Once upon a time, Chelsea were badly misfiring. They were toothless in attack, lacking a trusty target man up top, and they repeatedly fumbled seemingly guaranteed wins against bottom-three teams.

Ex-Leicester manager Enzo Maresca brought a cold, calculated approach to football to Stamford Bridge. In an era of Chelsea football dominated by mismanagement and aloofness, Maresca is the high-energy leader that Chelsea has needed.

Tactically, he’s a mix between De Zerbi and Magnus Carlsen — a possession-obsessed freak who values positional play and building numerical advantages through smart overlaps. Although he wasn’t the Kieran McKenna or the Thomas Frank Chelsea wanted after sacking Pochettino, Maresca has proven to be the perfect manager for Chelsea’s resurgence back into the top four.

Maresca inherited a team struggling for identity. His predecessors Potter and Mauricio Pochettino brought an aloof, unassuming figure to the touchline; Maresca has been an impassioned leader and hands-on when making substitutions.

Maresca has improved the Chelsea midfield drastically

We’ve seen his fingerprints on big wins like 6-2 away against Wolves, 4-2 home against Brighton, and 3-0 away against West Ham. Under Maresca, Chelsea plays a quick, possession-based style that emphasizes short connections in midfield. They’ve completed over 3,500 passes in just seven league matches, over Brighton and Manchester United.

Their keys to success have been dominating the midfield, often sending a fullback to join the midfield like Rico Lewis at Man City. Caicedo playing as a deep anchor, is capable against the press and has incredible vision. When Maresca sends Marc Cucurella or Malo Gusto to cut from his position into the middle, it lets Caicedo drop deep and establishes a sturdy back three for Chelsea. Even more, it allows Chelsea to find little pockets of space, where they thrive. Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo, and Levi Colwill have established themselves as the league’s most accurate passers in Maresca’s system.

Take Nicolas Jackson’s second goal against West Ham. After idly knocking the ball about, Maresca gestures for Cucurella to cut into the middle and join Caicedo in a makeshift double pivot. When Enzo Fernandez drops deep to receive a pass, he creates a number advantage in the midfield and finds the open man — Caicedo.

As we’ve seen both at Brighton and Chelsea, you can’t leave Caicedo open without inviting trouble. With near unlimited space and time, Caicedo knocks a pinpoint through ball past a scrambling West Ham defense to a streaking Jackson, and the rest is history.

Sancho sees comeback under Maresca

Maresca has similarly remodeled the attack. His preferred front three seem to be Noni Madueke, Jackson, and Jadon Sancho, and they’ve feasted throughout the season. Jackson has boasted seven goal contributions, Sancho three, and Madueke four. They’ve been dynamic throughout the season in a way they rarely were last season.

Sancho has surprisingly been a huge improvement over Sterling. After a positive loan spell at Dortmund, he’s regained his confidence. His dribble looks tighter and more controlled, he’s meshed with teammates well down the left-hand side, and he’s had three assists in four matches.

Maresca’s done a great job of unlocking Sancho and giving him support to create opportunities. In previous seasons, Sancho struggled in isolation and hesitated often. His playmaking abilities look more polished than they were under ten Hag. If he keeps up his performances, he could play himself into a consistent starting spot.

The most significant part of his tactics wasn’t the inverted fullbacks nor the overlaps down the left wing, but it was just letting Cole Palmer be Cole Palmer. He’s making a case for himself as the best player in the Premier League — if not in Europe.

Palmer unlocked as Chelsea storms to fourth place

Palmer wasn’t Chelsea’s first choice when they headed to the transfer market looking for an advanced midfielder. The team wanted Palace’s Olise and West Ham’s Kudus to fill their attacking midfield slot. After talks with both sides broke down, Chelsea “settled” on the ex-City wonderkid. He’s been magnificent for Chelsea, scoring 22 goals and adding 11 assists in his debut season.

He’s somehow improved in his second season, scoring six goals and five assists in seven league matches. He became the first Premier League player to score four goals within the first half in a 4-2 romp over Brighton. He burst out for three assists and one goal in their 6-2 win over Wolves.

“Today in football, young players change very quickly. They score one goal and they think they are already [special],” Maresca grinned. “Cole scored many goals, many assists, he’s a top player but he’s never changed. He’s a special player, a simple guy, a humble guy. You can see clearly how good he is.”

Most of Palmer’s success should be linked to Maresca pushing him down to the 10. Palmer spent a lot of time as both right-wing and striker last season, but Maresca pushing Palmer to the attacking midfield slot allowed Palmer to unveil his playmaking abilities. He combines well with his teammates, especially Madueke and Jackson. He can drop from deep and float long balls past the defensive line. Palmer links together the offense, both creating chances and finishing them.

Under Maresca, Chelsea looks more unified and dangerous than ever. They’ve not solved their offensive woes, but exponentially improved them. Maresca has made his case as the September Manager of the Month but as one of the league’s most innovative, exciting managers. Guardiola. Arteta. Maresca. Doesn’t sound too bad to me.

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Throughout the quarterfinal game against Japan and in this semi-final versus Germany, Hayes has been met with a volley of criticism from both fans and media about her decision-making in not fielding substitutions promptly. This has especially been the case in the second halves of games where USWNT players run out of energy in a grueling competition.

So on Tuesday, with the match headed to extra time and still stuck at 0-0, critics took to social media again to criticize her reluctance to substitute players. After all, Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman can only run for so long.

The midfield looked the opposite of creative, uncompromising at times as they grappled with fatigue. More worryingly, the Germans had a leeway into the match, breaking off counters and forcing Naeher into some acrobatic saves.

The decision by Emma Hayes that changed the game

Her next move was to bring on Korbin Albert for Lindsey Horan, which seemed like an unwise decision at the time. She also took off the gassed Crystal Dunn for Jenna Nighswonger, who hadn’t started a match at the Olympics yet. Although risky, the reward was immense.

Just minutes after making the substitutions, Sophia Smith poked the ball into the back of the net to win the game for the United States.

In Albert, they finally found stability. Horan has had an up-and-down Olympics — she boasts two assists in five starts. But, she’s looked spotty beating the press and distributing the ball. It was more of the same in Lyon, as she struggled to break through Germany’s compact lines. Albert brought a new-found physicality to the USWNT midfield, doing the dirty work to help the States’ playmakers like Samantha Coffey and Rose Lavelle succeed.

And, most importantly in Nighswonger, they found good distribution and explosiveness down the left-hand side. When Swanson seemed gassed and unwilling to make the marauding runs she excelled at, Nighswonger stepped in to add offensive firepower. She helped create big chances in the 30 minutes she came on. She even stepped into the left-wing role after Swanson went out.

They look prepared to take on a Brazil side that looked inconsistent throughout the Olympics in the gold medal match. You can count on Smith, whose birthday falls on the gold medal match on Saturday, scoring again.

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The women’s side are similarly dominant. They’ve come off a 2023 Women’s World Cup where they tossed aside the Netherlands, Sweden, and England to claim their first major trophy. They can also boast Ballon d’Or favorite Aitana Bonmati, who won the Women’s Champions League with Barcelona. Something is brewing in Spain.

Spain’s domination of international soccer competitions

Maybe it’s because of the distinct cultural identity they’ve formed in the wake of their epic three-peat in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Even if Euro 2024 marked an important shift away from their tiki-taka origins, Spain has made a name for themselves with their small, agile, technically adept midfielders. Think Bonmati, who stands at 5’3. Or Pedri, who is 5’9. Most of their players can circulate the ball mindlessly, fighting off the press due to a mixture of physicality and intelligence.

Maybe it’s because of the significant funding the RFEF has poured in. The Spanish FA has invested around $430 million to fund leagues, national teams, and soccer initiatives. By comparison, the English FA has invested around half of that. With that money, they can start plans to host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Morocco, help fund coaches at the grassroots level, and build infrastructure for amateur clubs.

Or maybe it’s because soccer is in Spain’s blood. It was British immigrant workers themselves who brought the game to Andalusia in the late 1800s. After England, Switzerland, and the Netherlands Spain adopted the game eagerly. They’ve approached soccer with a certain fervor that can’t be replicated in a lot of places. Spain’s success boils down to the widespread culture of soccer in Spain and the proactivity of the RFEF. We see the results now.

After the Spain Morocco match on Monday, France defeated Egypt 3-1 after 120 minutes. That paves the way for the Men’s Olympic soccer final on Friday between Spain and France. Meanwhile Morocco faces Egypt in the third-place final on Thursday.

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Contract negotiations between Gallagher and Chelsea fell apart last week, and although Gallagher wanted to stay at Stamford Bridge, he’s no longer part of Chelsea’s plans. A move to Atletico Madrid is imminent. Gallagher has flown to Madrid to complete a medical and put the finishing touches on a $44 million move.

Discord between Gallagher and Chelsea

Conor Gallagher’s move comes at a confusing time for Chelsea. Despite sacking Mauricio Pochettino and appointing Enzo Maresca as the manager, Chelsea still faces the same problems. A lack of clinicality and stability on the pitch, along with historic debts in the boardroom have led to catastrophic results under co-owner Todd Boehly.

Chelsea have taken steps to fix the first problem. They’ve spent upwards of $123 million in signings, including Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Aston Villa attacker Omari Kellyman.

Their second problem is more difficult. Chelsea faces transfer debts of over $186 million. Their plans to add 18,000 seats to Stamford Bridge could cost upwards of $2.5 billion. Despite the extravagant spending of Boehly and crew, they need to sell to avoid the Premier League’s PSR rules.

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Gallagher’s options at Atleti

It sets the stage for Chelsea’s frantic transfer saga with midfielder Conor Gallagher. With Chelsea figuring out their financial situation and shopping some key players around the transfer market, Gallagher recently refused two contract extensions. In turn, Chelsea informed Gallagher he wouldn’t be part of their first-team plans and locked him out of the first-team’s training center.

Chelsea accepted Atletico Madrid’s $44 million offer for Gallagher. Gallagher, still hopeful of returning to Chelsea, held out for a potential reverse, but it didn’t come. Torn between joining Atleti and entertaining interest from London rivals Tottenham, Gallagher decided to join Atletico Madrid.

The transfer is especially sweet for Chelsea since they can register their $44 million as pure profit. Gallagher is a homegrown player, meaning they won’t have to take care of any previous costs. It also opens up playing time for Dewsbury-Hall and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.

Gallagher is expected to ink a five-year contract with Atletico Madrid that could pay him as much as $12 million annually.

Move makes sense for Atleti

Gallagher is best known for his work rate. He’s a hard worker who can press for all 90 minutes. He embodies the Atletico Madrid spirit — gritty, defensively solid, and underrated technically. Gallagher could play anywhere in the midfield, but he’ll have a bit of trouble breaking into the starting eleven.

Gallagher slots in as one of the first-choice midfielders in Diego Simeone’s three-man midfield. Simeone currently relies on Rodrigo de Paul, Koke, and Marcos Llorente, with Pablo Barrios and Arthur Vermeeren coming off the bench.

The news follows Atleti’s pursuit of Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez. Alvarez could join for around $90 million, five times the amount City paid for Alvarez in 2022. He’s expected to fill the void up top after Alvaro Morata left for Milan. He’s been heralded as Antoine Griezmann’s successor.

Chelsea are still pushing to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen with their last major signing of the window. They’ll have to pay around $110 million to sign the Nigerian talisman, fighting off interest from PSG and Arsenal. They could also sign Atleti target man Samu Omorodion for around $38 million.

Photo: IMAGO / PA Images.

Simons made 43 appearances for RB Leipzig, scoring 10 goals and adding 15 assists. He finished second in assists among fellow Bundesliga players and earned a reputation as one of the most creative players in Europe. Simons, who starred at Euro 2024 with the Dutch, saw interest from Bayern, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

Simons ends speculation by returning to RB Leipzig

His transfer speculation started after his impressive performances at Euro 2024. Simons played in all of the Netherlands’ matches while in Germany, registering three assists and a vital semifinal goal against England. It looked like Simons would return to PSG after the tournament, joining a stacked attack that includes Bradley Barcola and Randal Kolo Muani.

However, if Simons returned to the Parc des Princes before January 2025, PSG would have to pay PSV a big fee. PSG signed Simons for $4 million from PSV in July 2023. PSV would also take most of the PSG’s transfer fee if they sold Simons before the date.

It meant that PSG was more than eager to ship Simons out to an interested club. PSG shopped Simons on the transfer market to Chelsea and Arsenal, but Bayern and Leipzig were the most interested. Bayern wanted to sign Simons to a season-long loan and then pursue Leverkusen winger Florian Wirtz in the next summer window.

Eventually, Simons decided to sign with Leipzig. He cited Leipzig’s ability to develop players and hopes of competing at the top level as the primary reasons for the move.

“We want to compete at the top again in the Bundesliga and the (DFB) Pokal and stay in the Champions League for as long as possible. We want to do better than we did last year in all of these competitions,” Simons said. “We’ll go into the season again with a strong squad, something the club and coaching team also made clear to me. I’m extremely motivated to keep on improving and to play my part in the club’s success.

Simons decision shakes up Bayern plans

Without Simons, Bayern still needs a reliable attacker. They’ve looked inconsistent up top despite the presence of guys like Jamal Musiala and Mathys Tel. They want to get rid of aging players past their best. They’re shopping Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman, and Leroy Sané around the transfer market.

Their answer comes in Rennes attacker Desiré Doué, on duty with France at the Olympics. Doué is a wizard, a gifted dribbler whose strength as a player lies in his technical skill. The 19-year-old slots in as a left-winger, an area of weakness for Bayern. Bayern reportedly leads PSG in the race for Doué because of their aggressiveness; they’ve pushed Rennes to agree to a fee. Bayern could pay as much as $55 million.

PSG likely won’t make more big signings after they signed Benfica midfielder Joao Neves for $77 million. Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams recently rejected PSG, while Victor Osimhen is arguably the most in-demand striker on the market and a move for Doué looks unlikely. They look set to finish a $49 million deal for Frankfurt center-back William Pacho and have been linked to Lyon wonderkid Rayan Cherki.

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“Luis Enrique’s philosophy is the one that I was looking for, and that’s also why I chose PSG,” the 19-year-old beamed. “I really enjoyed our conversation. He’s a fantastic person, and I’m really happy to be here.”

Joao Neves is one of the world’s best players

Neves is a Benfica academy prospect and broke into the first team in the 2022/23 season. He came off the bench often after Enzo Fernandez left for Chelsea, meaning most of his time in Benfica was spent as part of a double pivot. He broke out last season, playing in all but one of Benfica’s matches throughout the season. Neves made 55 appearances for Benfica, scoring three goals and two assists.

Neves has been praised for his versatility on the pitch. Despite standing at 5’9, he’s an excellent defender and holds his own in physical duels. He builds up play beautifully, dropping as deep as his box to receive the ball and progress it. He’s agile, intelligent, and a thrilling dribbler. He holds the potential to be one of the game’s best box-to-box midfielders and weighs in as a generational talent.

Erik ten Hag and United were the first names to pop up with the Benfica youngster, negotiating a fee of up to $100 million. Liverpool, Arsenal, and PSG followed. PSG outbid all of their competitors for Neves and agreed to pay $64 million for Neves, with a potential $11 million in add-ons. United will look toward PSG Manuel Ugarte to resolve their midfield woes.

Neves, who made two appearances for Portugal at Euro 2024, will wear the number 87 shirt for PSG. Midfielder Renato Sanches, who recently wrapped up a season-long loan with Roma, will rejoin Benfica on a loan as part of the deal. The five-year contract includes a $131 million release clause; if activated, Neves would become PSG’s most lucrative transfer ever.

PSG signed Neves to revitalize midfield

Under Enrique, PSG has leaned on a three-man midfield of Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and home-grown talent Warren Zaïre-Emery. Ugarte and Carlos Soler also saw some playing time in the midfield but sat out big matches.

Ugarte is inches away from joining United for around $75 million, while Fabian Ruiz could join Arsenal as they search for a replacement for now-Fulham midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. Soler could leave for Real Sociedad. If all of these rumors materialize, it would leave PSG with Vitinha and Zaïre-Emery in the midfield.

PSG completing their deal for Neves is good not just in the field but also in business. They can be more aggressive in negotiations for Ugarte and Ruiz, and they can comfortably pay $50 million for Frankfurt center-back William Pacho.

PSG now has some semblance of stability after signing Neves. Although his preferred position is at the 6, Neves also doubles as a central midfielder. We could see him pair up with Zaïre-Emery and Vitinha. Neves could also come off the bench for a player like Kang-in Lee or Ruiz if he stays.

Photo: Imago.

Emma Hayes placed the puzzle pieces together for the USWNT, dropping the 35-year-old Alex Morgan from the Olympics squad and leaning on the in-form Mallory Swanson for their goal production. The gamble of dropping arguably the best women’s soccer player of all time paid off. For the majority of their time at the Olympics, they’ve played vigorously, they’ve been unstoppable, and they haven’t run into the age-old accusations of playing negative football.

Their biggest obstacle didn’t come in European heavyweights Germany but in their first low block of the tournament. Aussie coach Tony Gustavsson elected to start with five defenders at the back and put all of Australia’s defenders behind the ball. All ten Australian outfielders tracked back to the box to prevent the American attack from exploding in transition.

Australia made some attacking threats early in the game on the counter. Mary Fowler sparked Australia’s big chance of that half, fighting off Lavelle and Smith and pinging an impressive through ball to Katrina Gorry.

Gorry worked the ball towards the States’ box, eventually squaring it to Fowler on the edge of the box. With a brief pocket of space, Pocket cut into the box and fired a rolling shot toward the goal. Her shot avoided both defender Naomi Girma and keeper Alyssa Naeher, but the ball ended up wide of the post.

USWNT drives deep into Australia defense

The United States’ biggest chances came, unsurprisingly, in transition. Mallory Swanson and Sophia Smith led the charge in a three-on-four situation for the Americans. Smith had the ball in the box and threatened to cut inside into the middle before laying the ball off to Swanson.

The counter fizzled out, with the ball returning to fullback Crystal Dunn. Dunn decided to shoot from outside the box, with keeper Mackenzie Arnold getting a hand on the ball to send it out for a corner.

Horan almost found the Americans’ opener, nearly scoring off an Emily Fox cross, heading her ball towards the near post. However, Arnold redeemed herself with an impressive leaping save.

Australia’s low block crumbled late in the first half, despite Arnold’s six first-half saves. Lavelle belted an in-swinging corner into the crowded box, which eventually met Sophia Smith’s head at the far post.

United States dominates second half

The ball hit Australia’s Clare Hunt at an uncomfortable and bounced enough for Trinity Rodman, who freed herself from her marker, to get to the loose ball and tap it in. After a VAR mix-up that took around five minutes to resolve, the goal was upheld, giving the States a one-goal lead.

The States opened the second half roaring. Girma’s daisy-cutting effort from outside the box only narrowly missed the goal. Smith and Rodman also enjoyed chances.

Chaos unfurled on the Aussie sideline as Australia searched for answers. If the 1-0 result held, Australia would finish third in their group. Their fate and whether they would stay alive in the Olympics would remain on Canada’s result against New Zealand. Gustavsson carried most of the stress, exploding at players, and arguing with refs. Every move he made on the sideline seemed frenzied.

He couldn’t be blamed. For most of the match, the Australian offense moved with the intensity of an old man in a nursing home. They were carved open by America’s combination play. Needing an offensive spark in the second half, they resorted to lazy crosses in the box and long shots that rolled into the grateful hands of Naeher. His anger could be understood.

The Americans doubled their lead with a sensational Korbin Albert strike. Albert got on the receiving end of a clumsy Clare Wheeler giveaway. With nearly all the time in the world and on the edge of the box, Albert took a touch before blasting her effort neatly into the bottom left corner. Arnold couldn’t get anywhere near the ball.

Smith came agonizingly close to a goal. The Thorns attacker hit both posts after he strode down the byline, cut back toward the middle of the ball, and blasted her effort goal-bound.

Australia nearly mounts comeback in the last seconds

Australia found life with the first minute of stoppage time. Caitlin Foord banged a cross towards the cross, which Michelle Heyman headed on in the box. A streaking Alanna Kennedy met Heyman’s headed pass, slamming her shot past Naeher to keep the game open. Kennedy nearly scored again, almost connecting with Ellie Carpenter’s cross to head in a second.

Australia’s repeated attempts to even up the score in the dying minutes of the game were unsuccessful. Their last chance came in a corner, with Arnold coming off her line and into the opposing box to join the offense. Steph Catley took the corner, floating it in the it. Naeher sprinted off her line, leaped over the mass of yellow jerseys, and punched the ball out of their box. The Australians’ next pass would be ruled offsides, with the Americans claiming a tense but well-deserved victory.

The Americans have sealed first place in their group. A Saturday quarterfinal fixture against Japan, who won two matches and lost one at the Olympics, awaits.

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Mbappé will partner with French businessman and Caen shareholder Pierre-Antone Capton to own the club. Caen finished sixth in Ligue 2 last season and is expected to be a contender to claim promotion.

Mbappé has deep ties with Caen

Caen is a historic French club with deep ties to the game’s history. Before becoming a professional club in 1985, Caen was known as one of France’s main, important amateur clubs. They dominated the scene with now-successful teams Nantes, Reims, and Le Havre. However, despite their winning DNA and consistent competitiveness, Caen struggled financially without major backing.

