniel Carvajal. The final goal was set up by 16-year-old wonderkid Lamine Yamal, who now has seven goal contributions (two goals and five assists) in his eight senior caps.

There is no doubt that the hype is justified. Yamal is a serious talent and one who could be about to make the Euros his own.

Spain conceded a late penalty to Croatia, which was subsequently missed, and could count themselves fortunate offender Rodri did not face further sanction.

Zidane or Platini? Casillas or Buffon? Find out the BetMGM Ultimate European Championships XI here

But it was the only blemish on what was otherwise a flawless performance – and indeed one that might have opened some eyes as to Spain’s chances of lifting the trophy this year.

Italy, meanwhile, suffered the ignominy of conceding the quickest goal of any European Championship against Albania. A throw-in from Italian full-back Federico Dimarco went straight to Nedim Bajrami, who lashed in from close range.

The Azzurri came from behind to win 2-1 but were clinging on at the back end of the game – a massive save from keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma prevented Albania from landing a devastating draw.

Judging by the performances of each team in their respective openers, it’s difficult to see how this one doesn’t go to Spain.

Prediction: Spain 2-1 Italy

Netherlands vs France

Group D. Friday 21st June (20:00). Leipzig Stadium.

The Oranje left it late to get over the line against an unfancied Polish side in their opener. A winner from super-sub Wout Weghorst, who scored within moments of coming on, was enough to seal the three points for Ronald Koeman’s side.

Cody Gakpo had earlier grabbed a deflected equaliser after Adam Buksa opened the scoring with a well-placed header from a corner.

Weghorst showed his team-mates how to do it. When he entered the action, the Netherlands had managed 20 shots on goal but only three found the target. They will need to work on their ruthlessness, despite showing some intriguing patterns of play at times.

France, meanwhile, were made to work exceptionally hard against a well-drilled Austria side and have the battle scars to prove it. Kylian Mbappe was confirmed to have a broken nose after competing in an aerial duel, while Antoine Griezmann suffered a nasty gash to the head in a collision with an advertising hoarding.

It wasn’t just Mbappe’s nose that suffered a blow – his pride would have been badly dented after he missed a gilt-edged chance in the second half too. Running through on goal, he contrived to bend the ball around the post when it looked easier to score.

His record at the Euros continues to boggle somewhat. He has racked up 18 shots in five appearances with an xG of 2.5 but is yet to find the net.

If – and it is an if – he recovers in time for the Netherlands game it is surely only a matter of time before the World Cup Golden Boot winner finds his scoring boots at the European Championships. Remember, though, even without Mbappe this French side is formidable.

Prediction: Netherlands 1-2 France

Belgium vs Romania

Group E. Saturday 22nd June (17:00). Cologne Stadium.

Who had Belgium to lose to Slovakia and Romania to beat Ukraine on their Euro 2024 bingo card? Not many it seems.

The Red Devils were the favourites to go through to the last 16 at the start of the tournament but VAR – and the grit shown by the Slovakians – has turned Group E completely on its head as we approach the second set of group games and Belgium vs Romania in Cologne.

While Romania’s efforts against Ukraine were surprising, it’s difficult to see them pulling off an even greater heist against the Belgians. Roberto Martinez’s men have already been burned once, another loss could mean a very early exit from the tournament which would go down as one of the biggest shocks of the summer by far.

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The more likely outcome is Belgium righting the wrongs of the last game and finishing the chances they are given. Belgium generated 1.91 xG overall in game one, mostly thanks to the efforts of Romelu Lukaku. Romania could earn a spot in the next round depending on results elsewhere, so there will be added motivation for the prolific striker to do what he does best.

Belgium are the masters of their own fate and their previous experience in getting out of the group stages could play a factor here. Their chances get even better when you learn Romania has never won more than one game at the European Championships; their only win prior to Euro 2024 came against England in 2000.

There is a decent chance they go on to set a new personal best – just not against what will be a fired-up Belgium side whose tournament could rest on this one game.

Prediction: Belgium 3-1 Romania

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