6/25/24
Group D
Netherlands 2 vs. Austria 3

High-Prassing Austrians pip Dutch to secure top spot

Sunil Midda, 5 min ago
For just the second time in their history, Austria qualified from the group stage of a UEFA European Championship after Ralf Rangnick’s men beat Netherlands 3-2 in Berlin, with a first win in eight H2H meetings securing second spot in Group D.

Despite both sides knowing that a draw would be enough for them both to progress to the Round of 16, there was an incredible intensity at the start of the game with a clear intent to try and win the match and possibly, the group. Austria had the better opening moments as their high press had the Dutch pinned in their own half. The danger for the Austrians was coming down the left flank in the early stages, with Alexander Prass whipping dangerous balls into the box. That method paid dividends, giving Austria the lead inside six minutes as Prass was released down the left and his ball into the box was diverted into his own net by Donyell Malen.

The first half became an end-to-end affair with both sides creating chances in an entertaining spectacle. Tijjani Reijnders and Malen both saw chances fly wide of the post for Netherlands before Marko Arnautović failed to pounce on a loose ball in the box as Bart Verbruggen made a great recovery, smothering the striker and preventing his side from going into the break two goals down.

The high-intensity play continued after the restart but this time it was the Dutch with the early momentum and they also made their opponents pay as Xavi Simons carried the ball up the pitch and picked out Cody Gakpo, who took a touch before curling an inch-perfect finish into the far corner. However, the early Dutch momentum was halted just before the hour mark after Florian Grillitsch’s lofted ball into the danger area was powered home by Romano Schmid to restore Austria’s lead.

Netherlands threw everything forward in an attempt to restore parity once again and did so when Memphis Depay struck with 15 minutes to go after taking a touch and volleying past Patrick Pentz, setting up a grandstand finish. Incredibly, Austria restored their lead again in the 80th minute after Christoph Baumgartner released Marcel Sabitzer, who had acres of space to power his shot into the roof of the net. Baumgartner then thought he squeezed in a fourth from an incredibly tight angle but his effort was ruled out for offside.

Austria weathered a late Dutch storm – holding on for a famous victory – combined with France’s draw against Poland, resulting in a first-place finish in Group D for Rangnick’s men, with a match against Group F’s runners-up awaiting them in the Round of 16. Meanwhile, a third-place finish for Netherlands gives Koeman’s men a potential heavyweight clash against England.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Marcel Sabitzer (Austria)

Austria Netherlands

6/25/24
Group D
France 1 vs. Poland 1

Lewa rescues Polish pride as France pulled back into second

khil Fisher, Just now
France failed to beat Poland in their maiden UEFA European Championship H2H meeting, only managing a 1-1 draw in Dortmund, resulting in Didier Deschamps’s men finishing as Group D runners-up.

Despite being the first team to be eliminated from the tournament, Poland looked surprisingly sharp from the outset. But two-time European Champions France threatened in quick succession, with Theo Hernández and Ousmane Dembélé forcing Łukasz Skorupski into close range saves at either end of the six-yard box. With just one goal to their name so far, France continued to underperform against a well-structured Polish outfit seeking to avoid a third straight defeat.

Perhaps boosted by the return of Robert Lewandowski in his first start at the tournament, Michał Probierz’s men came the closest when their greatest goalscorer sent a downward header inches wide of the left post, deflecting off William Saliba on its way out. All the action, however, was packed at the other end of the pitch on the brink of HT, with Skorupski heroically denying Kylian Mbappé twice at point-blank range before Marco Guida signalled for the break.

The theme of the evening soon resumed, as the Bologna shot-stopper was once again cast into the spotlight by main man Mbappé’s curling effort, before Jakub Kiwior gifted the French after bringing Dembélé down in the box. Mbappé confidently netted his first-ever goal at the European Championship, scoring from a shot at the 23rd time of asking – more than any other Les Bleus player on record since 1980.

However, a late twist arrived in the form of a penalty for Poland with the onset of the final quarter-hour, as the Italian referee consulted VAR for a foul on Karol Świderski. Mike Maignan saved Lewandowski’s first attempt, before being penalized for breaching his line, as the Polish marksman struck gold at the second time of asking into the bottom left corner to restore parity - becoming the only player to have netted at each of the last four Euro editions.