After Caen professionalized, their role as one of French football’s giants lessened. They were a yo-yo club, constantly bouncing between Ligue 1 and 2. They leaned on their successful academy to generate funds, producing players like Raphaël Guerreiro, William Gallas, and Elye Wahi. Despite the investment of American investment fund Oaktree Capital, Caen has toiled in Ligue 2 since 2019.

Mbappé nearly joined SM Caen in 2012 as a teenager. Caen was one of Mbappe’s first and most interested suitors, recognizing his potential as one of Ligue 1’s elite attackers. Mbappé’s parents viewed the club as a healthy environment for Mbappé to develop, but the deal fell through when Caen suffered relegation from the French top-flight league.

Per French newspaper Le Parisien, Mbappé wants to preserve Caen’s historical DNA rather than making drastic, big moves. CEO of Mbappé’s image company, Ziad Hammoud, will become the club’s president, with Mbappé expected to be away from Stade Michel d’Ornano for extended periods.

Mbappé’s fingerprints are visible on Caen

One of Mbappé’s first actions in charge of Caen was related to their transfer business. Caen hasn’t brought in any new players and could lose Ligue 1 top-scorer Alexandre Mendy to Sunderland.

However, Mbappé’s acquisition of Caen could lead Mendy to reverse his transfer plans. The Mbappé family is reportedly holding up the transfer so they can persuade him to stay in Caen. Mendy reportedly chose to join Sunderland over Sampdoria, Al-Riyadh, and Al-Ahly before Mbappé’s takeover and skipped Caen’s Switzerland training camp to finalize the deal.

Reports mention that rapper Orelsan is interested in purchasing some of Mbappé’s shares in Caen. Orelsan is a prominent French rapper who boasts two diamond-certified albums and has drawn comparisons to Eminem. He has repeatedly mentioned the club in his music and is a native of the city.

Mbappé’s prominent focus will be succeeding in his debut season with Real. He is searching for his first Champions League with a star-studded squad that will star Vinicius, Endrick, Jude Bellingham, and more attackers. He’s expected to miss Real’s preseason tour of the States but should debut for Los Blancos against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup.

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They look drastically different from the American team that slogged through the World Cup just a year ago. They’re potent in attack and (usually) tough in defense. They’re fluid in their build-up, explosive in transition, and they’ve seamlessly adjusted to the two opponents the Olympics have thrown at them. Following their 3-0 win over Zambia, the United States have all but booked their ticket to the knockout round of the Olympics.

USWNT rolls out to a roaring start over Germany

The USWNT scored early in the 10th minute, starting with Rodman receiving the ball from Lavelle on the wing. She took the ball on the wing, outpaced a German defender, and launched a ball that rolled across the face of the goal. Mallory Swanson got a touch on the ball, but Sophia Smith, lurking at the far post, applied the final touch to put the Americans up 1-0.

The Germans struck back through Giulia Gwinn. Felicitas Rauch had the ball on the left-hand side and played a ball to Alexandra Popp. Popp played a quick ball to Sjoeke Nüsken, who had her back to the goal. Nusken played the ball back to Gwinn 20 yards out, whose outside-the-box effort beat Alyssa Naher to the bottom left corner.

Swanson scored just minutes later. The goal came as part of a German mistake. Kathrin-Julia Hendrich failed to deal with a Naeher goal kick properly, with Smith getting on the ball instead. Smith ran to the goal, fighting off Hendrich and getting a crack on the ball. Although Germany stopper Ann-Katrin Berger saved Smith’s initial effort, she couldn’t stop Swanson’s follow-up shot.

Gwinn had another shot from range. This time, her effort rose narrowly over the ball. Nüksen nearly connected with a Gwinn cross, but her headed shot bounced wide of the goalpost.

Smith wreaks havoc on German defense

The USA found themselves firmly in the driver’s seat after scoring their third against Germany. Sophia Smith took her chance on a loose stray ball that took a big deflection from Rauch. Smith’s shot curled inanely before hitting the post, beating Berger, and rolling past the line.

The United States had a very good chance against the Germans thanks to the creative genius of Trinity Rodman. She slipped away from her marker and received a Lindsey Horan-sent through ball through the defense. By the end line, Rodman sent a through ball across the goal and past Berger. The ball reached the American attackers in time. Swanson and Dunne both collided as they strained for the ball, with both slamming their shot wide of the post.

Germany also had a similarly solid chance when Klara Bühl carried the ball into the box and laid it off to Nüsken at the near post. Nüsken saw her six-yard shot impressively saved by Naeher. Lea Schüller, perfectly positioned to knock in the rebound, missed the ball on her first attempt to shoot. She didn’t get a clean look on goal after thanks to the stifling pressure of the American defense.

The United States sealed the game with another goal, this time just before stoppage time. It was through Smith, who got the ball from Rodman in the middle of the field. Smith had all the time in the world, easily weaving through the German’s collapsing defense before finding Lynn Williams open to her left. Williams took a tentative touch in the box before tucking the ball neatly past Berger.

The United States has advanced to the knockout round with their dominant win over Germany and can seal first place with a win or a draw against Australia. Australia recently edged out Zambia in a twisting, insane 6-5 victory. Germany will certainly qualify with a win over their next opponent, Zambia, on Tuesday.

Finally motivated after their uninspiring loss to France, the States leaned into their attacking core to succeed in Marseille. If there was any time for a masterclass or a miracle, Saturday had to be the day. They needed a win against New Zealand to have a realistic chance of advancing to the knockout stage. New Zealand posed quite a challenge. They won their first game in a physical, gritty battle against Guinea, and they’d been praised for their tough low block.

Regardless, the Americans got off to a fiery start. They attacked the wings through overlapping fullbacks and incisive wingers, combining to wreak havoc near the byline. Right after kickoff, Djordjé Mihailović and Duncan McGuire combined on the wing, nearly resulting in a chance for Gianluca Busio. Although Busio couldn’t get his shot off in time, John Tolkin fired an outside-the-box shot, prompting an excellent save from the New Zealand keeper. This American team looked nothing like the helpless team that France dominated.

USMNT wins lead early over New Zealand

Minutes later, right-back Nathan Harriel was fouled in the box, and the US won a penalty within the first seven minutes of the game. Mihailovic, who nearly scored in their loss to France on Thursday, easily sent keeper Alex Paulsen the wrong way. His penalty skipped into the bottom right corner, putting the USMNT up a goal over New Zealand.

Only minutes later, Zimmerman would double the Americans’ lead, the fitting finish to a beautiful Mihailović set piece. Harriel nearly got on the end of Mihailović’s inswinging free-kick. Although Paulsen made an excellent save, Zimmerman neatly converted the rebound.

On the sidelines, Mitrović urged more from his players. The shaken head, the terse, direct commands, and the frantic, pointed fingers added gas to the USMNT’s already-roaring engine. Mitrović, like Zimmerman, Mihailovic, and more have said, is demanding on the field. His presence in an American soccer climate often criticized for its laziness and easiness in his players is out-of-place. Even with the Americans comfortably sitting on a two-goal lead and pushing for more, Mitrović wants more.

30 minutes into the match, the Americans got their third. It all started with John Tolkin bursting through the Kiwi defense, searing through the box, and playing an incisive ball to Paredes on the edge of the six-yard box. After scrambling past Paulsen, the ball landed squarely at Busio’s feet.

His first attempt was deflected, but his second shot, scooped neatly into the top corner above the sprawl of black jerseys, was good. All smiles from a once-tense American squad. You couldn’t tell this team was staving off a group-stage exit in this match with how this team was playing.

USMNT falters in second half

New Zealand nearly got a goal back after Matthew Garbett’s rifled shot took a big deflection off Zimmerman, but keeper Patrick Schulte made an impressive save. Tyler Bindon’s headed effort flew over the bar.

Substitute striker Griffin Yow continued the bloodshed into the second half, embarking on a run from half-field to the byline. Yow cut the ball back to Aaronsen, who stabbed a shot past Paulsen for the United States’ fourth.

From there, the United States played slower. Mitrović didn’t want to risk any more injuries for their do-or-die match against Guinea, and the odds of New Zealand coming back from its four-goal deficit were minimal. The USMNT held the ball, circulating it around the field as New Zealand could do nothing but chase.

New Zealand got a goal back through Garbett, who received the ball from Sarpreet Singh in transition. Garbett fought off two American defenders, flicking on a ball to Jesse Randall. After some off-the-ball movement, Garbett lost his man, found space, and blasted the ball into the top right corner.

Pivotal Tuesday matches await

Despite the consolation goal, New Zealand will be angry with their defeat. They showed none of the grit they did against Guinea, and they couldn’t keep the ball on offense. Numerous times, Garbett and crew lost the ball in front of goal, forcing Paulsen into some uncomfortable situations. Stretched wide by the American’s wing play and penetrated by their playmakers, New Zealand was by far the inferior team on Saturday.

For all the Americans’ success, they also will have one loss entering their Tuesday clash against Guinea. Busio is doubtful for Tuesday’s match against Guinea after he came down with a hamstring injury. It doesn’t look good for the Venezia midfielder, especially after he limped down the tunnel just before halftime.

The team’s success hints at a period of change in Spanish soccer. After Spain’s unprecedented success in Berlin, the nation is forming a universal style of play. It’s a shift from the Vicente del Bosque-inspired tiki-taka that has defined Spain for over a decade. Spain’s new identity is evident through Gomez and right winger Aimar Oroz. They prize fast, technically gifted wingers who can consistently push the ball upwards and win one-on-ones.

Keeper error gives Spain early lead

Spain’s wing play defined their 3-1 win against the Dominican Republic. Spain lined up in an aggressive formation with two advanced midfielders, two wingers, and a striker. Spain’s squad, like the team that won the Euros, is stacked. Gomez is one of the most talented players to ever come out of Manchester City‘s academy, while Álex Baena, Oroz, and Fermin Lopez have been linked to big transfers.

The Dominican Republic folded first. Keeper Enrique Bösl, under pressure from Spain’s stifling attack, played a lazy ball to midfielder Omar de la Cruz. Fermin Lopez, hot on de la Cruz’s tail, easily intercepted the ball. One-on-one with the keeper, Lopez easily slotted his shot into the bottom left corner.

The Dominicans struck back just before halftime in the 39th minute. Captain Edison Azcona launched an inswinging corner into a crowded box. Angel Montes De Oca snuck past his marker and scrambled into a pocket of free space. The midfielder twisted his body before nodding his header towards goal. He and the team excitedly celebrated, and for good reason. It was the Dominicans’ first-ever goal at the Olympics and at such a vital time. Following their 0-0 draw against Egypt, they now had a real chance of mounting an improbable comeback.

However, not all good things last. They fell apart just before halftime thanks to Azcona’s red card. Defender Pau Cubarsi landed a heavy tackle on Azcona, sending both to the ground. As Cubarsi leaped up and stood over Azcona, Azcona kicked Cubarsi in the crotch, warranting an immediate red card. He took the walk of shame off the field and into the tunnel, escorted by jeers and boos. Not only would the Dominicans go down a man, but they’ll miss their most potent attacker and captain for their pivotal match against Uzbekistan.

Spain dominates in final 45 against Dominican Republic

Spain’s revenge was a barrage of attacks in the second half. Spain’s second goal came after Cubarsi pushed the ball to midfielder Álex Baena on the top of the box. Baena faked his pass back to Cubarsi, before dribbling towards the edge of the 18 and firing a shot. The shot deflected off Joao Urbaez, and with Bösl too far away from the ball to react, it rolled into an empty net.

Spain’s third goal was the most beautiful. Oroz, one of Spain’s most promising attackers, had the ball in transition. He dribbled from half-field all the way to the box, evading multiple defenders in the process. Oroz got the ball back after unloading it for a second and found Lopez unmarked on the wing.

Lopez sent a cross into the box. Oroz got a tentative touch on the ball, flicking it past his defender and towards Miguel Gutiérrez on the far post. With the keeper on the near post, Gutiérrez easily tapped in his finish for a goal. Although the linesman waved his flag for offsides, a lengthy VAR check upheld the goal.

Spain’s 3-1 win puts them in the top two of their group. Regardless of Tuesday’s results, they have automatically advanced to the knockout round. They will secure a first-place win if they avoid a loss against Egypt. The Dominicans will play Uzbekistan. They’ll need a win, an Egypt loss, and score three more goals than the Egyptians.

Photos: Imago

Despite the team’s blue-blood status entering the Olympics, Hayes is the team’s biggest name. She’s come off a historic 12-year stint with Chelsea Women, a period that’s included seven Super Leagues and five FA Cups. She left after the 2023-24 season to pursue greatness at the national team level with a struggling States team lost for direction. Under Hayes, they’ve looked directly toward the future. Hayes embraced the younger generation of players while parting ways with some of the legends of the game. In merely months, Hayes has done what the US struggled to do for years — change.

They entered the Olympics looking not only to redeem their worst World Cup performance of all time with a gold medal but also to prove their critics wrong. Critics have branded American teams as dull and stagnant as of late. Their 0-0 draw against Costa Rica didn’t help.

They were going up against Zambia, a sleeper side boasting two of the most expensive talents in women’s football — Racheal Kundananji and Barbara Banda. Kundananji signed for Bay FC for a world-record $825,000, while Banda signed with Orlando Pride for $740,000. Despite their relative inexperience against teams like the United States, they are still very dangerous, especially thanks to their agility and prowess on the wings.

USMNT dominated Zambia throughout the match

Despite the questioning eyes and doubtful statements that followed the team to the Allianz Riviera, the States opened the game with a statement. With just seconds off the clock, Emily Fox got the game off to a roaring start. Fox took the ball from Trinity Rodman in the box and beat two defenders on the dribble before cutting the ball back to Lindsey Horan. Horan’s effort rolled just wide of the post, just inches away from going in 30 seconds into the game.

The team kept rolling after a clumsy giveaway from Zambia’s Grace Chanda. Sophia Smith played a pinpoint cross to Rodman, unmarked in the box. Although Rodman beat the Zambia keeper with her chipped effort, she hit the crossbar.

The States hit the crossbar again when Mallory Swanson’s header hit the bar off a Lindsey Dunn cross. Despite repeated attacking efforts and beautiful build-up, the States were unlucky not to find a goal. Zambia resorted to goalline clearances and vital saves to keep America out of the net.

Until Rodman happened. Smith, pacing down the byline, found Horan at the center of the field. Horan passed to Rodman with her back to the goal, but Rodman elegantly turned, lost her marker, and beat the keeper with an accurate shot.

Mere minutes later, Swanson doubled the States’ lead, again through Horan. After Smith passed the ball to, Horan, virtually unmarked, she hit an outside-of-the-foot, swerving ball that landed right in Swanson’s path. Swanson easily chipped her shot past the outstretched keeper to make the game 2-0.

And then, again. Just seconds after the kick-off to restart the game, Smith won and played a give-and-go with Horan. Smith worked the ball to Rose Lavelle, who stood around 30 yards from goal. Lavelle weaved a through-ball to a streaking Swanson, who dribbled the keeper and tapped the ball into an open goal.

USWNT struggled to score in second half

Soon, it became evident that, despite Zambia’s elite NWSL players, the States were running a total clinic on them. The United States pressed hard against a flustered Zambia, isolating their inexperienced backline and provoking clumsy turnovers. They kept the ball beautifully, and through their vetted playmakers Horan and Lavelle, they threaded the ball into the hands of their most potent players. The States didn’t play like the favorites — which they were — they played like world champions.

Zambia was reduced to ten women just before halftime after the referee ruled Pauline Zulu’s last-ditch tackle as a clear red. From there, the United States began to slow down. They took off Smith, who had to have extended medical attention for an apparent ankle injury, just before the half, and they didn’t stretch as wide or as forward as they already had.

Chances didn’t come often for the USWNT during the final 45 minutes, missing Smith and content with the 3-0 scoreline. Swanson blazed a second-half effort over the crossbar after dribbling past two defenders and getting one-on-one with the keeper. Lynn Williams, Rodman, and Crystal Dunn missed chances throughout the game as well.

One of the game’s final acts saw Banda and Kundananji racing towards the goal against two players. Banda played a through-ball to Kundananji, who split the two defenders as she raced onto the ball. But, Banda’s through ball was too weak. In mere seconds, Casey Krueger caught up with Kundananji, and the advantage Kundananji created fizzled out for a corner.

It was an accurate representation of Zambia throughout the game. Despite Zambia’s potential and their indisputably skilled players, they were held back technically and tactically. They couldn’t hold the ball or cobble together five passes in a fluid attacking motion. The USWNT outplayed Zambia, with the latter forced to defend deep and play long balls to their streaking wingers. If not for poor American finishing, Zambia could have conceded eight.

Zambia will face Australia, who lost 3-0 against Germany earlier on Thursday. The USWNT will gear up for a match against Germany in a clash that weighs in as one of the most exciting games at the Olympics.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Before Canada’s highly-anticipated match with New Zealand, an uncredited member of the Canada national team used a drone twice and flew it over the New Zealand practice sessions. Canada assistant coach Jasmine Mander and the analyst took an immediate flight home, while head coach Bev Priestman withdrew from the first match of the Olympics.

“I think this kind of lit a fire in our bellies,” New Zealand forward Indiah-Paige Riley said about the scandal.

Assistant coach and ex-Everton Ladies manager Andy Spence was Priestman’s replacement. His opening minutes came catastrophically. Seemingly with their first chance, New Zealand scored the match’s first goal.

Kitching puts New Zealand up early over Canada

Kiwi midfielder Katie Kitching sent in a corner that rolled into space. Mackenzie Barry cleverly trapped the ball and turned. Her chipped shot beat Canada keeper Kailen Sheridan, bounced off the crossbar, and rolled past the goal line and into the net. Bowen’s impressive finish gave the New Zealand side an early lead they would sit on throughout the first half.

New Zealand sat deep and defended on the back foot for most of the first half, with relative success. Canada couldn’t break down the New Zealand low block, and even when they did, they couldn’t finish well. Multiple attacking moves down the wings were squandered because of poor, shanked shots. Despite easily cutting through the New Zealand defense and picking out holes, they lacked the end product to finish their moves. Canada looked far from their best.

The biggest miss came down the left-hand flank. Nichelle Prince latched on to an Ashley Lawrence cutback, but, hurried under the pressure of the New Zealand defense, sent her shot flying over the bar. It was one of Canada’s best chances in a first half filled with disappointment.

Canada turned their fortune around with a goal just before halftime. After getting on the receiving end of a give-and-go with Jessie Fleming, Lawrence played an incisive ball to Prince in the box. Prince impressively flicked a pass to Cloe Lacasse, narrowly beating out a lethargic New Zealand defense. Lacasse rocketed her shot into the top corner to give Canada a well-earned advantage.

Fleming powers Canada to a late winner

From there, the game opened up as Canada’s elite attackers began to take control of the match. Adriana Leon created another opportunity for Canada, dragging the ball past Barry on the wing before forcing a brilliant save from Anna Leat. Fleming whipped a free kick into the box, with Quinn stooping down and nodding a header towards goal. It took a full-body, outstretched save from Leat to keep Canada from getting their second goal.

With only minutes left in the game, Fleming ripped yet another terrific through-ball into space. Super-sub Evelyn Viens raced onto the ball, beating two New Zealand defenders in transition. Viens tucked her shot into the bottom left corner while on the run, framing it just out of reach for Leat.

Although New Zealand attempted a late push for an equalizer, they looked too fatigued to do anything of note. New Zealand found their efforts to score halted by a valiant defensive effort from Canada and numerous halts in play.

Canada can now seal a knockout round bid with a win over France on Sunday. The New Zealand squad will need a positive result against a Linda Caicedo-led Colombia squad. They’ll likely be without midfielder Macey Fraser, who limped off the field in added time with an apparent ankle injury. France will play Colombia on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

The really troubling part? Olise made it seem too easy.

The ex-Crystal Palace winger shrugged off his smooth finish, pretending he had scored in FIFA rather than in the Olympics. For once, Walker Zimmerman’s commands to the rest of the Americans looked more like panic than motivation.

The goal was symbolic of a match where it seemed the USMNT was stuck chasing France around for 90 minutes. Despite the American team’s high hopes entering the match, they were simply outplayed in front of a rabid Marseille crowd.

Although the American squad entered the match as vast underdogs, they held their own against France. Olise, drifting in and out of his assigned right-wing slot, struggled to create chances against the United States’ compact defense. France had to settle for long shots, some of which troubled keeper Patrick Schulte.

Lacazette scores opener for France against USMNT

Surprisingly, it was the United States who came up with the first big chance of the day.  Djordje Mihailovic, one of the team’s three overage players, controlled a ball rolling in from a stray free kick. Mihailovic belted his shot from nearly 30 yards out, beating Toulouse stopper Guillarme Restes but hitting the crossbar.

Alexandre Lacazette opened up the scoring for France in the 61st minute, partly thanks to Olise. It was Olise, the creative genius, who drifted in from the right into the attacking third and beating some tackles before stabbing a ball to Lacazette. Midfielder Gianluca Busio picked up Lacazette early, but the ex-Arsenal attacker got enough separation to rifle a shot from beyond the box. Lacazette’s shot bounced and rolled past the outstretched arms of Schulte and into the bottom left corner to give France the 1-0 lead.

