After Match Day 11, the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament shows the following results and analysis.
Monday 21 June
Group C: North Macedonia 0-3 Netherlands (Amsterdam)
Group C: Ukraine 0-1 Austria (Bucharest)
Group B: Russia 1-4 Denmark (Copenhagen)
Group B: Finland 0-2 Belgium (St Petersburg)
In Group B Denmark did well to compensate for a poor psychological start to the tournament as they thrashed Russia 1-4 to go through on overall goal difference despite tying at 3 points with Russia and Finland. Belgium topped the group with 9 points after defeating Finland 0-2. Finland has to wait for other outcomes to know if they go through as one of the best losers.
Finland looked to be holding on when the first half of proceedings ended goalless. But Belgium seemed to have left it towards the end for a sweet victory and a strong statement at the tournament as favourites. An own goal from Finish goalkeeper Lucas Hradecky (74’) and a sublime finish from Romelu Lukaku (81’) ensured the Belgians amassed all points from the 3 group matches. It was a night Kevin de Brune showed once again his class with his ubiquity and master touches, opening up spaces for the strikers to run down the Finland defence. He was voted Heineken Star of the Match.
In the second match of Group B, Denmark proved book makers wrong by not only playing for Christian Eriksen but also showing that in this game, it is not over until the last whistle. Mikkel Damsgaard opened the floodgate in the 38th minute when he drove in from outside the box with a well-timed lobby to beat Russian keeper Matvei Safonov who was outside his line. Poulsen increased the tally in the 59th minute while Russia pulled one back (Artem Dzyuba 70’) with a spot kick. A ferocious 25-meter thunderbolt from Chelsea’s defender, Andreas Christensen (79’), made it 3 to win the Heineken Star of the Match, while Joakim Maehle (82’) completed the destruction of Russia.
In Group C, Netherlands went through after ensuring North Macedonia left the tournament without any points with a 0-3 deep shower to top the group aggregating all 9 points. Austria joined with 6 points after shocking Ukraine with a 0-1 defeat.
Inspired by Liverpool star and team captain, Wijnaldum, the Netherlands routed North Macedonia with Memphis Depay opening scoring in the 24th minute. A brace from Georginio Wijnaldum (51’, 58’) closed the tournament for the North Macedonians who will remember the tournament for scoring just 2 goals and conceding 8. He was voted Heineken Star of the Match for his outstanding and inspirational leadership and display on match day.
The second Group C match between Ukraine and Austria was an open game where the winner takes all. Both had the chances of going through with a win but it was Austria, led by Bayern Munich’s David Alaba, who rose to the occasion to grab all three points and consequently go through. Christoph Baumgartner scored the only goal of the match to leave Ukraine waiting for other outcomes to determine whether they go through as one of best losers. Austrian Florian Grillitsch was voted Heineken star of the match after a fine display.
The Statistics
At the end of match day 10, the following major statistics are available:
- 30 matches have been played out of 51 matches
- 71 goals have been scored in all with an average of 2.37 goals per match and an average scoring time of 38 minutes per goal.
Tuesday 22 June
Group D: Czech Republic vs England (21:00, London)
Group D: Croatia vs Scotland (21:00, Glasgow)
Stay tuned here to get updates on the results, next match day fixtures and, flashpoints of the tournament as it progresses.
Azuka Edokobi is a Writer , a Farmer, a Supply Chain Expert and an Entrepreneur