The draw means Poland head back home with their heads held high despite remaining winless in nine games against France dating back to 1982. Meanwhile, France will rue having given up their lead and missed the chance to finish as group leaders, despite extending their undefeated streak to six games on the trot.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Łukasz Skorupski (Poland)

France Poland

6/25/24
Group C
England 0 vs. Slovenia 0

Slovenian snoozefest seals top spot for England


Chris Wilson, 1 h ago
England secured top spot in Group C, but it came at the detriment of entertainment, as they played out a 0-0 draw against Slovenia, stretching their unbeaten H2H run to seven matches in the process.

After two sluggish performances to open their Group C campaign, an England side already assured of their place in the knockouts before tonight needed to use this game to get back on track. The opening stages suggested they were again going to turn in a substandard performance, with misplaced passes the order of play.

It took the Three Lions 20 minutes to get going, and when they did, they produced what they thought was the opening goal. A free-flowing move gave a glimpse of what England are capable of, but the offside flag denied Bukayo Saka scoring a first-ever goal at the Euros. Creative sparks were few and far between for Gareth Southgate’s side, but a wicked Kieran Trippier delivery shortly before the break almost forced the issue, only for a desperate Harry Kane to narrowly miss the ball when sliding in at the far post.

Acutely aware his plan wasn’t working, Southgate shuffled the pack at HT to introduce Kobbie Mainoo to replace Conor Gallagher. His change didn’t really have the desired effect, and by the time Cole Palmer was introduced for his first appearance of the tournament 20 minutes from time, England were still struggling just as much. The only saving grace for England was that Slovenia were equally as poor in the final third, and with Denmark’s game also standing level going into the last 10 minutes, it wasn’t all doom and gloom.

However, their failure to take a lead did mean a nervy ending would ensue, but fortunately for the Three Lions, the nerve-shredding ending worked in their favour and they sealed first place in Group C, in turn setting up a last-16 tie against a third-placed side on Sunday evening. Arguably, the goalless draw suited Slovenia too as it means they’ll be in the knockouts as one of those best third-placed finishers.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Jaka Bijol (Slovenia)

England Slovenia

6/25/24
Group C
Denmark vs. Serbia

Hat-trick of draws sends Denmark stuttering into knockouts

Matt Jones, 1 h ago
Denmark settled for a goalless draw against Serbia, as they qualified for the Round of 16 of the UEFA European Championships in uninspiring fashion.

With so much on the line for both teams, the opening exchanges were unsurprisingly cagey. It took until the 16th minute for either side to fashion a shooting opportunity, when Joakim Mæhle’s whipped cross to the back post was headed wide by Alexander Bah for the Danes, who reached the semi-finals three years ago. Christian Eriksen, who became his country’s most capped player of all time on the night, then had a long range effort superbly tipped around the post, as the 1996 winners looked to turn up the heat.

Dragan Stojković’s side eventually managed to stem the tide, but they were struggling for chances of their own. Indeed, they registered just one shot before the break, a missed header from Aleksandar Mitrović, whereas Rasmus Højlund was thwarted by goalkeeper Predrag Rajković and Jonas Wind blazed high and wide from a good central position at the other end.

The Eagles did have the ball in the back of the net shortly after HT, although it was ruled out for an offside against Luka Jović. From then on, Kasper Hjulmand’s side looked the more likely to break the deadlock, but Andreas Christensen and Morten Hjulmand’s finishing proved wayward, while Jannik Vestergaard sent a towering header from a corner straight at the goalkeeper.

With time wearing on, Serbia - who have never qualified for the knock-out stages of a major tournament - tried to turn up the heat, knowing only a win would be good enough to give them a chance of progressing. A slew of attacking players were slung onto the pitch, but they lacked the creativity and imagination to break down a resilient opposing defence. Mitrović did bend an effort wide when unmarked inside the area but the final ball was lacking - a theme for the Serbians throughout their tournament.

Ultimately, the Eagles did not land a shot on target until Sergej Milinković-Savić was denied by Kasper Schmeichel in injury time, and they finish bottom of the group with two points, whereas Denmark will progress as runners-up after drawing each of their three games.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Christian Eriksen (Denmark)

Denmark Serbia