After that, France completely controlled the game. Lacazette assisted Olise on the second goal, who casually turned past Aaronsen to fire another shot from into the bottom left corner. Olise, swarmed by his teammates, showed little emotion. Throughout the match, Olise was calculated, precise serial killer who struck the States time and time again with his creativity.

The quiet intelligence, fanciful dribbling, piercing long balls crescendoed into this — a stadium of 67,000 yelling his name. Even if he didn’t travel with Didier Deschamps and company to Germany for the Euros, Olise is France’s sweetheart.

Badé wraps up scoring to beat US 3-0

France all but finished the game in its dying moments. Joris Chotard lofted a corner to center-back Loic Badé. Badé lost his marker as bodies in blue flew and Americans appealed to the referee. Badé, virtually open in the penalty spot, nodded his header just past Schulte to go up 3-0.

When the States looked out, Westerlo winger Griffin Yow nearly got them back in the game. Yow settled a pinpoint ball from the backline under pressure from left-back Adrien Truffert. Truffert went down under what looked like a shove. One-on-one with Restes, Yow comfortably converted his shot.

However, the linesman (and a brief VAR check) confirmed that Yow was offsides in the goal’s buildup. The States’ rare moment of brilliance was unfortunately snatched away from them. Yow lifted his head to the sky, threw his arms, kicked at the Vélodrome’s grass, but nothing changed. A dejected United States squad aiming for the moon in their first Olympics match since 2008 was cruelly brought down to earth by a dominant French squad.

France can seal its voyage to the quarterfinals with a win over Guinea, who lost 1-2 to New Zealand earlier today. The Americans can redeem themselves with a positive result against New Zealand on Saturday.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Entering the 90th minute with a scoreline of Argentina 1-2 Morocco, the fourth official signaled 15 minutes of injury time due to the pitch invasions and time-wasting in the second half. Then, incredibly, Boca Juniors midfielder Cristian Medina scored an equalizer in the 16th minute of injury time, and that’s when the chaos ensued. Furious Morocco fans invaded the pitch, throwing objects on the field and at Argentina players.

After the players left the field, most viewers assumed the game had ended. However, there was plenty of confusion when the official Olympics website indicated that the game had finished.

Or had it?

After a delay of more than one hour, the players returned to the pitch while the referee, after consulting the VAR monitor screen, disallowed Argentina’s late equalizer. So with the score at Argentina 1-2 Morocco, the final three minutes of the game were played with no fans in the stadium. Ultimately, Morocco hung on to finish the game victorious.

Morocco went up early with two goals

The match opened up the men’s tournament but was interrupted several times by pitch invasions, hurled objects, and lengthy time-wasting.

Both sides had a slow start to the match. They both played timidly, prodding through each others’ defense and searching for any weaknesses. Each side preferred to play short, back-and-forth passes, slowing the game down.

Through some fancy footwork, the game saw its first goal. The underdogs, who looked ready to follow the senior team in a surprise deep run, took the lead just before halftime. Highly fancied winger Ilias Akhomach completed a roulette past an Argentina defender on the wing, flicking on an effort to El Khannous. El Khannous slammed a cutback from the goal line towards a streaking Soufiane Rahimi. Rahimi, one of the team’s overaged players, stabbed his effort past keeper Gerónimo Rulli to score.

As the Moroccans celebrated wildly, a flare was lit and red smoke poured from the stands. Hakimi fired up the crowd, throwing his arms up, and kissing the badge. It was something out of a dream, especially for a soccer-mad nation that has spent billions of dollars and even more hours developing its golden generation.

Morocco would get another chance with El Khannous powering, again, through the goal line. After fighting off, an Argentine defender took down El Khannous in the heart of the penalty box. After a brief VAR check, the referee awarded Morocco a penalty. Rahimi buried his penalty deep into the bottom left corner, narrowly beating the outstretched Rulli and doubling Morocco’s lead.

This time, green flares erupted from the stands.

From there, it seemed Morocco had a firm control of the match. They played free-flowing, fluid soccer, constantly bombarding a frail Argentina defense. Super-sub Abde Ezzalzouli raced down the left-hand flank with around a half-hour left in the game and squared the ball to Rahimi. It took an excellent save from Rulli to prevent Rahimi’s hattrick.

Argentina equalized in extra time against Morocco

But, all of a sudden, Argentina got a goal back. After a crossed ball fell to left-back Julio Soler, Soler’s half-volley attempt fell perfectly to Giuliano Simeone at the back post. The Atletico Madrid attacker poked his effort into the goal. With 20 or so minutes of play left, Argentina had ample time to both get a goal back or get their first lead.

Argentina’s lifeline in the game wouldn’t be the creative stroke of Echeverri or Alvarez, but the 15 minutes of added time tacked onto the game. American commentators thought it was a mistake. However, the numbers slowly drew into the eighth minute, the tenth minute, and the twelfth minute. Morocco bogged the game down by exaggerating injuries and throwing the ball out of play several times. However, 15 minutes of extra time was objectively harsh and would prove to have big consequences.

Morocco lost their creativity and attacking hunger throughout extra time and simply hunkered into their shell. Argentina bombarded Morocco with chance after chance, and it took a couple of amazing saves from Morocco keeper Munir.

Hooliganism mars exciting game

With one of the last kicks of the game, Thiago Almada fired a blasted shot into Munir. Munir couldn’t get a firm grip on it, and the ball fell to Nicolás Otamendi. Munir barely tipped Otamendi’s shot away, sending it into the crossbar.

Bruno Amione’s header also met the crossbar. The rebound fell flatly to Medina, who easily tapped the ball into an open net. The Argentine team celebrated wildly in front of the cameras. But, Moroccan fans retaliated by throwing drinks and objects at the corner flag.

After the full-time whistle, two angry Moroccan fans stormed the pitch and attempted to confront the Argentine players. They were escorted off by security. While the Argentine players lined up to enter the tunnel leading to their locker rooms, Moroccan fans pelted them with more objects, including an object that looked like a flare.

Argentine media reported that players were still resting in the locker room waiting on a final decision from Olympics higher-ups. The IOC decided that the teams would play the final three minutes of the match without fans.

Photo: Imago

The deal, heavily affected by COVID and complicated by a bearish market for European media rights, represents a significant crossroads not only for Ligue 1 but also for Europe itself. Ligue 1’s deal with DAZN is its lowest in two decades. Will this trend extend to the rest of Europe’s major leagues?

Ligue 1’s TV saga wrapped up last week

Ligue 1 can trace its epic, league-threatening mess back to 2018 when Spanish company Mediapro made a record $884 million bid for the domestic TV rights to show Ligue 1. Mediapro beat longtime partner Canal+ for the rights. It was a momentous time for French clubs, set to earn $3.5 billion over four seasons.

However, difficulties brought on by COVID, along with Mediapro’s declining subscriber count, weakened the deal’s integrity. Just two seasons into the record-setting deal, Mediapro cut ties with Ligue 1, paying just $295 million as Ligue 1 looked for a new partner.

A weakened Ligue 1 had to fall back towards Amazon, who paid around $280 million to show the rest of the Ligue 1 matches. Ligue 1 hoped for another lucrative deal worth over $850 million but faced a lack of interest and low bids. The LFP canceled their October auction and had to hold individual talks with suitors interested in picking up the rights.

Going into the summer, Ligue 1 clubs faced the difficult choice of accepting DAZN’s deal, half of their valuation from October, or starting their direct-to-customer streaming platform. They decided to accept DAZN’s offer, worth around $436 million. DAZN will broadcast eight of nine Ligue 1 matches each matchday. beIN SPORTS, who paid $109 million, will broadcast one marquee matchup each matchday.

Ligue 1 TV deal has immediate effects

The only win for Ligue 1 is they at least have a deal. Only months earlier, it didn’t look like the LFP could even negotiate a fair contract. Longtime partner Canal+ wanted to prepare funds to bid for the Champions League and Premier League, while Amazon, BeIN, and Orange didn’t want to take on Ligue 1’s hefty valuations. With the deal, Ligue 1 clubs no longer face the black hole of immediate bankruptcy.

But, despite the safety of the clubs and the tense saga of the deal finally finishing, there are still more questions than answers.

For France, their inability to garner a high price like their European counterparts shows a declining interest in their league. Their main selling points — Kylian Mbappé, Neymar, and Lionel Messi — are all gone. The league looks the most raw and incomplete it’s been in some time.

Even though PSG looks the weakest it has been since Lille stole the Ligue 1 title under their noses in 2021, they’re still head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the pack. Attendance and interest in Ligue 1 have been declining for some time, and their cut-price deal with DAZN doesn’t help.

Ligue 1’s TV deal will also reflect on the field as well. With funds uncertain, many clubs have taken to the transfer market to make up for losses. Ligue 1 is notably a hotbed of talent, so the top youth talents are being sold en masse.

Leny Yoro recently completed a $67 million transfer to United, while promising talents Khéphren Thuram, Hugo Ekitike, Enzo Le Fée, Mattéo Guendouzi, Thijs Dallinga, and more have all left the league. Most of Ligue 1’s talents not employed by PSG are currently being shopped around the league as well.

Europe as a whole has suffered

The deal is also indicative of Europe’s shifting TV rights climate. Ligue 1 is the second league to suffer the consequences of a botched TV rights deal after Serie A struggled to find a broadcaster last summer. DAZN and Sky announced they would keep their domestic rights to show Serie A for $996 million annually last year. Serie A valued their league some way off at $1.25 billion.

The German Bundesliga has also run into some difficulties during its auction process. DAZN recently filed a legal complaint, alleging they made the most ‘financially attractive’ bid during its May auction.

European leagues are slowly conceding power to broadcasters, who look keener than ever to ensure their investments reach a profitable return. Ligue 1’s squabble with Mediapro and Canal+, along with several other European leagues, shows it.

Meanwhile, the 2024/25 season of Ligue 1 is just over three weeks away, and the French league has still not found a US broadcaster. beIN SPORTS’ deal with Ligue 1 ended at the close of last season. Will the French Ligue 1 find a broadcaster in time for the new season to start?

PHOTOS: IMAGO

It follows the announcement from the Polish league Ekstraklasa that it has launched a direct-to-customer service after OneFootball decided not to renew its rights for the league. After it aired the first matchday of both the Swiss Super League and Challenge League for free, the SFL now charges $2 per game to stream individual matches.

How will the Super League service work?

In 2021, nine European leagues, including the Norway Eliteserien, Danish Superliga, and Polish Ekstraklasa banded together to combine their rights. The leagues were frustrated with their inability to gain global exposure through non-domestic deals. They signed a broadcasting deal with OneFootball to broadcast their matches for free in certain territories.

Now, only three years later, Denmark, Poland, and Switzerland have exited the combined effort. The Ekstraklasa and Swiss Super League have made their streaming services, while the Danish Superliga doesn’t have an American partner to broadcast its games.

The SFL recently rolled out their over-the-top streaming service with the start of their games. All 228 Super League and 180 Challenge League matches are available on SFL’s new website (tv.sfl.ch). The platform broadcasts matches without any advertisements.

The channel is unavailable in Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and Liechtenstein.

The website also includes video replays for all of its matches, something OneFootball notably didn’t have. After creating an account, you access a ‘no spoiler’ mode, where the website hides scores after the game finishes. The stream also boasts a 1080-pixel resolution.

Although the SFL made the first matchday free to watch, the rest of the games are pay-per-view. Each game costs two euros ($2.18) to watch. With 222 games left of the Super League, watching all of the Super League games would cost around $490. The SFL has not announced a season-long subscription, although it’s possible they could announce a year-long plan soon.

The Swiss Super League kicked off on Saturday

The Super League began this past weekend with some enticing games over the weekend. The 12 teams played their first match on Saturday and Sunday. Despite its relative anonymity, the Super League arguably produces some of the best soccer out of Europe.

Lausanne’s climactic 3-2 win over Basel highlighted a fast-paced, intense weekend of Swiss soccer. The six games saw 17 goals for a whopping 2.83 goals per match.

The league will feature Lausanne attacking midfielder Simone Pafundi, who has earned links to Manchester United. Pafundi is currently playing with Italy at the U19 Euros. Reigning Golden Boot winners Chadrac Akolo and Kevin Carlos will also play in the league.

Switzerland frequently sends its clubs to play in the top levels of European soccer. Young Boys made it to the Champions League group stage last season, finishing third. Servette finished third in the Europa League group stage and advanced to the round of 16 of the Europa Conference League. UEFA ranks Switzerland as the 13th-best European league, above Czechia and Norway and barely below Turkey.

Young Boys will likely play in the Champions League’s revamped group stage this year. They’ll only need to beat a team in the play-off round to advance to the competition proper. Lugano, Servette, Zürich, and St. Gallen could also advance to the league.

PHOTOS: IMAGO / Sergio Brunetti

The Finalissima’s history

The Finalissima began in 1985, pitting Euro 1984 champions France and 1983 Copa America winners Uruguay against each other. UEFA and CONMEBOL started the competition to honor UEFA president Artemio Franchi, who died in a road accident before the competition. They modeled it after the Intercontinental Cup, played between the Champions League and Copa Libertadores champions.

The first match saw a Michel Platini-led France squad easily dismantle Uruguay in front of a 20,400-strong French crowd, 2-0. The competition, which occurred every four years, didn’t happen in 1989, as the Netherlands and Uruguay couldn’t agree to a date for the match.

The next match in 1993 took place in Mar del Plata, with Denmark taking on Argentina. Led by Claudio Caniggia and Diego Maradona, Argentina drew Denmark 1-1 in extra time and triumphed in a penalty shootout to claim the Artemio Franchi Cup. The cup was Maradona’s second international trophy alongside the 1986 World Cup.

After 1993’s edition, FIFA scrapped the Finalissima for the Confederations Cup. The Confederations Cup pitted the six continental champions, the reigning World Cup winner, and the hosts in an eight-team knockout tournament.

However, UEFA and CONMEBOL restarted the cup in 2022. The competition was the cornerstone of an agreement between the two confederations, which would help them closely collaborate to improve soccer. UEFA and CONMEBOL could exchange referees and security for competitions while creating official youth, indoor, women’s, and men’s tournaments.

Italy, the Euro 2020 winners, and Argentina, the 2021 Copa America winners, played at Wembley to mark the celebration. Argentina won 3-0 off the backs of goals from Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria, and Paulo Dybala. The win marked Lionel Messi’s second international trophy with Argentina.

What the future holds for Finalissima

With this new agreement between CONMEBOL and UEFA, Finalissima has every chance to improve its reputation. Currently, the Finalissima is merely an inconsequential friendly that wraps up the summer every four years. However, UEFA and CONMEBOL offer the most competitive teams in the world. With the right promotion

However, a big obstacle is player fatigue. Players can play upwards of 60 games a season, and with yet another game on the schedule, it could breed slow, defensive soccer. If the Finalissima wants to entertain and showcase the world’s best soccer, it can’t take place at the same time as other international tournaments or friendlies.

With Spain winning their first European Championship in 12 years and Argentina going back-to-back, they will likely play sometime in 2025. Neither Spain nor Argentina have nailed down a specific date or a location.

The match is highly anticipated. Teenage phenom Lamine Yamal told reporters he wanted to play against one of his childhood heroes Messi. Spain and Argentina are the two best teams in the world. The Finalissima could provide an early look at what the 2026 World Cup final could look like.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

With all these important storylines swirling around with the opening ceremony scheduled for the 26th, the Olympics’ soccer tournaments figure to be a focal part of the Olympics. The tournament has produced special moments. For example, Neymar won gold at Rio 2016, Carli Lloyd scored in extra-time to beat Brazil in Beijing 2008, and more moments transpired throughout the years. 2024, held in front of millions of soccer-rabid Parisian fans, figures to add to the legacy of the Olympics.

Teams competing in soccer for the 2024 Olympics

The Olympics will boast a stacked field on both the women’s and men’s sides. The women’s teams will be able to call up their best players from across the globe. Squads in the men’s tournaments will be restricted to players under 23 years old, with three overage exceptions.

The men’s tournament will feature hosts France along with the United States, Guinea, and New Zealand in Group A. Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, and Ukraine will play in Group B. Spain and Egypt headline Group C, accompanied by the Dominican Republic and an Eldor Shomurodov-led Uzbekistan squad. Mali, Japan, Israel, and Paraguay round out Group D.

On the women’s side, France will go up against the likes of Colombia, Canada, and New Zealand in Group A. The United States will begin its revenge tour in Group B against rivals Germany, Austria, and surprise package Zambia. Spain, Nigeria, Brazil, and Japan slot into the Group of Death.

The format for the Olympics

The men’s tournament at the Olympics will feature 16 teams in four different groups. The teams play three matches against each other. Then, the top two from each group progress to the knockout rounds. The group stage matches will start on the 24th, with Argentina facing Morocco and Uzbekistan playing Spain at 9 a.m.

After the eight teams progress through the knockout round, the finals will be held at Paris Saint-Germain‘s stadium, Parc des Princes. The gold medal match will be the last of 32 games starting on Aug. 9. Reigning 2020 gold medalists Brazil will not feature in the tournament after failing to qualify. City striker Julian Alvarez, Bayern winger Michael Olise, and Arsenal target Désiré Doué will all play at the tournament.

The women’s football tournament features 12 teams from across the globe. France, Spain, and the USA highlight the tightly packed field. The teams will play in three groups of four. The top two teams from the three groups, plus the top two third-placed teams, advance to the eight-team knockout round. Group-stage matches will start on the 25th, with Canada playing New Zealand and reigning World Cup winners Spain playing Japan.

The Parc des Princes will hold the gold-medal matches on Aug. 10. A new-look American team led by manager Emma Hayes will search for its first gold medal since 2012.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

Puig faced difficulties at Barcelona

It’s shown. Puig broke through Barcelona’s first team during the catastrophic Koeman era with comparisons to Andres Iniesta before he played a LaLiga match. Puig was heralded as the most creative midfielder on the team, past young phenoms Pedri and Gavi.

He burst onto the scene as a precocious teenager who stunned everyone with his skill. Puig stepped into a midfield of Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo, all known as three of the world’s best midfielders and completely controlled the tempo. Although his best attribute was his creativity: linking play up with the midfield and carving up low blocks; he could drop deep and help beat the press. Standing at 5’7, Puig was the archetype of La Masia midfielders: diminutive, crafty midfielders who could carry the ball well.

But his flair reportedly came with a lack of maturity on the field. Puig, seeming fit as a creative No. 10, often wandered away from his assigned spaces, causing defensive breakdowns. Puig looked lazy on defense at times, and when compared with brighter talents like Pedri, Ilaix Moriba and Frenkie de Jong, Puig didn’t neatly slot into Koeman’s starting eleven.

With Barcelona billions of euros in debt and facing an apocalyptic future without Lionel Messi, Koeman was fired, and Xavi came in. Under Xavi, Puig saw fewer minutes behind Busquets, de Jong and Gavi. Later, Puig would be forced out.

“I believe I was not treated fairly when I came back to training in pre-season last summer when the club did not let me train with them,” Puig said. “I think if I still have a contract with the club, I should be able to act like that and they can’t tell me not to train with them.”

“That’s what annoyed me during my last years there. As soon as this happened, I tried to look for my way out pretty quickly,” he added. “I had the LA Galaxy option quite advanced and wanted to move abroad, change my life, and go to the other side of the world.”

Riqui Puig leads an LA Galaxy team poised for trophies

After landing in Los Angeles, the difference in culture between a soccer-crazy Barcelona city and a team with ten pro sports teams was striking for Puig.

“I can play golf in peace here, it’s good for me to disconnect. When I played in Barcelona, it was mayhem. I can go to dinner in peace here, and no one bothers me.”

“I’m young and I wanted to go out. There were non-sports issues. People followed me to my home, they wanted to know where I was going to have dinner. It was my private life. Here in the US, football is the fourth sport.”

So was the tempo and quality of play. Puig stepped into an LA Galaxy squad looking for midfielders and immediately became the team’s best playmaker. In just 12 appearances with LA Galaxy, Puig scored three goals, added two assists, and led the team to a Western Conference semi-final appearance.

A season later, Puig enjoyed creative freedom on a mediocre Galaxy squad. Puig led the league in several passing-related stats, including progressive passes and passes into the final third. The Spaniard retained his status as arguably the best midfielder in the league thanks to his dribbling, ability to create shots and sheer attacking talent. Puig made opportunities out of nothing — where his attack failed, he excelled.

Puig’s future in MLS

After falling short of a playoff appearance in 2023, LA Galaxy shelled out $21 million on player transfers, including a club record $10 million on Brazilian winger Gabriel Pec. Now, Puig is enjoying an entirely refurbished front line to work with. Ex-Genk winger Joseph Painstil and striker Diego Fagundez have hit the ground running in 2024.

Fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings, LA Galaxy scored the fifth-most goals in the league. Their play has been brilliant, with Puig as the team’s gleaming center jewel. Despite playing as a #10, Puig often drifts deep to take the ball from the center-backs. Despite his questionable defensive work rate, Puig has the most touches in the league. He’s offensively gifted, so much so that he overshadowed Messi in Galaxy’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami.

Puig previously told Los Angeles outlets that his goal would be to return to Europe and it’s a big possibility. Rumors rose that Barcelona wanted to bring him back to Camp Nou due to their midfield revamp, and Puig could find a home at a top-tier LaLiga side as well. However, Puig recently inked a contract extension to keep him in LA until 2027. If a team wants him, they could have to pay upwards of $20 million.

