6/15/24
Group A
Hungary 1 vs. Switzerland 3

Silky Swiss roll over mundane Magyars

Max Davis, 3 min ago
Switzerland took a large stride towards qualifying for the knockout stages of a sixth consecutive major tournament, opening their UEFA European Championship campaign with a 3-1 victory despite a second-half rally from Hungary in Cologne.

Germany’s 5-1 smothering of Scotland on the opening night was an indication that the two other Group A sides may well end up battling it out for second place, making this a potentially crucial match-up. Switzerland began as clearly the stronger side, perhaps as a result of their vast experience, but it was a new face who stepped up to land the first blow. Michel Aebischer slipped an ingenious ball through a crowd of defenders to surprise starter Kwadwo Duah, who slotted past Péter Gulácsi for his maiden international goal on just a second appearance for the Red Crosses.

That was almost succeeded by a second when Milos Kerkez gifted a clear chance to Ruben Vargas, but the Augsburg winger didn’t do enough with the finish to beat Gulácsi. Hungary eventually began to match their opponents’ intensity, but numerous mistakes made things difficult, and they were thoroughly punished on the stroke of HT. Switzerland were in full control, but Aebischer’s goal still seemingly came out of nowhere, with the Bologna man brilliantly coming inside and bending a delicious strike around András Schäfer and into the corner.

Things didn’t immediately change following the restart, and Marco Rossi’s side had Gulácsi to thank for keeping the deficit at two after he thwarted shots from Duah and Vargas. However, Hungary soon started to play to their strengths, and Barnabás Varga headed narrowly wide before pulling one back just moments later. Dominik Szoboszlai’s inswinging crosses were proving dangerous, and he lifted one over to the far post for Hungarian league top scorer Varga to scramble into the net. The situation presented a significant challenge for Murat Yakin’s men, and their defending became fraught with anxiety as they looked to hold onto the slender lead.

The introduction of the formidable presence of Martin Ádám gave Hungary’s wide players even more to aim for in the area, but they weren’t able to forge the decisive opportunity, and Switzerland put the contest to bed in stoppage time when Breel Embolo capitalised on a poor defensive header and lifted a glorious lob over the onrushing goalkeeper. The result shows that form can often be disregarded when it comes to international tournaments, with Switzerland securing victory after a lacklustre qualifying campaign and Hungary recording just a second loss in 17 matches.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Michel Aebischer (Switzerland)

Hungary Swiss

6/15/24
Group B
Spain 3 vs. Croatia 0

Spain dish the pain on helpless Croatia

Luke Bridle, 1 h ago
Spain kicked off their UEFA European Championship 2024 in style by beating Croatia 3-0 for an eighth win in their last 11 H2Hs against the Croats.

Arguably the pick of the fixtures from the first round of matches in this famous tournament, it was Spain who took control of the contest early on. Berlin’s mighty Olympiastadion set the scene for La Roja’s brilliant first-half display with Luis de la Fuente’s side ensuring Croatia and midfield stalwart Luka Modrić could not get a foothold in the game.

Looking a vastly more dynamic team than under de la Fuente’s predecessor Luis Enrique, the Spaniards wasted no time in spreading the ball to the flanks throughout. But it was a direct pass straight into the heart of the Croatia defence which helped La Roja banish the ghosts of their tepid goalscoring display at the last FIFA World Cup. Álvaro Morata was set through before obliging with a composed finish into the bottom corner just before the half-hour mark - his seventh goal from 11 appearances in this competition.

The side draped in red were now bouncing and a whirlwind end to the first period saw midfielder Fabián Ruiz and Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal make it 3-0 to Spain before HT. Firstly, Ruiz twisted and turned in the area before smashing past a helpless Dominik Livaković, before Carvajal knocked in a superb whipped delivery from gifted Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who at 16 years old is now the youngest-ever player to feature in this tournament.

An emphatic start mightn’t have surprised those who watched De la Fuente’s men breeze through qualification, but with their appetite barely whetted by an impressive first-half performance, this Spanish side clearly meant business as they continued to fire at their opponents’ net. Croatia appeared shell-shocked, and a side who had beaten Portugal in their last outing weren’t even allowed the reprieve of a late consolation when Bruno Petković’s goal, which he tapped in after initially failing with his spot-kick, was ruled out by the VAR.

With little more than flashes in a tepid display, and with many of their more experienced stars likely playing in their final major international tournament this summer, Croatia now have a mountain to climb to escape this year’s ‘group of death’. Contrastingly, the sole blot on a brilliant afternoon for the Spanish team was found in the early withdrawal of Morata, and fans will be hoping that he recovers in time for a mouth-watering tie with Italy next up.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Lamine Yamal (Spain)

Spain vs. Croatia

6/15/24
Group B
Italy 2 vs. Albania 1

Albania's Bast laid plans spoiled by Azzurri

Amos Murphy, 1 h ago
Luciano Spalletti’s Italy extended their impressive streak of going unbeaten in opening matches at the UEFA European Championship to nine games, as the defending champions beat Albania 2-1 in Dortmund.

Given it was Italy’s first tournament in 18 years without one of Giorgio Chiellini or Leonardo Bonucci in the squad, keeping it tight at the back was always going to be a challenge for the Azzurri. But few would’ve imagined, even in their absence, that Albania would lead in Dortmund after just 23 seconds. Capitalising on a mixup between Federico Dimarco and Alessandro Bastoni at the back, Nedim Bajrami seized on a loose ball in the Italian penalty area and rifled home at the near post, scoring the quickest goal in the history of the Euros.

Any shock was soon out of the Italian systems however, as the equaliser arrived just 10 minutes later. Alessandro Bastoni ghosted into the six-yard box unopposed, heading past a helpless Thomas Strakosha in the Albanian goal. One quickly became two, this time Nicolò Barella getting his name on the scoresheet with a stunning half-volley from 20 yards out.

Having taken a slender advantage into the break, it was perhaps surprising to see Italy take their foot off the gas in the early part of the second half. Giovanni Di Lorenzo threatened to add a third with a back-post header, but the Napoli man’s goalbound effort was diverted away by a smart piece of defending from Elseid Hysaj.

Sylvinho turned to his bench to try and inspire an unlikely Albanian comeback, and it almost paid dividends when Rey Manaj found himself bearing down on goal, but his dinked effort was brilliantly denied by the onrushing Gianluigi Donnarumma. While far from a totally convincing performance, it marks the ideal start for Italy ahead of their Group B crunch match against early table-toppers Spain on Thursday. Whereas Albania, despite their quick start, will have work to do when they take on Croatia in four days time.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolò Barella (Inter Milan)

Italy V Albania