WeeklySA_AdminKNOCKOUT STAGE: HOSTS GERMANY REMAIN UNBEATEN WITH SLOVANIA THE SURPRISE PACKAGE of TOURNAMENT
By Sports Reporter
The group stage is over and the 24 teams that started UEFA EURO 2024 have been whittled down to 16. One of the eagerly awaited matches is when England take one Slovakia on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions were handed the favourable match up following Portugal’s shock loss to Georgia. It meant England avoided the Netherlands, who finished third in their group which was won by Austria ahead of France.
England topped Group C with one win and two draws. They beat Serbia thanks to Jude Bellingham’s winner in their Euros opener before being held by Denmark and Slovenia.
But their underwhelming performances in three group games against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia raised more questions than answers. The Three Lions have been low on energy and low in entertainment value in Germany.
At the end of Tuesday’s 0-0 draw with Slovenia there were boos from England’s fans in Cologne, some of whom threw plastic cups in Gareth Southgate’s direction as the manager went to show his appreciation for their support.
England play Slovakia on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen. The first fixture of the last 16 will see Switzerland take on Italy on Saturday at 5pm in Berlin.
This is followed by Germany versus Denmark at 8pm. England have the 5pm kick-off on Sunday with Spain against Georgia following at 8pm.
Monday sees France play Belgium at 5pm and Portugal taking on Slovenia at 8pm.` Romania meet the Netherlands at 5pm on Tuesday, with Austria playing Turkey at 8pm to round things off.
STORY SO FAR
ENGLAND: England were not at their free-flowing best in Group C but still topped their section and remain unbeaten. Glimpses of the genius that can be produced by forwards such as Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane and Phil Foden were seen in all three games, but coach Gareth Southgate will know that his best players need to perform on a more consistent basis with sterner tests ahead in the knockouts.
PORTUGAL:
A last-gasp win over Czechia was followed by a commanding victory against Türkiye as Portugal hit the ground running in Germany. Roberto Martínez then had the luxury of being able to rotate his team against Georgia, in a match that they could afford to lose and which they did lose. Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to open his account for the tournament as he attempts to score in six consecutive editions.
FRANCE:
France failed to win their group for the first time since EURO 2012, following up a battling win over Austria with draws with the Netherlands and Poland. They remain unbeaten, though, and Kylian Mbappé got off the mark with a penalty in their final Group D game. Didier Deschamps will have his sights fixed on reaching a sixth major final with his country; he made it to a World Cup and EURO showpiece as a player and has contested two World Cup finals and one EURO decider as a coach.
GERMANY:
The hosts started in stylish fashion, thrilling the Munich crowd with a superb 5-1 victory over Scotland to get the tournament under way. A hard-fought win against Hungary followed in Stuttgart, and although they fell behind to Switzerland in their final Group A game in Frankfurt, a stoppage-time Niclas Füllkrug equaliser ensured Julian Nagelsmann’s men topped their section and remain unbeaten going into the knockouts. Forward Jamal Musiala has particularly impressed, scoring twice in his three appearances.