With Lionel Messi nearing the twilight of his career and Thiago Almada set to make his Botafogo debut tomorrow, Puig could very well be called the face of MLS. His creativity and intelligence have gotten him several fans, and he’s one of the flashiest players in the league. It helps even more that LA Galaxy is arguably the most entertaining team in the West. He’ll be the name you’ll need to know as LA Galaxy searches for its first MLS Cup in a decade.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Colombia showed why they were the most dominant team in South America, even over Brazil and Argentina, with their first-half performance against Uruguay. The attack looked beautiful to watch, often connecting, drawing themselves out of position, and beating their markers one-on-one.

Colombia strolls past Uruguay in first half

James, who has found his rhythm this Copa America, created three chances throughout the match. Luis Diaz looked electric down the left, holding the ball up at times, but drifting into the middle other times to set up teams. Colombia is a team full of experience, both with their clubs and each other. They seem poised yet patient, thrillingly intense in attack but solid on defense.

The first big moment was a rough tackle on Colombia striker Jhon Cordoba, which injured Cordoba’s tackler. While putting in a tackle on Cordoba, key anchoring midfielder Rodrigo Bentacur collided with Mathias Olivera. It took Bentacur several minutes to get up, and when he did, he was accompanied by a pained grimace and a clutched thigh. Bentacur eventually had to leave the game early.

The first big moment in their high-tempo match came through the speedy Darwin Nunez. After a give-and-go with Mathias Olivera, Nunez danced past center-back Carlos Cuesta. The Liverpool striker got the ball to the top of the box, and with keeper Camilo Vargas off his line, he had a fair shot on goal. But, his curling effort spun just over the crossbar.

James created something out of nothing with his set-piece magic. Rodriguez floated a cross towards the back post, meeting a powerful header from Jefferson Lerma. Lerma’s effort narrowly squeaked past keeper Sergio Rochet, and just like that, Colombia had their opener.

And then, tremors. The sound and feel of Colombia fans jumping in their seats could have passed for an earthquake. Bank of America Stadium looked vibrant with the yellow jerseys that scattered the stadium.

Munoz red card gives Colombia disadvantage

It seemed only moments later that the excitement would turn to dread. After Daniel Munoz had a brief argument with a Uruguay defender, Manuel Ugarte put his hand on Munoz’s shoulder and another in Munoz’s rib cage. Munoz turned around and gave Ugarte a reactionary elbow.

Although the conflict was brief, it was enough for the referee to give Munoz a yellow card, his second of the day. Despite protests from Colombia staff and players, Munoz took the walk of shame as halftime neared. Colombia would have to defend their one-goal lead with ten men.

Around 10 minutes after halftime, Colombia’s skillful midfielder Richard Rios took a tough tackle from Maximiliano Araujo. Rios, who looked injured and begged for treatment, was initially disregarded by the ref until the protests of James delayed the game. James got booked, but Rios got treatment and eventually left out of the game. The scenario showed questionable refereeing and set the tone for a physical first half.

It took several valiant efforts to keep Uruguay from equalizing. Vargas came up with an incredible stop against Nunez in the 65th minute, selflessly shielding the near post by sacrificing his body. Luis Suarez hit the post after receiving a well-hit Federico Valverde pass. The Inter Miami striker seemed dumbfounded and frustrated that his shot pinged off the woodwork — Suarez hasn’t scored for Uruguay since March 2022.

Despite going down a man, Colombia was still lethal in transition. In the 89th minute, with fatigue setting in, super-sub Luis Sinisterra scampered onto a clumsily-hit Rochet pass in the box. Sinisterra shoved it towards teammate Kevin Castano. Castano passed to Matheus Uribe at the edge of the box, but his shot rolled narrowly wide of the post.

Uribe had a chance to redeem himself in stoppage time after Castano played Sinisterra through on goal. Sinisterra squared the ball to Uribe with only the keeper to beat from 12 yards out, but Uribe sent his shot flying into Rochet. The shot bounced off the inside of the crossbar and outside of the net, to the dismay of Uribe. Luckily, it didn’t matter. Despite the embarrassing miss, the referee blew his full-time whistle to the excited whoops of Colombian fans.

Off-field issues mar match

The customary pitch invasion from the players and the half-field celebrations were marred by antics from the Uruguayan players. Uruguay and Colombia got into a brawl after the game, with Suarez one of the players having to be separated. Darwin Nunez led a fight in the stands, with Uruguayan players fighting Colombia fans in a scene resembling Malice at the Palace. However, reports emerged that Colombia fans ‘avalanched’ the section of the players’ families. Nunez was seen consoling his distraught two-year-old son after the scene.

Colombia will travel to Miami to face Argentina on Sunday. If Colombia wins, it will be their first Copa America title since beating Mexico on home turf in 2001. It would be a deserved victory for a Colombia side that has looked dominant throughout the tournament. Uruguay will stay in Charlotte to take on Canada in the third-place game.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

Berhalter, who led the USMNT to two Gold Cups and a Nations League, failed to beat a top-25-ranked team outside of CONCACAF. US Soccer is expected to name Berhalter’s replacement ahead of their September friendly against Canada.

Berhalter took over the USMNT job after Bruce Arena’s resignation in December 2018. He led the USMNT into the World Cup for the first time since 2014, taking them to the round of 16. Berhalter finishes his stint in Chicago with 44 wins, 15 losses, and 13 ties. His biggest accomplishment with the USMNT was winning back-to-back Nations League titles over Canada and Mexico. He also won one Gold Cup in 2021.

Berhalter led USMNT to a woeful group-stage exit

Berhalter began to face criticism after the 2022 World Cup. US Soccer let his contract expire amid a scandal between Berhalter and star Gio Reyna’s family. After an investigation surrounding Gio Reyna’s lack of playing time, Berhalter was rehired to bring success at the 2024 Copa America.

Berhalter faced significant pressure to keep his job after an unimpressive Copa America performance. Despite beating Bolivia in its opener on home turf, the United States suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of Panama and eventual semi-finalists Uruguay.

Copa America 2024 was the United States’ best chance to prepare as they host the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico. However, Berhalter’s side looked tame in attack, overly reliant on its star attacking players to shine individually. The team lacked discipline throughout the tournament and saw moments of sloppy defense. Berhalter has been accused of coddling his players, and it showed throughout the match — an unmotivated USA side that seemed content with defeat at times.

The United States needed a win over Uruguay to advance to the knockout round after its loss to Panama. However, despite the urgency of the situation and their evident attacking power, the United States offered little in attack. Although a controversial Mathias Olivera strike made the difference, the USMNT didn’t create enough chances to score.

Berhalter faced criticism after the exit

Berhalter faced mass criticism after the USMNT’s exit from Copa America. The national team’s biggest supporter groups called for his firing over social media. Fans chanted ‘Fire Gregg’ during their loss at Arrowhead Stadium.

Days after the loss, US Soccer announced Berhalter would continue with the USMNT for the 2026 World Cup.

“When I started this search, my focus was on finding someone with the right vision to take this program to new heights in 2026,” Crocker said. “Gregg has that vision. He has the experience and growth mindset on and off the field to move this team forward.”

Statements from US Soccer executives and Berhalter

However, Berhalter will no longer be the team’s head coach. After a ‘comprehensive’ post-Copa America review concerning Berhalter’s tactics, Crocker relieved Berhalter of his duties. US Soccer confirmed that they started their search for a new manager already.

“We are deeply grateful to Gregg for his commitment the past five years to the Men’s National Team and to U.S. Soccer,” Crocker said. “Gregg has earned the respect of everyone within our organization and has played a pivotal role in bringing together a young team and moving the program forward.”

Berhalter also issued remarks after today’s decision. “The Copa America result is extremely disappointing and I take full responsibility for our performance,” Berhalter said. “Our approach and process was always focused on the 2026 World Cup and I remain confident that this group will be one of the great stories in 2026.”

Potential Berhalter USA replacements include high-profile managers such as Thierry Henry, Jurgen Klopp, and Mauricio Pochettino. But, it’s uncertain when Crocker and US Soccer will announce a new head coach. LAFC’s Steve Cherundolo and Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy are likely candidates.

The United States will return to action, likely with a new coach, on September 7th in a friendly against Canada.

Photos: Imago

This dynasty is led by youthful, yet experienced players. Enzo Fernandez assisted Argentina’s winning goal and was vital in possession, but is only 23. Julian Alvarez is just 24, but with the maturity and calmness in his play, he could have played decades’ worth of soccer.

For the group’s leaders — veterans rapidly reaching the formidable 40-year-old mark — they played like they were 20. 37-year-old Lionel Messi reminded the world of his legendary status, scoring his first goal of the tournament after running a clinic on destroying Canadian defenses.

Angel Di Maria was the team’s creative outlet — the 36-year-old ran rampant down the right flank. Argentina looked the most complete and dominant it has in a while, and that’s saying a lot considering their recent performances.

Alvarez puts Argentina up over Canada

When the match started, it looked like Argentina would be the next world empire to crumble. For a minute, left winger Jacob Shaffelburg seemed unstoppable as Canada broke loose in transition several times. Shaffelburg, Alphonso Davies, and a speedy Canada team often proved too much for the physical Canadian sides to handle.

We saw how fast and frustrating Canada could be at times. Jonathan David’s counter-attacking strike against Peru and Shaffelburg’s goal over Venezuela both come from Canada surging quickly through fast-break goals on the wings. The Jesse Marsch-led Canadians are difficult to deal with, as the Argentine defense discovered first-hand.

Although Shaffelburg flirted with the net a few times in the opening minutes, sending two shots off target, Rodrigo de Paul drew first blood in the 22nd minute. De Paul dropped deep between Canada’s midfield lines, turned, and launched a 40-yard ball right into the path of Julian Alvarez. The City attacker deftly controlled the ball, withstood a sliding Moise Bombito tackle, and converted the one-on-one to put Argentina ahead.

Towards the end of the half, frustration boiled over for the red-and-white. After Derek Cornelius flicked on an Alistair Johnson long throw, Jonathan David’s flicked-on effort was met with an amazing Emiliano Martinez stop at the near post. You could see fatigue scrawled on the players’ faces, along with visible annoyance from Marsch towards the end of halftime after some questionable calls.

Messi doubles Argentina’s lead

The game slowed down after Argentina got a hold of the game. Argentina patiently and slowly cut open the Canadian defense, often passing it around the backline and sniffing out opportunities. Argentina preferred to slowly draw Canada out with their slow build-up, and then attack. It helped them draw time off the clock.

Argentina’s second strike came through Messi himself. After halftime, Messi took the ball on the right wing before playing it to De Paul. De Paul reached the byline and cut the ball back to Messi, but Ismael Kone made a smart interception. But, Kone’s clearance landed right at Enzo Fernandez’s feet. Fernandez fired a shot on goal, but Messi’s flick helped thoroughly beat Canada keeper Maxime Crepeau.

The game looked all but finished as Emiliano Martinez came up with another save after his penalty heroics against Ecuador. After a clumsy giveaway, the ball worked its way to Tani Oluwaseyi. Oluwaseyi launched his shot on goal, but Martinez deflected the ball with his feet before collecting the ball. Only minutes later, Oluwaseyi connected with a Jonathan Osorio cross, but he steered his header narrowly wide of the post.

An emotional Martinez, with the Argentine flag dyed into his hair, lifted his hands to the sky and collapsed. Relief and fatigue washed over the Argentine squad, who will earn five days of rest until the final.

They’ll learn about their opponents in the finals on Wednesday. Argentina will either face Colombia, who hasn’t lost since March 2022, or Uruguay, their fierce derby rivals. Either way, it promises to be thrilling, intense, and vital for the Argentine core’s legacy.

Yes, I am aware that these are the last battles… I am enjoying them to the fullest,” a grinning Messi admitted. “It’s not easy to be in a final again. We need to enjoy, enjoy every moment.”

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

Without the two, Brazil looked predictable and stale. Teenage phenom Endrick was stranded between a physical backline and only completed two passes. The team’s double pivot in Joao Gomes and Bruno Guimaraes looked unconfident when passing the ball forward.

Lucas Paquetá looked like the only creative player on the field, the only one who looked upfield and generated chances. It made for a dull game of Brazil swinging the ball to the wing and crossing it into the box or simply taking long shots from 30 yards out. Brazil was tentative and dull.

And it seemed morbid to watch Uruguay, nearly 30 minutes removed from losing a defender through a red card, confidently stroll past Brazil in penalties. It felt like the risk-taking, samba-style Brazil squad we know was dead. Brazil focused on controlling the ball and drawing chances through set-piece situations, not dribbling and flair. Manuel Ugarte’s confident penalty not only put Uruguay through to the semifinals but shattered Brazil’s identity.

Loss evokes memories of Mineirazo

There will never be a more brutal loss for Brazil in recent memory than that Saturday in 2014. Brazil’s 7-1 loss against Germany is one of the most tragic, embarrassing losses in the history of soccer. It was their biggest defeat ever and a national embarrassment. They were fundamentally picked apart in the World Cup semi-finals in front of 58,000 rabid fans.

Although Brazil was missing captain Thiago Silva and star player Neymar, they started the match well with a period of back-and-forth play. However, they lost control after Thomas Muller scored within the first 20 minutes. Brazil failed to control the ball and fell apart under the pressure of their home crowd, conceding four goals within six minutes. Andre Schürlle would later score two second-half goals to make it 7-0.

Oscar finally got a goal for the Selecao after latching on to a long ball at the edge of the box, cutting past Jerome Boateng, and shooting past Manuel Neuer with one of the last kicks of the game. Only seconds after, the referee would blow his full-time whistle, and Brazil would collapse in tears. Brazil’s David Luiz sobbing and wiping his tears after the full-time whistle became emblematic of the match — a sad Brazil left to pick up the pieces of one of their worst moments in their 108-year career.

On the tenth anniversary of Mineirazo, you can only look back at a shattered legacy. Murky memories emerge when discussing the loss. To some, it’s a blur, with the match happening so fast they couldn’t comprehend it. To others, it was like slow-motion, watching Germany so efficiently and calculated murder Brazil seemed traumatic. But, the one objectively true thing is manager Luis Scolari didn’t set this team up to succeed.

The main cause of this catastrophe is the fact that Brazil, despite all of its technically gifted players, couldn’t keep the ball. Scolari started Fernandinho and Luis Gustavo in the double pivot, while opting to start attacking midfielder Oscar in his absence. Oscar was forced out of position by the strong German defense, leaving the duo to contend with Germany’s elite midfield by themselves. That, and a backline that made uncharacteristic mistakes, led to Germany both controlling possession and easily exploiting the holes in Brazil’s defense.

Brazil reaches a crossroads with Uruguay loss

We saw similar tactical errors as Brazil looked outclassed in all phases of the match.

With Vinicius’ suspension, manager Dorival switched starting striker Rodrygo to his preferred spot on the left. He then called up teenage star Endrick from the bench to start as a striker. Endrick, who can play as a secondary striker, an attacking midfielder, and more, played the role of a penalty-box poacher against Brazil, tasked with winning headers over Ronald Araujo and Cristian Romero.

He’s best when dropping deep and linking play, but with the way Dorival used him, Brazil might as well have played with ten men.

Brazil’s backline, although untested under pressure, gave way in transition. They faced lapses of concentration, allowing the Uruguayan players to make especially piercing runs onto long balls. The best chance of the game, Nández’s first-half cross to Darwin Nunez, came partly because Eder Militao lost track of Nunez, who sneakily ran behind him to latch on to the cross.

With a three-man midfield, you ordinarily have a creative player (think Paquetá), an anchor who primarily defends (Casemiro), and a box-to-box midfielder with stamina who can put in a reasonable amount of effort on both ends (Guimaraes). However, it seemed the double pivot of Guimaraes and Gomes sank back into their defensive ways. They rarely got up to join the attack, instead minimizing the risk of a counter-attack.

“The midfield is rubbish, do they even know how to play football? Paquetá knows, but he wants to fight,” World Cup-winning midfielder Gérson said. “João Gomes does not know how to play football and Bruno Guimarães only wants to foul. This is ugly. Everything must change.”

Now out of Copa America, Brazil will set their eyes on World Cup qualifying, with a 23rd-straight berth on the horizon. However, they rest at sixth, just two points from a potential intra-confederation play-off. They will need positive results against Ecuador and Paraguay during the September international window.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

The LFP, the body that governs France’s domestic leagues, is deciding between a $406 million deal from DAZN for the domestic rights to show games to French audiences or launching a paid streaming service available for anyone to subscribe.

The TV rights deal will have an impact on how active Ligue 1 clubs are in the transfer market, with most clubs waiting for news on a potential breakthrough. The outcome could also determine how the LFP handles negotiations for the media rights to Ligue 1 in the United States.

Ligue 1 continues vital broadcast deal talks

Per French outlet L’Equipe, a group of Ligue 1 officials recently met to negotiate their TV rights deal dilemma. They have two options on their table. They could sign an unfavorable deal with DAZN through the 2028-2029 season or launch a streaming service.

The LFP’s domestic TV rights troubles originate from Mediapro’s shock acquisition of the domestic rights for Ligue 1 . After challenging 34-year partner Canal+ in an auction, Mediapro bought the rights for a whopping $882 million per year. However, they missed payments due to COVID-induced financial difficulties and paid a $108 million severance fee halfway through the deal.

Now roughly $500 million short of their Mediapro deal, Ligue 1 sold the remaining games to Amazon over Canal+ for a cut-price $280 million.

Ligue 1 entered the 2023/24 season hoping to auction off the rights for over $850 million but canceled their auction in October after receiving low bids. Canal+ no longer wants the rights to Ligue 1, skipping out in favor of the Champions League and Premier League.

With the season due to start in nearly a month, the league is weighing up a $406 million deal from DAZN, half of their previous valuation. DAZN wanted to expand throughout Europe after missing out on the domestic rights to the Premier League, and a struggling Ligue 1 looking for a buyer is their perfect chance to enter France.

Another option for Ligue 1 is launching their over-the-top streaming service. It’s Ligue 1’s last-ditch effort to show their games. They would partner with WarnerBros Discovery to create a non-exclusive streaming service that broadcasts 100% of Ligue 1 games. It would let Ligue 1 show games and make revenue but, at the same time, drastically reduce their exposure to TV audiences. According to reports, the league would price the channel at $27 monthly. Amazon, Molotov TV, and Google TV are also interested in associating with the potential streaming service.

Regardless, the French clubs left, again, without making a decision. It’s marked a tense period of negotiations, with Ligue 1’s value plummeting each week. After the start of the season, Ligue 1 rejected a $433 million deal. They may settle for the $408 million deal, or less, depending on the route they take.

Ligue 1’s decision will impact clubs and countries

If Ligue 1 and club presidents don’t reach a decision soon on their broadcast deal, smaller Ligue 1 clubs could suffer. The newly promoted Auxerre and Angers, along with Lens, Nantes, Reims, Montpellier, Brest, and Le Havre could all face bankruptcy if Ligue 1 doesn’t settle on a rights deal soon.

Ligue 1 is dependent on TV deals to help stay afloat. Aside from PSG and Lyon, who recently sold over $400 million in assets, Ligue 1 has stayed quiet in the transfer market, anxiously waiting for news of negotiations.

Lens, who recently played in last year’s Champions League, owes over $100 million and could sell Arsenal target Elye Wahi. Auxerre reportedly paused some of its transfer plans as it waits for TV rights certainty. Ligue 1’s fall-out is a pivotal moment for the future of its club and the league itself. If the league doesn’t reach an agreement for its domestic rights soon, the league could hurtle towards disbandment.

The news will also have a huge impact on the United States. No broadcaster has acquired the American rights to Ligue 1 after BeIN SPORTS’ contract expired. If Ligue 1 decides to open its streaming service in France, it could do the same in the States.

As of press time, there have been no updates concerning which broadcaster, if any, will land American rights. Previously, Ligue 1 executives have expressed a desire to market their league differently in the United States. For instance, the LFP could play some games in America as they search for a new suitor.

“When you consider the national team, young players, the quality of our academies, and the breadth of talent,” LFP CEO Ben Morel told World Soccer Talk. “That has not translated yet into the strength of our league. We need to become more relevant internationally, and the US is a key market to that.”

Ligue 1 will begin on August 18, giving the LFP merely five weeks to sort out their domestic rights difficulties.

Photo: Imago

His first start in the Brazil jersey comes at a pivotal crossroads for the Selecao. They faced one of the strongest teams in the entire tournament in Uruguay, a squad that swept aside the United States in the group stage along with wins over Panama and Bolivia. Brazil’s core, rapidly aging and facing questions about its legitimacy, desperately needed a win to fight off those doubts.

They would have to win without Vinicius, who would miss their knockout round through a yellow card suspension, and Neymar, who injured his knee in March. Manager Dorival Junior moved Rodrygo to the left wing and plugged Endrick in at striker. Endrick, who had played 34 minutes in Brazil’s first three Copa matches, would finally earn his long-awaited start.

Uruguay takes control early against Brazil

Uruguay’s talisman, Ronald Araujo, was the first to do something of note in the game. After Federico Valverde put in a rough tackle on Endrick, grounding him, a small scuffle ensued. Araujo stepped in, shoving Endrick from the back. It meant more than a simple disagreement — Endrick met the gatekeeper to his status as an elite attacker, a peek into his upcoming season at LaLiga.

Although Endrick threw his arms, hopped back up, and stared Araujo down, it was Raphinha who stepped in, shoving Araujo back. The brief but intense fight broken up by the referee would set the tone for the game.

The first big blow wasn’t a goal on either side — it was the injury for Uruguay’s centerpiece Araujo. Araujo planted his right foot too hard attempting to block Guilherme Arana’s cross, and fell gripping his hamstring. He left the field limping and covering his face, while Atletico Madrid defender José Giménez replaced him. Araujo will likely miss the rest of the tournament.

Brazil’s match against Uruguay was a match defined by transition. Brazil held the overwhelming majority of the possession, but Uruguay still scampered off to create opportunities on fast breaks. Each side’s best chances didn’t come from tactical build-up — it came from the flowing, instinctual counter-attacks that allowed Uruguay to find the space.

With the score still level, Darwin Nunez nearly scored the opener after he shook past Eder Militao and connected with a pinpoint Nahitan Nández cross. But, the Liverpool striker mistimed his jump, with the ball meeting his shoulder and spiraling over the net.

Raphinha went down the other end immediately. Paqueta flicked on a deep Allison pass to a sprinting Raphinha, who deftly controlled the pass with a touch to burst past Matias Vina. Raphinha seemed set for a one-on-one after he outpaced the rest of the Uruguay defenders, but Sergio Rochet easily batted the shot away.

Nandez red card opens game up

One of the more pivotal moments of the match came in the 72nd minute. With Rodrygo running rampant past a disjointed Uruguay defense looking to play a ball to Endrick, Nandez made a dangerous, studs-up tackle. The left-back missed the ball entirely, instead slamming into Rodrygo and bending his ankle at a grotesque ankle. After a heated debate and a lengthy VAR check, the referee lifted the red card. Off went Nandez, and in came right-back Guillermo Varela, attacker Giorgian De Arrascaeta, and a Brazilian onslaught of attacks.

Uruguay dropped back into a 5-4-0, with Nunez joining his front four behind the ball. They defended aggressively, nipping at the Brazilian backline as it passed the ball around.

Brazil only got two cracks at goal during the 20ish minutes between Nandez’s dismissal and the shootout — a Rodrygo free-kick that hit the wall and an Endrick outside-the-box effort that rolled comfortably into Rochet’s gloves.

And there, we saw how Endrick’s youth was shown. Although Endrick is still the larger-than-life, sweetheart that everyone in Brazil — even his rivals — will love, he’s still young. This is still a teenager adjusting to the tempo of high-level soccer, still dealing with the physicality of top-level defenders. We saw glimpses of frustration as the baby-faced Endrick gripped his hair, scrunched his face, and let a vexed scream escape. He looked confused, unable to deal with Uruguay’s physicality, and angered by Brazil’s inability to get him the ball or take any risks.

And there, we saw the real issue with this Brazilian side. With Vinicius and Neymar out, the team doesn’t have a true creator. The team doesn’t have a Kaká or a Zico in the midfield. Outside of Paquetá, who has created most of Brazil’s chances at the Copa, Brazil doesn’t have anyone. Some of it is because of Vini’s absence, and some because of manager Dorival Junior’s laissez-faire tactics.

However, Brazil is in a state of chaos. The apocalyptic disorder ex-gaffer Tite left behind is nowhere close to being resolved.

Brazil loses in penalties

After Valverde tucked his shot to the bottom left, Rochet batted away Eder’s penalty with an impressive save. Rodrigo Bentacur, Andreas Pereira, and Georgian De Arrascaeta all made their penalties, with Douglas Luiz set to head to the line.

Luiz stutter-stepped his way to the spot, and his effort is inches away from rolling into the net. But, the post cruelly denies his penalty, leaving Brazil on the brink of the penalty. Despite an amazing Alisson save and Gabriel Martinelli’s score, Manuel Ugarte’s well-hit penalty sent Alisson completely the wrong way.

Brazil, in a rather anticlimactic way, was out. Endrick and Brazil will be left to pick up the pieces of a shattered Copa America tournament as they look to surge back to a World Cup qualifying berth.

“We want to put Brazil on top,” Endrick sighed after the loss. “We will continue to work and prepare for the World Cup”. The loss comes as a coming-of-age moment for the incoming Real star.

Uruguay will advance to the semifinals for an entertaining match against Colombia, who haven’t lost in 26 matches. They’ll be without Araujo and Nandez in their pivotal clash.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

They didn’t go out without a fight either. After hunkering down and stealing a win against Austria in the quarterfinal, they faced a dominant Netherlands side widely tipped to make a deep run in the final.

It promised to be a good match, especially for a Turkiye squad boasting a lot of attacking talent. Their wide, end-to-end style of soccer hinges on their creative playmakers — Kökcu, Güler, Kenan Yildiz — taking on defenders and creating opportunities with their technical skill, not a particular tactical set-up. They play a very open style of soccer, allowing them to bomb in from the flanks and launch very dangerous attacks, but leaving them exposed to the counter-attack.

Akaydin goal puts Turkiye ahead

We saw an early glimpse of how their impact in transition would play out within the first minute of the game. Memphis Depay got the ball early on the left flank, attacked, dribbled by three defenders, got into the box, and launched a shot flying over the crossbar. Turkiye got the ball, reset their defense, and built up in their usual style; fast and wide.

After some 30ish minutes of back-and-forth soccer and despite their inability to keep the ball, Turkiye found its dramatic opener through Guler. The teenager’s inswinging cross at the edge of the box met a leaping Samet Akaydin at the far post. Akaydin’s header beat a frozen Bart Verbruggen, with all mayhem breaking loose. Dramatic celebrations ensued as Akaydin’s teammates swarmed him. They tackled him and shook him with smiles filled with joy. With the goal, Turkiye had the chance to tie its best performance ever at the Euros — a semifinal appearance.

The Netherlands turned to Wout Weghorst for an attacking spark at halftime. The Hoffenheim striker has come off the bench for most of the Euros — but in his 93 minutes on the pitch, he’s scored a goal, assisted another, and provided the lethality this Netherlands side craves.

He made an instant impact. After Weghorst replaced Steven Bergwijn at halftime and the Dutch began to slow their tempo, they created more chances. Merely minutes after halftime, Weghorst latched on to a Nathan Aké long ball, nodding it to a streaking Depay at the back post. Depay was very unlucky not to reach the ball in time, but it set the tone for the second half — Turkiye desperately clinging onto their one-goal lead, and the Netherlands relentlessly attacking.

Gakpo strike gives the Dutch a lead

Although Güler still had his moments — striking the post with a bouncing, 40-yard free kick — the half was dominated by the Dutch offense. We saw Depay, skillfully evading a pair of Turkish defenders, lofting a cross to Weghorst, whose volley at the six-yard box fell into the side netting. We saw Gakpo, nutmegging a defender and chipping another, fight through a crowded defense to finish off a Xavi Simons chip, denied only by another defender. And finally, we saw the equalizer.

The Dutch got their goal back with Depay lofting a cross into a crowded box. Center-back Stefan de Vrij, surprisingly isolated in a box full of players, towered over the pack. His flicked-on, 10-yard header narrowly squeaked past keeper Mert Günok. Mania erupted at the Dutch end — celebration and joy, but each Dutch player’s face is colored with relief and motivation — happy that they’re now on even terms, but hungry to get another goal with 14 minutes left to go.

And sure enough, they did. Finally, after a second half of chasing Turkiye’s hard-fought lead, the Netherlands found their winner. Denzel Dumfries desperately sprinted onto a through-ball and stabbed another rolling pass to the Dutch’s best player of the tournament, Cody Gakpo. Gakpo stumbled over the ball, shoved by a similarly frantic Turkish defender, but, in the end, his mishit tap was enough to beat Günok. It was a proper example of the duality between win and loss — Depay and Gakpo running together, celebrating in front of rabid, orange-clothed fans while Günok lays prone and exhausted.

Late Turkiye surge not enough

Turkiye does well to fight back against the Netherlands. The flames of Turkish red-and-white licked the well-built Dutch defense, threatening to destroy any semblance of continuity and structure the Netherlands built up through the match.

But, in the end, the Netherlands did just enough to squeak through over Turkiye. Verbruggen put in one of his best saves of the tournament in stoppage time, barely tipping Semih Kiliscoy’s volley away from the net to keep the Dutch’s lead. Then, after Hakan Calhanoglu broke away to set up a one-on-one with Verbruggen, defender Denzel Dumfries repaid the favor by putting an amazing sliding tackle on Calhanoglu to all but seal the game.

The Netherlands will field a full-strength team as they face England, with a finals berth at stake. As for Turkiye, they bow out with one of their best performances at a tournament ever. The seeds of their second golden generation look planted as they set their eyes on a World Cup bid.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

But, of course, it would be a typical Scaloni victory. A patient buildup, dominant possession, and a compact defense. It helped them win the 2021 Copa America the 2022 World Cup, and potentially, now the 2024 Copa America title.

Until it wasn’t. Kevin Rodriguez swooped in with one of the more memorable strikes of the tournament, connecting with a John Yeboah cross and finessing his header just enough to nestle it in the bottom left corner. Ecuador forced penalty kicks with minutes to spare and nearly won it with seconds left after a pair of dangerous counter-attacks.

And then, it was again. Emiliano Martinez showed up in penalties, as he always does. The Aston Villa stopper saves two of Ecuador’s four penalties, adding in some salacious celebrations while he’s at it. Nicolas Otamendi dominantly closes out the shootout. He blasts his penalty into the top left corner, wheeling off to celebrate with supporters in dominant fashion. This — not the refereeing controversies, not the comically small pitches — this is Copa America.

Before the game, there was doubt that Argentina’s most important piece in their Copa America repeat, Lionel Messi, would even show up. Messi missed Argentina’s 2-0 win over Peru on Saturday, and gaffer Lionel Scaloni marked the talismanic playmaker as day-to-day before the start.

Nonetheless, a not-fully-fit Messi returned to the starting eleven, along with an all-star roster of elite players. A lineup with the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Julián Alvarez, and Enzo Fernandez faced an Ecuador squad tipped to make a deep run in the tournament. They’d had trouble with them in a June friendly, narrowly winning 1-0. After Ecuador dominated Jamaica and frustrated CONCACAF heavyweight Mexico, they looked like an imposing team to face in the knockouts.

Argentina and Ecuador go back and forth

Surprisingly, it was Ecuador who started the game on the front foot. Brighton midfielder Jeremy Sarmiento got on the receiving end of a Moises Caicedo through ball, with Sarmiento putting his eye on the goal. Sarmiento then side-stepped past a dizzied Cristian Romero before taking on keeper Emiliano Martinez. However, Martinez smothered the ball to keep the game level.

There was a feeling that the half would end in a goal as the game got faster, more physical, and saw many chances. Kendry Paez and Angelo Preciado sent two shots in succession over the bar. Enzo Fernandez returned the favor after he saw his counter-attacking shot heroically blocked by promising defender Willian Pacho. As players racked up cards, threw arms, pointed fingers, and shoved others, the half crescendoed towards a fiery ending.

Argentina found its opener in the 35th minute through a Messi set-piece. How characteristic. Messi’s bending, inswinging corner met the head of midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Mac Allister tipped it just enough to reach a lurking Lisandro Martinez at the back post, who easily tapped in the shot. The game completely opened after, with a cynical Ecuador suddenly attacking with guns blazing.

Despite Ecuador largely being the better team, striking directly thanks to their talent on the wings, Argentina had the advantage. It didn’t look like they would give up their hard-earned advantage any time soon, even if they hadn’t put in a convincing performance.

But, suddenly, merely 15 minutes after halftime, the tide changed. A Caicedo in-swinger connected with the head of Alan Franco, and Franco’s attempt rocketed into Rodrigo de Paul’s hand, conveniently stretched away from his body as he turned to block the shot. Unlucky, but it was only fair.

Despite the anger and bargaining from Martinez, the braided de Paul, and more, the referee stood firm. The 34-year-old Enner Valencia, who had stunned the world only two years ago with his performances at the World Cup, cocked his head, drew a strong breath, and began his runup.

He strikes the ball, sends Martinez completely the wrong way, and misses.

He misses.

Even Martinez can’t believe it — he leaps up, checks the net, and then celebrates wildly in front of a rabid Argentine supporters’ section. Valencia looks up to some invisible power, silently cursing it and rueing his poor luck.

Throughout the match, it surprisingly looked like Ecuador, not Argentina, was the stronger team. Although Argentina did sit back, playing cynically and wasting time, it seemed like Ecuador created more chances on the night. They looked especially solid on the right through Chelsea target Paez and Preciado.

They threw numbers down the flanks, seeking to overload Argentina’s defense, creating pockets of space everywhere. To an extent it worked. Although Ecuador found itself frustrated and unable to score, most of their chances came down the flanks.

It didn’t stop Ecuador from coming close to equalizing multiple times. Despite timewasting and contentious fouls, Ecuador troubled Martinez several times. Ángel Mena and Jordy Caicedo failed to make the most out of some solid opportunities. Ecuador circulated the ball beautifully and created several chances, but lacked the final product to finish their chances.

Then, again, the unthinkable happened. With one last chance in stoppage time to bring the game level and force a penalty shootout, After John Yeboah lofts a last-ditch cross into the box, Kevin Rodriguez powers through the 18, leaps into the air, and flicks an incredible header past his marker. It beats Martinez, bouncing narrowly into the right corner.

Frenzied celebrations commence. Beers are thrown, dark blue confetti is popped, and manager Néstor Lorenzo hops up and down before embracing his backroom staff. After a lengthy VAR check, officials rule everything is fine and the goals are fair. After a chaotic three minutes of back-and-forth running, the game finally reached penalties.

Thrilling shootout ends with Argentina on top

First up to the penalty spot was Lionel Messi, who had a muted night and struggled to get involved. Messi fooled keeper Alexander Dominguez with a clever Panenka, but his attempt unfortunately met the crossbar. It capped off a frustrating night.

Mena took his penalty next, but Martinez came up with an incredible save to keep the shootout level at 0-0. Alvarez scored the first penalty of the shootout. Dominguez guessed the right way, but Alvarez’s shot was too high and too wide for him to reach. Alvarez wheeled off in celebration, evidently relieved and optimistic.

After Alan Minda saw his shot blocked — and some Martinez hip thrusts — Mac Allister took his penalty. Dominguez guessed the wrong way, but even if he dove the right way, MacAllister’s penalty was still spot-on. He tucks the ball right in the bottom right corner. Chef’s kiss.

Colombia’s John Yeboah rocketed his shot to the top right corner, sending Martinez completely the wrong way. However, Argentina’s Gonzalo Montiel sent Dominiguez the wrong way. He playfully celebrates, leaving Ecuador needing a goal, a save, and a goal in the next three events.

After Jordy Caicedo narrowly beats out Martinez and converts his penalty, it’s Argentina veteran Nicolas Otamendi who steps up with the game on the line. He stutters, drags his foot, and takes the penalty, neatly tucking it into the bottom left corner. Dominiguez has no chance!

The Houston crowd yells louder than it did for Martinez with his opener or Rodriguez with his equalizer. Even though Ecuador played the better match and was merely inches away from advancing, Argentina played their typical style of play, kept their tempo, and enjoyed the rewards.

After their win over Ecuador, Argentina will face either Venezuela or Canada in the semifinals. Ecuador will play their next match in September, a World Cup qualifying match against Brazil.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

The referee and VAR officials denied Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. a penalty during the 42nd minute. If the penalty had been given, Brazil could have taken all three points from the game and finished on top of the group.

Brazil denied penalty after VAR error

The incident happened in the 42nd minute of the match, with Brazil leading Colombia 1-0. A win for Brazil would mean they would finish at the top of their group, avoiding a difficult quarterfinal fixture against Uruguay. Any other result would mean Brazil would finish second in their group.

Vinicius had the ball on the left wing, striding towards left-back Daniel Munoz. Vinicius dragged the ball, feinted as if he would cut inside into the box, and then cut inside towards the goal line in an impressive piece of skill. The move caught Munoz entirely by surprise, and his untimely slide tackle connected with Vinicius rather than the ball.

However, referee Jesús Valenzuela, who refereed Argentina’s controversial 2-0 win over Canada, signaled for a corner kick. Vinicius and Rodrygo dropped to their knees in frustration, while manager Dorival Junior was caught ranting to the fourth official about the call. A brief VAR check backed up the referee’s on-field decision, and Brazil had to settle for a corner kick.

“After that, we conceded a goal, so for me it was a decisive thing,” manager Dorival said. “In the stadium, maybe only [the referee] and the VAR team did not see that that penalty existed.”

Only minutes later, Brazil conceded a goal. Jhon Cordoba received the ball with his back to the goal at the edge of the box and flicked an impressive ball toward a streaking Munoz — the same Munoz who made the tackle on Vini.

Munoz, with only the keeper to beat, neatly converted his chance. The goal made the difference in the draw, as Colombia advanced as group leaders. Brazil will have to face a strong Uruguay side in the quarterfinals.

VAR takes center stage at Copa America

“The referee doesn’t observe the action and allows the game to continue. “The VAR, in its protocol check, analyzes from different angles, speeds, and considerations and doesn’t identify that the defender does not touch the ball before contacting the attacker,” CONMEBOL said in a video.

“The VAR incorrectly confirms the original decision on the field.”

Valenzuela’s blunder during Brazil’s match against Colombia is one of many at the Copa America. Poor, contentious refereeing in several games dominates headlines daily. CONEMBOL referees have also suffered from CONMEBOL’s decision to use an old, outdated version of offside technology.

The decision in Brazil’s draw wasn’t a product of offside technology but rather a blunder from the VAR officials. CONMEBOL has fewer camera angles than UEFA has for the Euros, which played into the controversial decisions. VAR officials incorrectly said that Munoz had touched the ball before grounding Vinicius, when Vinicius in fact tapped the ball before suffering the slide tackle.

Controversial calls from CONMEBOL refs

It follows complaints from Chile after their 0-0 draw to Canada that knocked them out of the tournament. Chile alleged referee Wildmar Roldan ‘lacked impartiality’ after several impactful decisions. Roldan gave Gabriel Suazo a second yellow card 27 minutes into the game, sparking anger throughout the Chile camp. He also made several ‘suspicious’ decisions, such as refusing to review several decisions with VAR.

The best example of CONMEBOL’s VAR controversy was the United States’ 1-0 loss to Uruguay. Uruguay found a winner through Mathias Olivera, but many in the stadium thought that Olivera was in front of the last defender when the ball was last touched by his teammate.

Referee Kevin Ortega gave Olivera the goal because the potential offsides would have been too marginal to decide with the offsides technology. The software CONMEBOL uses has inconsistencies, and viewers can’t see the crosshair technology referees use. It meant that the refs couldn’t judge whether Olivera was exactly offsides — meaning Uruguay scored simply because of the overlap.

Poor refereeing has dominated headlines at the Copa America, and although some of it is the fault of outdated VAR technology, there have been countless mistakes individually. The refereeing performances of Ortega, Roldan, and more hints at CONMEBOL’s lack of concern for its refereeing dilemma.

It’s a stark contrast from the Euros, which has been praised for its use of semi-automated offside technology (SAOT). Denmark’s disallowed goal in their round of 16 match against Germany is a good example of the Euros’ usage of SAOT. The multi-camera-based technology ruled that Thomas Delaney’s big toe was offsides, ruling out Joachim Andersen’s opener. Only minutes later, Germany scored and eventually won 2-0.

Photo: Imago

This Brazil team, despite the quality of its star players, has looked frustrated at times. They looked frustrated playing against Costa Rica’s back five, leaning on counter-attacking chances and long shots to try to make a difference. Neymar’s absence is evident throughout the whole squad — at times, this Brazil squad is lacking in creativity and flair. And, they’ve carried a burden on them. They’ve been searching for a title for nearly five years, and they are dealing with memories of heartbreak and the stifling expectations of the media. Although it wouldn’t silence the criticism, a positive result against an in-form Colombia could mute the questions.

Munoz equalizer puts Colombia up top

For a minute, it looked like Brazil would return to its world-beating selves. Their early opener came through Raphinha, whose first goal since September for Brazil came at a vital time. His banging effort was almost robotic. Set the ball—size up the wall. Take a few striding steps toward the ball. Strike it. Repeat. His curling, spinning effort steadily rose over the Colombian wall and dipped just enough to nestle itself in the top right corner. Raphinha celebrated the goal as if he had just won the World Cup, and rightfully. The strike would take Brazil to the top of the group and set them up for a quarterfinal match against Panama.

However, it seemed Brazil cracked under pressure, as it has several times throughout the Copa América. They were fortunate to escape an immediate equalizer after Davinson Sánchez’s headed goal off a James Rodriguez set-piece was chalked off due to off-sides.

And they looked brittle under duress. You could physically see the signs of tension and pressure on Brazil- the symptoms being thrown arms, weary eyes, and bursts of anger. Even while they held their lead and enjoyed the majority of possession, they still lashed out, prone to moments of frustration. Joao Gomes nearly instigated a bench-clearing brawl after smashing a ball into a grounded Colombia player. Vinicius found himself tangled up with James Rodriguez and clumsily swung his arm into James’ face, picking up a yellow that will mark him absent for their next game. He exploded at the referee after he was denied a clear penalty just before halftime, and he was stifled throughout the match by Colombia’s stringent defense. They always seemed on edge, anticipating the next controversy and the latest critical headline.

Colombia found its long-awaited equalizer thanks to the creativity of Jhon Cordoba. Receiving the ball with his back to the goal and fighting off pressure from Marquinhos, Cordoba initially settled the ball before slipping a perfect through-ball to left-back Daniel Munoz streaking behind the defense. One-on-one with Alisson, Munoz stabbed his shot just over the keeper into an open net to go back on top of the group.

Colombia nearly took the lead in the 83rd minute through the counter-attack. After dispossessing a Brazil midfielder midway up the pitch, Luis Diaz scampered onto a through-ball on the wing with options in the box. Diaz played an impressive ball across the face of the goal to Rafael Borre. But, Borre couldn’t get a clean hit on the ball, bouncing and twirling across the turf. His attempt rose just over the bar as an anguished Borre and relieved Alisson could only watch.

Brazil seals quarterfinals spot

Should Brazil be worried? Short answer, yes. After their barren 1-1 draw, they’ll travel to Vegas and face a Uruguay side that has scored nine goals and conceded one this tournament. They look dangerously close to their worst Copa America result since 2015, and a loss could put their entire rebuild under gaffer Dorival Junior in jeopardy.

Brazil looked off their game against Colombia, who also sat deep for most of the game. They struggled to circulate the ball through the midfield, meaning players like Vinicius and Rodrygo looked stranded throughout the match. Colombia’s deep block meant that Brazil couldn’t strike on the counter. With Bruno Guimaraes and Gomes, two defensive midfielders, tasked with progressing the ball and creating opportunities, Brazil struggled to break down Colombia’s low block. Their best opportunities came off dead-ball situations.

For a Brazil squad whose calling card has been their potent, flashy attack, this result was uncanny — unreal almost.

Brazil’s Saturday quarterfinal matchup against Uruguay will be a turning point in their progress leading up to the World Cup. This Copa America was supposed to be a breakout tournament for the nation’s younger generation. Gomes, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Endrick, and more weigh in as the team’s most important players despite their youth. However, they’ve all looked either inconsistent or unimpressive throughout the tournament. Set to be without Neymar and also a suspended Vinicius, their quarterfinal fixture will mark a turning point for Brazil. Can Brazil lean on their youth for their World Cup push? Or will Brazil have to go back to their aging stars?

As for Colombia, they can count themselves unlucky not to walk away with another win. Colombia hasn’t lost a match since March 2022, and they showed no signs of breaking that streak. Unlucky to see their first goal disallowed, Colombia equalized through a magical Rodriguez set-piece. Colombia stretched out Brazil’s defense through their wingers Rodriguez and Luis Diaz, and their chances frequently came down the flank. On a better day, they could have scored as many as three goals. They were the better team and can take pride in their performance, especially after sealing a favorable match against Panama.

The Dutch looked and felt unstoppable on the pitch. Their surge in confidence and form comes exactly at the right time. With a quarterfinal bid on the line and looking to redeem themselves after a draw to France and a loss to Austria, the Dutch faced questions about their status as a legitimate contender. But, as they held possession, squeezing the life and morale out of a helpless Romania, the concerns and questions vanished. Led by Cody Gakpo’s goal and assist, the Dutch strolled to the last eight looking like one of the best teams in the tournament.

Their strength showed during the first half after they took the lead. The Dutch played the most beautiful, possession-oriented soccer they have played in a while. Tijjani Reijnders and Stefan de Vrij ping-ponged the ball around the back line. Advanced players like Xavi Simons and Memphis Depay dropped deep. They strung together passes, got several shots on goal, and played the tiki-taka Guardiola could only dream of. After three shaky group stage performances, the Netherlands is finally back.

Gakpo goal gives the Netherlands an early lead

The name Gakpo will come up a lot of times in this piece. And for good reason. The Liverpool winger was indisputably the best player on the pitch today, and he is arguably the best in this tournament. He looked unstoppable on the pitch, whether it was drifting into the middle with his right, bursting down the byline with his left, or using his creativity and vision to set up teammates.

Romania nearly scored in the 13th minute through Dennis Man. Man cut inside with his left foot and hit a curling ball that dipped just over the crossbar. Anguish and dismay were colored all over Man’s face — it looked just inches away from being a goal.

However, Gakpo’s impact was felt early on, as he put the Dutch ahead in the 20th minute. After receiving Xavi Simons’ ball down the wing, Gakpo took on the opposing Romanian defender. Gakpo sized him up, taking a few hesitant steps before sliding the ball to his right. With the new-found separation Gakpo found, he rifled his strike past the outstretched arms of keeper Florin Nita. Goal.

As ex-Netherlands midfielder and now-pundit Rafael van der Vaart said after the match, “There are not many players who could receive the ball and who could make a defender shit his pants. Gakpo is one of them.” His words couldn’t be truer.

The Netherlands got his second goal through Gakpo, this time an assist. Memphis Depay, who played one of his best matches in a Netherlands jersey, flicked a beautiful ball to Gakpo on the edge of the box. Matching up this time against Spurs‘ 190-pound center-back Radu Dragusin, Gakpo took a heavy shoulder check from Dragusin, kept control of the ball dangerously close to the sideline, fought off pressure from two more defenders, and stabbed a cutback to Donyell Malen. It sounds exhausting to read, but even more exhausting considering Gakpo had just performed this Herculean feat having 80 minutes played of high-intensity soccer.

Malen, with a wide-open net in front of him, scored to all but secure a win for the Dutch.

The Dutch got their third and final goal from Malen in stoppage time. With Romania looking to claw back two goals, they threw all their outfield players forwards. However, it backfired, as Malen started a counter-attack with only Razvan Marin to beat. Malen made light work on an unfortunate Marin, sizing him up, cutting into the middle with his right, and throwing Marin off-balance. A twisted-up Marin, bent over his own feet, could only watch as Malen cleanly converted his chance to make it 3-0 for the Netherlands.

Netherlands looks strong against Romania

Their 3-0 win was a comprehensive performance for the Dutch as they quieted the doubts raised by their questionable group stage performances. Their opponents, a Romanian squad stricken by injuries and grateful to have made it this far, were vast underdogs in the game. They saw little to no involvement in the game. Romania couldn’t take control of the game, in part due to the gulf in quality between the two and their lack of possession.

Credit has to be given to the defense as well. Aside from a few clumsy mistakes from Virgil van Dijk and company, the Netherlands remained very sturdy and composed. In their limited opportunities to shine, the Dutch frustrated Romania with their compactness and pressing intensity. They looked calm in possession, even when tasked with beating the press and keeping the ball.

“We defended really well, Romania barely created anything,” Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman said. “A good victory.”

However, the focus was on the offensive core, who dominated possession and kept Romania off the ball for the majority of the game. The Dutch exploited Romania’s defensive issues after two of Romania’s left-backs saw minimal involvement due to injury.

The entire front four (or five, counting substitute Malen) looked potent today. Simons added two assists. Simons showed his creativity against Romania, creating several key chances for the Netherlands. Romania’s defense found him hard to stop. Both Malen and Steven Bergwijn burst through Romania’s flanks with ease. It’s the most complete performance we’ve seen from the Netherlands in a long time.

“Xavi Simons was incredible today,” Koeman continued. “He took the right decision every single time, and his drive was fantastic.”

Memphis Depay embarrassed his markers on multiple occasions with several fancy tricks. Depay took a more active role than ever in the Dutch offense. The ex-Atleti striker dropped deep, combining with Gakpo, Simons, and more when they built up attacks.

The best player on the pitch was the magnificent Gakpo. In his time on the ball, he wreaked havoc. He was the Netherlands’ main source of offense. Gakpo created both opportunities for players, while also taking players on in his own right. He embodies the Total Football culture that has defined the Netherlands for decades — versatile, intelligent, and beautiful to watch. Gakpo is making a name for himself as one of the Euros’ most lethal players in the tournament.

The Dutch will face the winners of Austria and Turkey in the quarter-finals. Their quarterfinal appearance is the farthest they’ve gone at the Euros since 2008. For a Netherlands side that started their continental conquest down 1-0 against Poland and faced countless criticisms about their playstyle, their progress is refreshing and promising going into the future.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Most importantly, they saw arguably their most talented squad in decades come up short when it mattered most. Again. Disappointment and a faint sense of mourning exuded from the stadium.

Yet again, Mexico has crashed out of an important tournament after years of restructuring and rebuilding. Sluggish to adapt, dull in attack, and thoroughly outplayed against Ecuador and Venezuela, Mexico is miles away from where it needs to be for 2026. It’s suffered from a lack of identity, a refusal to adjust both on and off the field, and conflicts between officials, players, and fans are rampant. Mexico has been wandering without reason, stuck in an endless swath of mediocrity for decades. Their 0-0 draw to Ecuador was only the latest disappointment. Their problems cut deep.

Wave of mediocrity starts in 2010

If you’re searching for any kind of explanation for Mexico’s early exit in 2024, the answers go as far back as 2010. 2010 World Cup

2011 saw a Mexican side made up of U22 players dismantled at the Copa América 2011. They scored just one goal in the tournament, dropping all three games to finish with a total of zero points. Mexico didn’t take the Copa América seriously, and it showed. They were outclassed in all three of their group stage games, and their best players were resting after winning the 2011 Gold Cup.

2014 saw

Mexico rested most of its stars — Carlos Vela and Javier Hernández, for example — for the Gold Cup during Copa América 2015. They only took two points in three matches, thoroughly outclassed by their more talented South American counterparts.

“You have to accept the failure,” Mexico manager Miguel Herrera said. “We didn’t understand the magnitude of the event we were playing in. We lacked energy, sticking our nose in there.”

• World Cup 2010: round of 16.
• Copa América 2011: group stage without points (it was with a reinforced sub 22).
• World Cup 2014: round of 16.
• Copa América 2015: eliminated in the group stage (last in the group).
• Copa América 2016: eliminated in the quarterfinals losing 7-0 against Chile.
• World Cup 2018: round of 16.
• World Cup 2022: eliminated in the group stage.
• Copa América 2024: eliminated in the group stage.

Mexico started strong at the Copa América Centenario, where Mexico emerged first place in a tough group with Venezuela, Uruguay, and Jamaica. However, the reigning CONCACAF champions were humbled with their infamous 7-0 loss to Chile, showing their status in world football. It started a deep decline as Mexico’s talent pool became more shallow and the FA suffered disagreements about player selections.

World Cup 2022 showed more disappointment as Mexico suffered its first group stage exit at the World Cup since 1978. They looked uninspired in all three of its games, a 0-0 draw to Poland, a 2-0 loss to Argentina, and a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia. Manager Tata Martino faced questions about the squad list, particularly after excluding several up-and-coming attackers and leaning on aging veterans. It came back to haunt them — when Mexico desperately needed an offensive burst against Saudi Arabia, they struggled to produce.

Copa América 2024 has shown more of the same from 2022. Mexico still looks inefficient despite moving on from Tata, while they still haven’t found a good way to connect with star striker Giménez. Gimenez, who knocked in 26 goals for Feyenoord last season, hasn’t scored in over a year for Mexico. They’ve looked stale nearly all tournament, and despite the promise and quality Mexico’s player pool presents, the same roots have struggled both Lozano and this underperforming Mexico side.

Slovakia’s low block frustrated England, reduced to desperately flinging crosses into the box and miracle long-shots. It seemed England was nearing its most consequential event in recent memory until its talent — not its tactics — bailed them out from a humiliating loss.

They face Switerland on Saturday with more questions to answer now than before their match against Slovakia. Guehi’s yellow card absence, a disconnect in the attack, confusing tactical decisions? Southgate can count himself as very lucky after his side failed to impress against Slovakia.

Bellingham leads England to win

Surprisingly, Slovakia started as the dominant force in the match. A toothless England dominated possession, but couldn’t create any big chances throughout the match. Slovakia were unstoppable on the counter as a sluggish England backline struggled to keep up.

Slovakia’s opener revealed fluidity in its front line. Slovakia striker David Strelec dropped deep to receive a long ball from the back line and played a streaking Schranz. One-on-one with Jordan Pickford, Schranz easily converted his chance to score his third goal of the tournament and put Slovakia up 1-0.

England pressed on unsuccessfully for an equalizer, but the closest they came was an offsides goal from Foden and a long-range rocket from Declan Rice that hit the post. They found their big break after a flurry of substitutions, bringing on several attacking players and subbing off midfielders and defenders alike.

England found its equalizer with one of the last kicks of the game. Kyle Walker chucked a last-ditch long throw towards a crowded box, and his deflected pass reached Bellingham. Bellingham connected with the ball, coming up with a sensational scissor kick that stunned Slovakia and leveled the match.

England took the lead immediately in extra time after a Cole Palmer free-kick fell to Eberechi Eze at the edge of the box. Eze volleyed it to Ivan Toney, who headed his pass to Kane lying at the far post. Kane nodded the cross in to put England up 2-1.

Slovakia found themselves attacking relentlessly, but they missed several golden chances to force a penalty shootout. The Three Lions booked their ticket to the quarter-finals against Switzerland on Sunday, grateful to steal a win against the deserving Slovakia.

England looks woeful, bottom line

England were flat-out unconvincing in their win over Slovakia — disturbing for one of the tournament’s title favorites. Throughout the match, even when Slovakia sat back and defended, waiting for the full-time whistle, England looked like the weaker side. The team carried questions into their round-of-16 date with Slovakia, and none of them have been answered.

The defense looked exposed in the opening stages of the game. Schranz and crew blitzed past Walker and Trippier on the wings more than once, and smart, direct build-up play from Slovakia pierced holes in the English defense.

We saw it in Slovakia’s opener. They struggled to grapple with Slovakia’s fluidity. It led to Strelec receiving a flicked-on ball with all the time in the world to play a wide-open Schranz.

The defense similarly revealed problems as they tried to build up. Even against Slovakia, looking to ward away England and hold on to their lead, England couldn’t create opportunities and find an open man. We saw obvious frustrations between Pickford, wildly gesturing for his men to play the ball forwards, and a similarly insane Trippier, unable to find Foden down the left.

Trippier faces injury worries as they gear up for their Saturday quarter-finals matchup against Switzerland, and Marc Guehi will miss the match due to his yellow card suspension. Their backline will be one of the most important parts of their matchup as they face a potent Swiss offense.

Southgate’s future in peril

You can point to the moment Southgate lost control over his squad — and the game itself — when he made the first substitution of the day. Southgate took off Trippier for Cole Palmer and put Saka at left-back. Although his team can boast more attacking talent on the pitch, they didn’t have the space to accommodate it. Kane, Bellingham, Palmer, Foden, and Saka circling the same spaces? It reads like a pre-teen’s FIFA 19 squad much less England’s attacking strategy with the game on the line.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” fans clothed in English white chanted while glaring at Southgate. They may not be far from the truth, especially with Southgate frantically trying anything to save England from an early exit.

It got worse when Eberechi Eze replaced the brilliant Kobbie Mainoo and Ivan Toney replaced Phil Foden. Seven attacking players — not seven players attacking but seven attacking players — all shared the field. Madness. Erik ten Hag noted that Southgate relied on moments in late stages of the game. It rung true this game.

Although the blame can be shared between mediocre performances from the players on the pitch and a chaotic approach from Southgate, the biggest victory of the day was the fact that England did not give up. They showed immense resolve and motivation to claw back a 1-0 lead against Slovakia. You can’t deny that morale under Southgate is high. The most important thing is that they will live to fight another day. But, the way they advanced was troubling.

They relied on floated crosses, miracle long shots, and prayers to get the job done against Slovakia, and it seems only the latter worked. A brilliant strike from Jude Bellingham saved the day for an England side lucky to escape with a win in Gelsenkirchen.

“We are ready. Everyone is healthy except for [AEK Athens center-back Domagoj] Vida. We are aware of the situation we are in, that only a win will do, and we have to achieve that,” manager Zlatko Dalić said before the match.

“We don’t want to go home this early, but in the first two matches, we didn’t get the necessary result, so we have to do it now. Croatia has always been strong in such matches, the crucial ones, so we are going to fight.”

Modric goal gives Croatia the lead

Croatia started the game dominantly, controlling possession and making several dangerous attacks in a way we didn’t see from them this past tournament. Winger Luka Sučić nearly powered an impressive effort from beyond the box, which surprised goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Donnarumma barely did enough to tip over the shot.

However, Italy slowly made their mark on the game, slowing the tempo and making full use of Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella. Italy could have been two or three goals up by the end of the first half if not for a mixture of poor shooting and solid goalkeeping from Dominik Livakovic. Center-back Alessandro Bastoni probably should have scored when he headed in a Barella cross with only Livakovic to beat. However, Livakovic reacted superbly to bat the ball out of bounds.

Croatia pulled through with a thrilling sequence of events starting in the 52nd minute when striker Andrej Kramaric drilled a shot toward the net. Midfielder Davide Frattesi conceded a vital penalty after he accidentally lifted his hand to block the shot. Modrić saw his low, rolling penalty stopped by the in-form Donnarumma and cleared by the Italian defense.

However, Croatia kept up the pressure, and two minutes later, Modrić redeemed himself. Sucic sent a cross to striker Ante Budimir, whose effort was, again, stopped by Donnarumma. However, Modric scampered after the rebound and blasted his shot into the top-left corner which even Donnarumma couldn’t reach. Modric, who turns 39 in September, became the oldest goalscorer in Euros history, passing Ivica Vastić of Austria.

Thrilling Zaccagni equalizer sends Italy through

With the goal and Spain’s 1-0 lead over Albania, Croatia would earn an automatic bid. Italy would drop to third place and wait if their three points would be good enough to advance.

For a long time, it looked like Croatia would escape yet again. Modrić and Croatia looked comfortable under the pressure of Italy’s frenzied attacks. At times, Italy looked disconnected and even bored of the game at times. There was a certain laziness about the Italian side; hesitating to fight for 50/50 balls, the slow defending that led to Modrić’s goal, and the non-aggression of the forward line.

Bastoni had another golden chance to equalize for Italy right after the Croatia goal. Barella sent a great corner cannoning towards Bastoni, towering over his Croatian marker. However, Bastoni couldn’t steer his attempt on target as Livakovic could only watch.

Despite positive build-up from Italy, the Azzurri could not find an end product to their biting attacks. Italy flung all of its players forward in the 98th minute. Center-back Riccardo Calafiori, widely regarded as Italy’s best defender at the Euros, led a last-ditch charge towards the goal. His run through the midfield sucked in several Croatian defenders, leaving super-sub Mattia Zaccagni open with time to launch the last kick of the game toward goal.

Zaccagni curled his effort with one simple touch of the ball towards the top right corner, leaving Livakovic with no chance to get a touch on the ball. The Croatians collapsed with exhaustion and tears, knowing that two points likely won’t be enough to advance.

What’s next for Croatia, Italy

With the draw against Croatia, Italy will face Switzerland in the round of 16. The Swiss are a tough opponent who have put in good showings against Hungary and Germany and are extremely unlucky to not have taken a win against Scotland.

Manager Luciano Spalletti has been criticized for his game management and not playing in more rapidly down the stretch. He must silence the questions surrounding Italy’s frail defense with a win over Switzerland.

Croatia are all but eliminated from the tournament. No team has qualified for the knockout rounds as a third-placed team with two points since the tournament expanded to 24 teams.

“Football can be very cruel,” a tearful Modrić said. Modrić was substituted before the goal and cried on the sideline after Zaccagni scored. “I want to play football forever, but we know that this is impossible. One day I will have to announce my retirement from playing, but I do not know when that will be”.

Anton appeared in 37 games for Stuttgart, leading them to a second-placed finish and a Champions League berth in the group stage.

Dortmund beats out Leverkusen

Anton’s contract at Stuttgart expired in 2027 but had a release clause of just $24 million. It made sense that many of Europe’s top clubs were interested in the defender after Stuttgart’s surprisingly good season. The 27-year-old was named in the Bundesliga’s Team of the Season alongside Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah, and Alejandro Grimado.

Leverkusen were one of the most interested parties after Tah looked set to join rivals Bayern Munich. Head coach Xabi Alonso reportedly called the defender personally at least two times, and the reigning German champions were in constant contact with Anton’s party.

However, Anton decided against joining Leverkusen and opted to further negotiations with Dortmund. Multiple outlets out of Germany report that Anton could sign a five-year contract worth up to $6.5 million annually. Tah also ruled against leaving Leverkusen with Bayern, and Leverkusen could bring in center-back Riccardo Calafiori as well.

Dortmund moved swiftly into negotiations with Waldemar Anton and his team, paying the $24 million release clause. Anton reportedly agreed with those terms and has accepted the offer. He will likely complete the medical after the Euros finish, with Anton playing with the German national team.

Although Anton has not appeared in a game for Germany at Euro 2024, he’s an integral member of the rotation and one of coach Julian Nagelsmann’s top choices at center-back.

New Dortmund defense takes shape with Waldemar Anton

Signing Anton is a great move for Dortmund considering the quality of their new signee and the change Dortmund is going through. They just hired Nuri Sahin as their new coach after the departure of Edin Terzic. Veteran defender Mats Hümmels also left the club for free and could join Mallorca in the summer. Dortmund could lose several players, including loanee Ian Maatsen, Karim Adeyemi, and Sébastien Haller.

Anton’s arrival will provide stability for the black-and-yellow. Anton is comfortable with the ball at his feet. He registered the third-most touches and the most passing distance in the Bundesliga. His most impressive attribute is his strong tackling and aerial presence, earning him comparisons to Eric Dier and Ronald Araújo.

“Waldemar is everything you want from a captain: tireless, disciplined, always trains at 100 percent,” Stuttgart gaffer Sebastian Hoeneß said. “He’s consistent, a stabilizing factor in the defense, and also makes very few mistakes. He’s every coach’s dream because he’s an absolute team player.”

Anton will likely join star defender Nico Schlotterbeck in a solid partnership. However, the make-up of the backline is unknown after Ian Maatsen’s impending departure. Reports say Maatsen will join Villa for a fee above $45 million after Dortmund could not reach a price with Chelsea. Maatsen was key in Dortmund’s push to the Champions League final and they have a gaping hole at left-back that needs to be solved.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

24: Poland

They’re the first team to suffer elimination from the group stage, and for good reason. The team looked dull in both of their games despite taking the lead early. Robert Lewandowski was sorely missed in their two consecutive losses.

23: Georgia

Georgia’s a fun team, but their results reveal an inexperienced team with untapped potential. They look doomed to an early exit — which isn’t bad for the optimistic Georgians. They’ll have to beat Portugal to have a chance of advancing through their group.

22: Scotland

Scotland’s 5-1 loss to Germany has been the defining moment of the tournament. Toothless attack and not quite good enough on defense to hide their mistakes. Kieran Tierney’s tournament-long injury throws a further wrench in their plans. They did hold their own against Switzerland though. Against Hungary, they wasted several clearcut chances to win the match.

21: Serbia

Serbia has underperformed throughout the tournament and struggled to make their mark in the group stage despite the quality at their disposal. A disconnected Serbian side still out of form from the World Cup must beat Denmark to go through.

20: Albania

Albania has shown glimmers of promise. It’s too bad that their results haven’t shown it. They’re an exciting team that could do much more than they have right now, but they got unlucky and played in the tournament’s Group of Death. Their time in Germany will likely come to a complete stop. They need a win over Spain to progress to the knockout rounds.

19: Hungary

Hungary is one of two teams who lost their first two matches — the other being the eliminated Poland. They’ve played two elite teams in Switzerland (1-3) and Germany (0-2), and they went down fighting. Struggling with their tactical shape, they won against Scotland in injury-time. Whether that goal will be enough to see them through as a third-place team is doubtful, however.

Still some hope

18: Czechia

Czechia’s certainly a mixed bag. Although they can frustrate a superpower like Portugal at their peak, they struggled with Georgia. They’re not lower on this list because they have a somewhat doable task to reach the knockout stage: beat Turkey. Czechia can do it, but they’ve been incredibly inconsistent.

17: Slovakia

They’ve overperformed in a difficult group. They took an impressive three points over Belgium and nearly drew with Ukraine if not for Ukraine’s thrilling second-half comeback. They’re a frustrating team that admittedly has gotten lucky several times but is organized. They’ll likely need a win or draw to go through.

16: Ukraine

Ukraine’s shocking 3-0 loss to Romania has made an irreparable dent to their qualification chances, as they likely need a win or draw against superpowers Belgium. Ukraine’s star-studded spine has largely disappointed, and they’ve struggled against weaker teams.

15: Slovenia

Like Slovakia, Slovenia has held its own in a difficult group. The attack looks poised and unlucky to not score more than two goals throughout the tournament. They’re a sleeper team entering matchday three but they have to beat England to guarantee qualification.

Can do some damage

14: Croatia

Croatia was a pre-tournament dark horse to win Euro 2024, but they’ve fallen short. A 3-0 loss to Spain where they looked shocked by Spain’s speed and directness and were stunned in an exciting 2-2 draw to Albania. They still have the talent to do more in the tournament but a lack of organization and Croatia‘s decline in quality are winning. Croatia desperately needs to beat Italy to go through.

13: Romania

Romania blitzed through Ukraine with a pair of incredible goals to win 3-0. They fell back hard to Earth after a heavy 2-0 loss to Belgium, but there are still a lot of positives from the squad. The team looked well-drilled and organized in both games, although their lack of quality is a huge issue. They’re high up on the list because they only need a win or draw against Slovakia.

12: Austria

Austria kept it close against favorites France and dominated Poland. In an easier group, Austria could contend for a first-place spot. With three points in third place, Marcel Sabitzer’s squad needs at least a win or draw against the Dutch to go through. They could qualify with a loss depending on third-place scenarios.

Just one step away

11: Türkiye

Their thriller against Georgia cemented their status as a sleeper team, but an error-filled 3-0 loss to Portugal wiped it out. Several questions remain for Turkey. Is Arda Güler fit? What will coach Vincenzo Montella’s ever-rotating lineup look like? They’re a talented squad but need to be in top form against Czechia. With a win or draw, they’ll go through in the top two spots.

10: Denmark

Denmark dominated Slovenia in their opening match and really should have won if not for their wastefulness. They also put in an impressive performance against England. With two draws, a star-studded Danish squad should easily qualify for the knockout round. Denmark is slowly shaking off the rust of the World Cup and emerging again as one of Europe’s giants, but need to prove it with a win over Serbia.

9: Italy

At this point, Italy are not a genuine contender, and their performance against Spain proved it. They had to lean on Gianluigi Donnarumma and were outplayed throughout the match. Their 2-1 comeback win over Albania which saw them burnt in transition. Even worse, Italy will need a draw against Croatia to finish top two, which is easier said than done.

8: Belgium

Belgium’s 1-0 loss to Slovakia is embarrassing and unlucky. They should be miles away from their group but find themselves in a tricky final match with Ukraine where they need a win or draw. Belgium looks like a solid squad, but their flaws were exposed several times throughout the tournament.

7: Switzerland

They looked dominant in their 3-1 win over Hungary and were unlucky not to pull away from Scotland in a 1-1 draw. They’re a very talented team with a very talented manager at their head. They’ve looked organized and potent throughout the match. Against Germany on Sunday, they again impressed by their ability to control the game in a big match.

The contenders at Euro 2024

6: Netherlands

The Netherlands looked impressive against France, nearly stealing a win from the 2022 World Cup finalists but they looked shaky at best against Poland. Their come-from-behind victory revealed their striker problem — Memphis Depay is woefully wasteful. Their backline is still an issue for the Dutch — they were lucky to get a clean sheet amidst heavy French pressure and wastefulness.

The Dutch have done well despite early tournament-long injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners. They’re solid in attack, especially with Wout Weghorst at its head. Cody Gakpo and crew lead the Dutch, all but qualified, into a match against Austria.

5: England

England are still one of the favorites of the tournament, but they still have some problems. Questions have risen about manager Gareth Southgate’s lineup decisions, and England is suffering from several injuries in the camp. The team’s only left-footed defender Luke Shaw is struggling with fitness, while Southgate doesn’t have a natural central defensive midfielder to pair alongside Declan Rice…that he likes.

England’s 1-0 win to Serbia and their 1-1 draw to Denmark will be enough to progress. They only need to win or draw against Slovenia to go through or have Denmark draw or lose. But, Southgate’s squad looks shaky ahead of the knockout rounds.

4: France

France would probably be at the top of this list before the tournament started, but they looked far from their best against Austria and even farther against the Netherlands. The injury of Kylian Mbappé hurts France even more — luckily France is deep in their attacking depth.

France is all but qualified for the knockout rounds and they are arguably the best team at Euro 2024 — on paper. Although there’s still time for France to return to their old dominant ways, it needs to be as soon as possible. France needs a sizable win over already-eliminated Poland.

3: Portugal

Portugal is still flawed, but they’re one of only three teams at Euro 2024 who have won their first two games. They’ve had one of the easiest groups in the tournament, but they’ve still shown their quality and talent on the pitch. They’ve won against a low block (Czechia) a high-tempo pressing team (Türkiye), and demonstrated incredible determination and resolve in both matches. They’re arguably the most talented squad at this tournament, but questionable tactical decisions have slowed them down.

A comeback 2-1 win over Czechia and a dominant 3-0 victory against Türkiye have cemented their status as genuine contenders to lift the title, but Portugal has some work to get there.

2: Germany

Other than a poor start against Switzerland, Germany has been dominant throughout the tournament and has rarely put a foot wrong. They were the first to qualify for the knockout rounds after beating Scotland 5-1 and Hungary 2-0. The winger duo of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala is unstoppable, while Toni Kroos is hitting peak form right before his retirement.

There are a lot of things to be excited about with this Germany team; the quality of the side, the synchrony, the tactics, and more. The only issue I can think about is Germany’s weakness in transition.

1: Spain

The team taking the top spot in the matchday two is Spain. Refreshing direct, unstoppable due to their pace, but still boasting the possession-oriented elements of its predecessors; no team has found the solution to stop Spain. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have terrorized defenses at this Euros, while Fabián has come off as arguably the best midfielder at the Euro 2024 so far.

A dominant 3-0 win against Croatia and another impressive 1-0 win over Italy have shown they are the team to beat despite missing projected starter Gavi. The only remote question marks for Spain are how Unai Simon can play through his hurt ankle and whether Alvaro Morata can get the service he needs up top. Even then, those are remote worries.

Photo: IMAGO / mix1.

But, there were times when Portugal seemed confusing and unpredictable to themselves. Chaotic, even. There was a limited understanding of which role each player should play, especially with the hodge-podge starting lineup Martinez chose for the game. Natural wingback Nuno Mendes at center-back? Joao Cancelo drifting as far out as at left wing? The shape Martinez planned out for the game fell to virtual pieces during the game, and it seemed Portugal relied on their quality and technical superiority to scrape by, rather than their tactical intelligence and patience. Their dodgy showing invited many questions, and the win didn’t bring any answers.

“Today it’s not about assessing this game from the technical or tactical point of view,” Martinez told reporters after the match. “Today we won because we showed resilience, willpower, and belief. It’s the first time we’ve come from behind to win [under my tenure]. Today we believed, and we showed incredible personality.”

Although leadership and motivation from the Portugal squad helped ignite the flames of their comeback, Martinez and the Selecao face important questions about their tournament chances after such a worrying performance.

Martinez’s tactics look confusing

The Portugal starting eleven was shrouded in doubt entering their date with Czechia. Martinez used two distinctly different shapes with different personnel in their two pre-Euros friendlies. Even after Portugal announced their starting eleven hours before the match, it was still a mystery about which roles each player would take.

Number one keeper Diogo Costa started the match. Martinez dropped left-footed center-back Goncalo Inacio, courted by the likes of United and Liverpool, for natural left-back Nuno Mendes. Mendes joined Ruben Dias and Pepe on the left of a three-man back line. Martinez also dropped Joao Palhinha, who impressed on the left side of a double pivot with Vitinha. Instead, Martinez opted to start Diogo Dalot and Joao Cancelo as wingbacks, with Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes as the central midfielders.

Rafael Leao got the start on the left wing, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva at the front.

Martinez had his team play fluidly, or disorderly, depending on how you look at it. Portugal’s players had creative license to drift into spots if they saw a benefit. Early on, we saw supposed ‘left wing-back’ Cancelo drift into kickstart quick attacks or wander into the middle and free up Leao. Although his performance seemed squarely average in terms of numbers, his presence helped free up attackers, creating space to launch quick crosses or counters.

“We wanted to have Joao Cancelo play a horizontal line,” Martinez said. “We wanted an extra man with Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Vitinha.”

Mixing up traditional positions

Mendes also took off on blistering runs through the middle, meaning inverted wing-back Cancelo or defensive midfield Vitinha would drop deep to take his place. Mendes, who played well at PSG, shared spaces with Leao. At times, it helped Portugal overpower the wing with their numbers advantage, but it usually resulted in the wing getting jammed. Although Leao started well, creating several chances for Ronaldo and crew, his performance faded as Mendes continued on his marauding runs.

“Playing as a left-sided centre-back? I had never played in that position, and it’s true that I can’t attack so much, but the coach put me there for a reason,” Mendes shrugged. “I managed to do my job. Both me and the team did a good job and the victory was deserved.”

Ruben Dias and Pepe were the more reliable members of the backline in that they usually stayed back. The 41-year-old Pepe did a solid job in possessing the ball, circulating it, and completing several long balls, while Dias performed the same role. Arguably one of the best defenders in Europe, Dias did get upfield from time to time, but usually kept next to Pepe.

Vitinha thrills for Portugal against Czechia

The midfield was where Portugal excelled. Vitinha and Bruno Fernandes were the only out-and-out midfielders of the group, but Bernardo Silva would often come down from his right-winger role to help create for Portugal.

Vitinha put in a Man of the Match performance in the #6 slot. Despite playing in a very deep role behind more creative players like Fernandes and Silva, he shone. He made 20 line-breaking passes during the match — only Toni Kroos’ game against Scotland beats it. The PSG midfielder put in an excellent defensive performance while kickstarting most of Portugal’s attacks. Throughout the match, when Fernandes and Silva couldn’t provide a creative spark, it was Vitinha who stepped up.

Fernandes’ performance was similarly intriguing but for the wrong reason. Martinez pushed Fernandes out to a deeper role than he was used to, and he struggled because of it. Fernandes, usually the primary creator and attacking midfielder for United, was resigned to helping build up the play alongside Vitinha. He was able to make more big runs into the box, and his absence as a goalscoring threat was sorely felt throughout the match.

Silva also similarly struggled on the wing. He’s best in the creator role, launching deep balls to streaking wingers, usually cutting inside. However, Martinez had Silva playing up top and making runs onto the balls he would usually send. Silva was a nonfactor offensively when in those advanced areas, and it left Ronaldo in the box without any support.

“We threw more players in the box which I think was what was missing in the first half as we had few players to finish off our moves,” Silva said. “When Chico [Conceicao], [Diogo] Jota, [Pedro] Neto came on, they gave us this.”

Is Ronaldo still Portugal’s man?

With Cancelo pushed out to foreign territory, Fernandes and Silva out of their usual roles, and Leao struggling in the wing, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo would have a tough time. Although Ronaldo played his usual role as a poacher in the penalty box, he often came out of that role. He voyaged outside of the final third to link up play with the wing.

The game plan on the pitch looked like ‘get Ronaldo the ball in the box’. He’s arguably Portugal’s only reliable finisher out of the starting lineup and he’s proven himself to be reliable in front of goal. He scored 12 goals in 12 games under Martinez.

But, Ronaldo suffered without any support in the box. The lack of attacking players upfield meant Ronaldo was isolated. It was only until Martinez sent more players upfield and added more attackers that Ronaldo could excel. His best moment for Portugal was when Czechia’s defense, preoccupied with Leao, didn’t notice Ronaldo making a run. Fernandes sent Ronaldo a great through-ball that sent him one-on-one with the keeper, but he couldn’t convert.

Portugal’s success only came when several people went into the box. Robin Hranac’s own goal started when Nuno Mendes latched on to a Vitinha cross and forced a great save. Over seven people were in the box at the time. Francisco Conceicao’s stoppage-time winner saw six people in the box. The attack was largely exposed and isolated due to the unfamiliarity of Martinez’s shape. His substitutions of Pedro Neto (who assisted the winning goal) and Francisco Conceicao (who scored) were vital, and it looked like an attack should.

Is Martinez that bad for Portugal?

Truthfully, Portugal is lucky to score their two goals against Czechia. The first was a clumsy own-goal from Hranac; the second was a clumsy error from the same player. Although they did create some chance, Portugal looked tepid at times, controlling possession but not knowing what to do with it. Martinez’s tactics almost sabotaged this team, especially because he implemented his fluid shape midway through the tournament.

However, Portugal is playing the most exciting and beautiful soccer it has in years. It’s a refreshing change from the cynicism and predictability under Fernando Santos, and they’ve played more direct than ever. At its best, Portugal plays with the same attacking threat as Europe’s superpowers, and they showed a glimpse of their prowess against Czechia.

Portugal’s free-flowing football can only grow from here.

But, of course, it can only grow with improvement. No one is truly familiar with their roles for Portugal, and it showed against Czechia. Bruno Fernandes needs to play a more advanced role. Silva needs to cut inside more or play a creative role. Martinez needs to figure out an answer to the dilemma surrounding Leao and Mendes, who largely flopped.

The biggest question of all is Ronaldo, who didn’t have a big impact but is their only reliable striker. As it stands, Portugal is nowhere near the likes of Germany, Spain, or the injury-riddled France. They face the same questions as England, undergoing their lineup crisis; or Italy, figuring out their conservative playstyle.

Until Portugal solves their issues with their playstyle, they are doomed to another early exit. The cycle continues.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Slovenia’s 1-1 draw against Serbia was surprisingly open. Slovenia held their own against a seemingly stronger Serbian squad, registering dozens of chances while keeping the Serbian attack frustrated. Slovenia went ahead in the 69th minute through Zan Karnicnik. Karnicnik started a counter-attack, switching the ball to an open Timi Elsnik striding down the field. Elsnik then smashed an amazing cross to the far post back to Karnicnik, who tapped in his shot to go up 1-0.

The Serbs pressed on for an equalizer and got in the 95th minute. With all of Serbia’s players (including the keeper) in the box with one last corner left, Ivan Ilic floated a great ball over to Luka Jović. Jović steered his header past the keeper and into the bottom left corner of the net to end the game at 1-1. Serbia has one point through two games, while Slovenia has two.

Denmark faced England as both battled for the top spot in their group. England went up early in the 17th minute, with fullback Kyle Walker creating a chance out of nothing. Walker powered a seemingly dead ball past the Denmark defense and strode into the box before sending a cutback into a crowded box. The ball ping-ponged around before landing at Harry Kane’s feet, who nearly tucked the ball into the bottom corner.

However, England decided not to push their lead further and maintain their attacking edge, and they paid dearly. Denmark equalized in the 33rd minute through Morten Hjulmand. Hjulmand blasted a long-range screamer from nearly 30 yards out into the bottom left corner, hitting the post as it rolled on the way in. England could not strike back as Denmark scraped out a narrow 1-1 win. Denmark has two points in two games, while England is in first with four.

The marquee matchup of the game saw a conservative Italy match up against an in-form Spain side. Spain dominated the tempo of the game, creating most of the chances, playing to its tempo, and stretching the Italian defense to its limit. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was tested several times by an unstoppable Spain defense, including a Fabian Ruiz long-range effort that took an incredible save to stop.

Spain got their big breakthrough in the 55th minute. Nico Williams tried to find Alvaro Morata in the box with a piercing cross, which he was able to tap slightly. Donnarumma couldn’t reach the ball in time, so center-back Riccardo Calafiori attempted to clear it. Unluckily, the ball cannoned into Calafiori’s shins as he scored the only goal of the game against his own team. Spain will book its spot at the top as group winners after taking three points from the game. Italy rests in second, with three points from two games.

On Friday, Slovakia will play Ukraine at 9 AM EST. The game will not be televised on FOX. Poland will play Austria at noon, with Jacqui Oatley joining Warren Barton to call the game on FS1. Ian Darke and Landon Donovan will commentate on France vs. Netherlands on FOX at 3 PM EST.

Three Things to Watch

To win against Slovakia, Ukraine needs to glue together attack

Ukraine’s shocking 3-0 loss to Romania was shocking on several fronts. The repeated mistakes from the porous Ukraine defense …… Ukraine’s attack was the key to their European success. It’s an entirely new-look team from last season. Mykhaylo Mudryk had a decent season for Chelsea, while Artem Dovbyk, Georgiy Sudakov, and Viktor Tsigankov are all prized by several top clubs. Their four attacking players make up one of the tournament’s best attacks. Ukraine did not score against Romania and struggled to get good shots off against the flexible Romania defense.

It stems not only from a lack of service from that defense but also from a lack of synergy and communication. It seems they haven’t come together as a national team and can’t predict what their teammates will play like or do. The result is clear; a disjointed attack unable to string together passes in the final third or challenging the keeper. For Ukraine to have any chance against another hard-nosed defense in Slovakia, Ukraine’s attack needs to step up not only as a team but as a unit.

Poland needs to summon new-found aggression to survive at Euro 2024.

For approximately 13 minutes in Hamburg, it seemed Poland didn’t need Robert Lewandowski, tending to a thigh injury, after all. His replacement, Adam Buksa, headed home from a Piotr Zielinski cross, and Poland took the lead, putting them in position for their first knockout-round berth since 2016. But, after the goal, it seemed like the fire that Poland possessed was quickly extinguished by its cynical playstyle. Poland threw as many as nine or ten players behind the ball and focused on defending, allowing the Dutch to find a rhythm and eventually come back. Poland’s issues, although a gap in quality played a part, boiled down to a lack of aggression and wastefulness in the final third.

It’s a good thing they’ll get their talismanic striker back in Lewandowski, especially considering he’s in meteoric form, having scored 26 goals in 49 matches. He brings a leadership role onto the field, a never-ending hunger on the pitch, and the finishing that Poland craves. With Lewandowski finally reaching fitness to the relief of many, Poland will finally play with the vigor it lacked on Sunday.

How will France’s lineup shake out?

Losing the best player in the world at Euro 2024 is a huge blow for manager Didier Deschamps and France. It’s especially concerning as they face their biggest test yet against a promising Netherlands side. Deschamps has a lot of questions that he’ll have to answer in Friday’s starting eleven.

The safest option for Deschamps is the reliable Olivier Giroud, who was important for France at the recent World Cup. His game is different than Mbappé, but his ability to hold up play as the number nine will be appreciated. Giroud’s performance as he looks to replace France’s gaping hole in attack will be very interesting in their game against the Netherlands.

In the News

Serbia recently threatened to quit Euro 2024 if UEFA did not open disciplinary action against Croatia and Albania due to hateful chanting. Both sets of fans reportedly chanted ‘Kill, kill the Serb” during their 2-2 draw on Wednesday. Serbia, last in their group with one point, was recently charged by UEFA for displaying provocative banners. Fans reportedly carried controversial flags, including one denying the sovereignty of Kosovo.

Robert Lewandowski will return to Poland’s starting eleven in time for their match against Austria. Lewandowski, who tore a thigh muscle and missed their opener against the Netherlands, figures to slot in as an important player for the Polish.

England gaffer Gareth Southgate told media that the lack of a replacement for defensive midfielder Kalvin Phillips was the cause of their midfield woes. Southgate started natural fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold over several midfielders, reasoning that his vision and passing made him an obvious fit. However, Alexander-Arnold has struggled in the role, bringing Southgate’s tactics and team choices into question.

“I wanted to get Conor [Gallagher] on, we needed some energy and to press better,” Southgate said about substituting Alexander-Arnold. “[Alexander-Arnold] had some moments where he’s delivered what we thought he would. We know it’s an experiment and we know that we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips. We’re trying some different things and at the moment we’re not flowing as we’d like, that’s for sure.”

Captain Harry Kane linked the high amount of goals and long-range strikes to the anatomy of the new Adidas-manufactured ball. The Euros has seen exponentially more out-of-the-box goals than any other European Championship. Kane linked the trend to the official Euro 2024 ball, the Adidas Fussballliebe. “It’s quick,” Kane said. “For me, personally, it is better for the strikers or the goalscorers than for the goalkeepers. So, I’m not going to complain about that.”

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Lewandowski suffered a thigh injury during their friendly against Turkey and had to limp off the field in the 32nd minute of the game. Although sources said that he left as a ‘precautionary measure’, Lewandowski ruptured a muscle in his thigh, which required extensive treatment. The Barcelona star took the bench on Sunday, with his replacement Adam Buska scoring Poland’s only goal of the afternoon.

Lewandowski return proves important on multiple fronts

The return of their most talented striker and arguably their greatest player is great for Poland. Lewandowski will provide an extra bite to an attack that struggled at times against the Dutch. He scored 26 goals in 49 games at Barcelona. The 35-year-old will also provide an important leadership aspect up top. Especially with the loss of Arkadiusz Milik to injury, this attack is very young. Having Lewandowski up top would ensure they stay motivated and remain cool in the late stages of the game.

“He is the best Polish player of all time and regardless of how well others will play because Adam Buksa played a very good match against the Netherlands – he scored a very important goal for us. But, the fact that Robert is on the pitch is changing our overall approach and our opponents’ approach as well,” goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny gushed during Thursday training. “It is natural that his presence can only help us. When it comes to Robert, the more leaders we have on the pitch, the better.

“Having him makes a big difference. Robert’s performance makes a big difference and I know the Austrians won’t be happy he is fit.”

Lewandowski participated in Thursday’s training and spent time in a state-of-the-art cryo-chamber to regain his fitness. Those in the Polish camp are reportedly optimistic about Lewandowski starting against Austria, although it’s undecided whether he’ll play the full 90 minutes.

Poland faces better chances with Lewandowski

Poland’s match with Austria on Friday will be a must-win game for both. Both Poland and Austria lost their opening games, giving them a huge disadvantage for the rest of the group stage. A loss for either of them would put them on the brink of elimination.

The biggest problem for a Lewandowski-less Poland against the Netherlands was a lack of creativity and aggression after they went ahead. Of course, head coach Michał Probierz would be happy with a draw against one of the tournament favorites, but it seemed Poland’s grip on the game slipped entirely as the game progressed. It felt like it was only when – not if – the Netherlands would score and take the lead and the full three points.

Lewandowski’s addition will help Poland as it looks to reinvigorate its once-threatening attack. His link-up play is desirable, as well as his versatility and technical ability. He’ll likely play either up top by himself or in a striking partnership with midfielder Kacper Urbanski. Urbanski, who split time at left wing and central midfield at Bologna, would function as an attacking midfielder, dropping deep to join the midfield and acting as the primary creator.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

One was a rocket of a ball blasted in the top left corner through a Kai Havertz-powered cutback against Scotland. The other was a precise finishing touch after İlkay Gündoğan stabbed a pass towards Musiala, with an open goal to score against Hungary.

He’s made the country of Germany his captive audience as he makes art from his opponents — exploding past defenders with his strength and powerful stride while delicately evading more with his pinpoint touch and technical prowess. The pitch is his canvas, the ball his paintbrush, and the product of which figures to be a generational performance at the Euros. Musiala is a man among men, and his presence on the pitch is undeniable. We are watching history.

Germany advances to knockout rounds

The near-complete performance of Musiala luckily coincided with Germany’s push to claim their first Euros title since 1996 — around seven years before Musiala was born. They just came off a dominant display of soccer after manhandling a poor Scotland side 5-1. A win in Stuttgart would bring them through to the knockout stage and cement their status as early Euros contenders.

They faced a Dominik Szoboszlai-led Hungary that needed a positive result to stay in contention to advance to the knockout round. A loss to Germany, however likely, would all but eliminate them from the Euros.

“We’ve paid for these (mistakes) in the first game and tomorrow we are playing Germany which, in my opinion, is the toughest rival, toughest team to play now, but we will do our best,” Hungary manager Marco Rossi brooded ahead of the game. “We know on paper the German team is better than us. This should further motivate us, allowing us to give our very best show. Hopefully, we can grasp a point tomorrow and that will allow us, I hope, to qualify for the next round.

“But this will call for the perfect match, all those playing must give 100%.”

It seemed that, for a second, Hungary could play the perfect match and stun the eager audience of 54,000. Just 13 seconds into the match, Joshua Kimmich failed to deal with a Hungary long ball in front of the box, leaving attacker Rolland Sallai with a one-on-one with keeper Manuel Neuer. Luckily for the Germans, Neuer rushed out and smothered the shot before it left Sallai’s foot.

Germany found itself looking to break down Hungary’s low block throughout the game, and its main solution was to loft long balls up to Kai Havertz. He made several great runs into the box but couldn’t latch on to any of them. Havertz and Germany shredded through Hungary with intelligent link-up play.

That link-up play was also how Germany got its first goal. Center-back Jonathan Tah won a ball out of the way, which rolled out to Florian Wirtz. Wirtz played a pinpoint ball to Musiala, who flicked a pass to the streaking Gündoğan. Gündoğan’s awkward touch rolled into the hands of Hungary stopper Péter Gulácsi, but it leaks out to Gündoğan, who taps the ball to Musiala, who taps the ball into an open net. 1-0.

Hungary fights back

Although most praise will go to the dominant Germans, Hungary played very well despite not holding most of the possession. They created several chances and even saw one of their goals overruled for offsides. If not for a brilliant performance from Neuer and a lack of vigor up top, Hungary could have taken a point (or three!) from the match.

Germany continued to extend its lead in the second half, with its second half going through Musiala again. It was Musiala who drifted into the half-spaces, receiving the ball with his back turned to goal with four Hungarian players converging on him. Musiala made an excellent turn to find Maximilian Mittelstädt open on the wing, who then squared it back to Gündoğan, who neatly slotted his shot to the bottom right corner. It was a nice moment for the Barcelona playmaker, who has always struggled on the international stage with Germany.

Hungary found it difficult to claw back from the two-goal deficit as Germany significantly slowed down their pace.

It seemed like Musiala was toying with Hungary throughout the match. The combination of intelligence and technicality allowed him to easily penetrate Hungary’s defense. Musiala could do anything he wanted to, almost magically. With a wave of the wand, he burst down the field, leaving defenders in his wake. Multiple chances were created. The offense stemmed through him.

He wowed viewers with a filthy nutmeg on Milos Kerkez (although the skill didn’t lead to anything). The Bayern winger completed 87% of his passes and made several deep trips into the box. He was also vital for link-up play and the key to Germany’s success in the Euros. Germany could very well win the Euros, with one of their youngest players in the squad making the biggest difference.

Important trips up next

Germany and Hungary face important games with their last match of the group stage.

They will face Switzerland in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday. Germany is already through to the knockout round with their win over Hungary. A win or draw against Switzerland would make them group winners. Julian Nagelsmann, who just extended his contract with Germany, will look to go three for three in major tournaments.

Hungary will play Scotland, needing a win to go through in third. The Hungarians aren’t happy with the result, but they get one last chance to go through against an inconsistent Scotland side. “We have a foot out of the Euros, so we’re not out of it mathematically,” a blunt Rossi grumbled. “In the final game, we’ll try everything to win. We don’t want to exit without a single point. I don’t think we deserve to be on zero points at this stage of the competition.

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Group F kicked off as a sleeper squad Turkey faced first-timers Georgia. To start off, Mert Muldur struck a thunderbolt of a ball that came from a stray Turkey cross, which curled and spun into the top right corner. Two goals of the tournament contenders in two days? Insane, but that’s the Euros. The atmosphere thickened as fans lit flares from the upper section of the Signal Iduna Park. Georgia struck back minutes later through Georges Mikautadze, who neatly tapped in a Giorgi Kochorashvili cutback to even the match up.

Turkey retook the lead through Arda Güler in the 65th, who curved an amazing, bending shot past keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Güler’s technique throughout the match invited comparisons to another brilliant midfielder of Turkish origin.

Although Georgia surged back, creating chance after chance, several shots that pinged the post and cleared the crossbar were the best they got. They called up Mamardashvili to the front in an attempt for one last chance to even the game, but Turkey cleared the ball to an eager Kerem Aktürkoğlu, who dribbled the ball into an open net. What a game.

“Turkey played a fantastic match, Georgia also played a fantastic match,” Georgia coach Willy Sagnol told the Guardian. “That match and the atmosphere fit. I don’t know if the atmosphere made the match or the match made the atmosphere but it was a great moment.”

One of the tournament favorites in Portugal took on Czechia in the other Group F fixture. The game mainly concerned the Selecao attempting to break down Czechia’s sturdy low block and warding off frequent counterattack attempts. Czechia keeper Jindrich Stanek registered seven saves through the night and was the biggest factor in forcing the only scoreless first half of the tournament so far.

Czechia scored first coming off one of their characteristic counter-attacks. Winger David Doudera sent a cross into the box, which was collected by Vladimir Coufal. Coufal laid the ball off to Slavia Prague’s Lukas Provod at the top of the box, who sent his shot neatly into the bottom left corner. Another upset?

Portugal surged back seven minutes later when Vitinha sent in a cross towards Nuno Mendes at the back post. Mendes’ attempt required a reaching save from Stanek, but his stop unluckily landed at the shins of Robin Hranac and rolled into the goal. Own goal.

After Diogo Jota’s 87th-minute goal was overruled for offsides — seemingly the last significant event in the game — Portugal found their winner in Francisco Conceicao. The super-sub got on the receiving end of Pedro Neto’s incisive pass that the Czechs couldn’t clear and stabbed his shot past Stanek. Beers spill, fans yell, and the stadium shudders as the crowd attempts to understand the mania of Portugal’s comeback. Conceicao’s shirt goes flying off, which earns him a yellow card. Worth it.

Euro 2024 continues with a three-game schedule and the beginning of matchday two. Croatia faces Albania in Group B at 9 AM EST, with both in dire need of a win after opening game losses. A loss from either team will all but eliminate them from the knockout rounds. Jacqui Oatley and Warren Barton will call the game on FS1.

Germany and Hungary play at noon. Germany is on top of the world with a monster 5-1 victory over Scotland, while Hungary seems lost and divided after a catastrophic 3-1 loss to Switzerland. Derek Rae joins Robert Green to commentate the match on FS1.

Finally, Scotland attempts to redeem itself after a historically bad opening game loss with a 3 PM clash with the Swiss. The Scots, underdogs to take points from the match, desperately need a positive result to stand a chance of progressing in the tournament. Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves will commentate the game on FOX.

Three Things to Watch

Croatia’s front line needs to be more accurate.

Croatia had an unenjoyable time during their 3-0 loss to Spain. They were thoroughly outplayed by a persistent Spain squad, and the rare positive moment — a Petković goal in the later stages of the game — was overruled by VAR. Tough misses from Ante Budimir, Lovro Majer, and Petković highlighted the match.

To avoid a high-profile exit in Germany, Croatia needs consistency in its attack. It’s unclear whether manager Zlatko Dalić needs to make a switch in the starting eleven, as Ivan Perisic, Petkovic, and Luka Ivanusec started on the bench against Spain. But, it’s clear that this attack needs a boost, whether it comes from a change on the bench or a change in mentality. Look forward to the Croatian attack likely improving as they face Albania.

Hungary needs a full reset going into Wednesday.

Hungary manager Marco Rossi seems dissatisfied, morose even, with the way his Mighty Magyars played against Switzerland. Their 3-1 loss saw Hungary utterly dismantled — both tactically and technically. It seemed like Hungary was never in control of their match, and despite the occasional bright moment, everything else was dreariness and gloom.

Hungary needs a hard reset as they look to avoid an early exit on Wednesday. Although the odds are slim against a dominant German side, Szoboszlai and Hungary can still play their blitzing style of play and lean on their lethality in transition. Communication will be key for a Hungary side likely to find themselves on the back foot for several minutes at a time.

Is this really the Scotland we saw in qualifying?

Scotland’s 5-1 loss to Germany was gruesome. The cold-blooded, calm collectedness of Wirtz and crew dismembered a Scottish side tipped to give teams trouble. Their opening match looked nothing like the Scotland side that gave Spain trouble en route to a 5-2-1 record in qualifying. The qualifying Scotland side that was composed, well-drilled, and defensively solid has turned into a disorganized, frail shell of itself.

Scotland’s best chance to avoid another group stage exit is their matchup against the tactically adept Switzerland, led by Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji. This Scotland side needs to remember that upsets are common and to play bigger than itself. Look forward to a more aggressive Scotland side that should show how it beat Spain and Norway en route to making it to the big stage.

Euro 2024 News

Scotland skipper Andy Robertson said that he and his Tartan Army need to play fearlessly in their pivotal match against Switzerland on Wednesday. The Scots lost 5-1 to hosts Germany on opening night, as Scotland looked divided and helpless.

“You’ve seen a team [in qualification] that was full of belief and ready to fight for each other and ready to go for every single ball and maybe on Friday we played a wee bit with fear, which we didn’t want,” Robertson urged, speaking to media. “We need to be at our best again to try and get anything off Switzerland. And if we do that, we believe we can try and get a result, but they’ll also be full of belief, and confidence, and rightly so after what they did on Saturday.”

Croatia midfielder Nikola Vlasic, who has won 56 caps, will leave Croatia’s training camp due to an injury suffered in training. The Torino midfielder did not play in Croatia’s 3-0 loss to Spain but figured to be a semi-important player going into their Euro 2024 campaign.

Hungary manager Marco Rossi told press that Germany was ‘top-class’ and the ‘toughest team to play against‘ as they prepare for their Monday matchup with the hosts. After their loss to Switzerland, Hungary will likely need a point against Germany to stave off elimination, but, with the quality of the Germans, it seems tough.

“We will do our very best. We know the German team is better than us, and we can say this and nobody needs to take offense. It can motivate us,” Rossi shrugged. “We can give it our best shot. Hopefully, we can grasp a point and that will give us a chance to qualify for the next round. Everyone has to give 100%.”

Rossi also wants striker Martin Ádám to score against Germany to silence the jokes made about his large frame. Fans have posted frequently about his 190-pound build. Despite Ádám previously shrugging the comments off, Rossi said the comments were ‘disrespectful’.

“When on blogs people offend the players, well that’s unacceptable. That’s disrespectful,” Rossi said. “So it’s very unpleasant what happened to him. His body and build is what it is since his birth, so I truly hope he will score at this European Championship. That would be very rewarding and satisfying for him.”

France star Kylian Mbappé will likely miss Friday’s matchup against the Netherlands after suffering a broken nose against Austria. Mbappé smashed his face on defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder after attempting to head in a cross, causing him to bleed profusely. He’s a question mark for the rest of the group stage and some knockout games, and he will likely play the rest of the tournament with a mask on.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Fortunately for Les Bleus, the France Football Federation confirmed Mbappé would not require surgery. Mbappé returned to the France team camp after hours of tests at a local hospital and will have a mask made for him as he prepares to play.

Regardless, the injury is a considerable blow for the France squad.

Mbappé nose injury comes at a tense time for France

Mbappé started the game up top for France in their Euro 2024 opener against Austria. It was a tense, physical battle, with fellow star Antoine Griezmann also suffering a head injury after an Austria defender shoved him into an advertising board. France only got the full three points through Maximilian Wöber’s own goal when he inadvertently headed a Mbappé cross into his net.

Mbappé, who missed several important chances against Austria, suffered a scary nose injury in the 85th minute. After Griezmann lofted a free-kick into the box, Mbappé, looking to get a head on the ball, smashed his face on the shoulder of a nearby Kevin Danso.

He stayed on the ground for several minutes and received medical treatment from France’s team doctors. He walked off the pitch gripping his bloody nose, his white French jersey stained with red.

After Austria illegally restarted play while France hadn’t made their sub, Mbappé, still gripping his nose, jogged back to the field and sat back down. The referee gave him a yellow card for unsporting-like behavior, allowing France to make two vital substitutions.

Team doctors say that Mbappé will miss France’s vital match against the Netherlands on Friday, and he’s a major doubt to return to face Poland next Tuesday. He will have to play the rest of the Euros in a mask, confirmed by both French media outlets and Mbappé himself, who asked for mask ideas on social media.

What are France’s options?

It’s a blow to miss arguably the best player in the world currently active. France will sorely miss his services at the Euros, especially because it seemed he was just getting started. It was his incisive dribbling and cross that caused the, of course, unlucky Wöber own goal.

He was one of the best players on the Merkur-Spiel Arena pitch. Electric on the ball, physical and creative off it. He showed his full range of skills against Austria despite the massive blown chance in the second half. France will still feel unlucky not to catch Mbappé at his full strength against the Dutch.

He started up top for Les Bleus as the starting striker, so France has several attacking options to choose from.

Manager Didier Deschamps could choose incoming LAFC striker Olivier Giroud, who started France’s pre-Euro friendly against Canada. Giroud is old — he turns 38 in September and will retire from international football after the Euros– but he’s still obviously technically adept and an amazing finisher. He scored 15 goals at Milan and can drop deep and spread the ball around to the wings.

Randal Kolo Muani is another choice for Deschamps. His chemistry with PSG teammates Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé is a plus, along with his technical skill, agility, and versatility in attack. However, Kolo Muani is still young and had an inconsistent season in Paris.

Marcus Thuram is the other likely candidate to succeed Mbappé. The Inter striker scored 13 goals for his club and played well for France against Austria on the left wing. He’s agile and positionally intelligent, and his big frame makes him an ideal candidate to loft cross towards. However, he can be a bit wasteful in front of goal, and Deschamps might want to keep him on the left wing considering his positive performances.

Deschamps could move Griezmann up top from his No. 10 position. He could return to his familiar 4-4-2 shape and play two strikers up top. Whatever the solution, it needs to come fast before their match against the Netherlands. They will likely have to take three points from the Netherlands’ solid, deep squad to finish first in Group D.

PHOTOS: IMAGO

Monday’s first game brought a shocking 3-0 Romania victory over Ukraine. It’s their second Euros victory in national team history and their first since 2000. After a relatively boring game where both teams struggled to create chances, Nicolae Stanciu pulled out the goal of the tournament, striking a thunderbolt of a ball with just one touch. The skipper nestled the ball into the upper 90s, and the rest is history. Second-half goals from Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus vaulted the Romanians into first place, something no one predicted before this tournament kicked off.

The shock result of Euro 2024 on matchday one

Frankfurt witnessed an even bigger surprise as Slovakia stunned Belgium in arguably the biggest upset at the Euros ever. Belgium looked jet-lagged during their match as Jeremy Doku gave up a lazy ball in their own 18, which led to a neat Ivan Schranz strike in the 7th minute. Belgium can count themselves unlucky to score more — they generated nearly 2 xG and saw two more goals disallowed. That’s Lukaku 0, VAR 2.

The only expected result was a high-tempo, energetic French 1-0 win over Austria. Each side missed an abnormal number of chances — Kylian Mbappé in particular could had over two goals in Düsseldorf if not for poor finishing. Maximilian Wöber’s unfortunate own goal made the difference as Les Bleus secured three points in Group D.

Tuesday sees a pair of Euro 2024 matches as matchday 1 comes to a close. A promising Turkey squad will face debutants Georgia at noon — the game will not be shown on any of FOX’s channels.

Czechia faces the difficult task of containing one of the tournament’s favorites in Portugal. The Patrik Schick-led side stormed to the quarterfinals in Euro 2020 but needs a positive result against Portugal to replicate the performance. Darren Fletcher and Owen Hargreaves will call the game on FOX.

Three things to watch

Turkey needs to depend on its golden generation.

This Turkey side is the best it’s been in decades, and it’s clear that there’s a golden generation developing in Istanbul. They’re headlined by teenage Real Madrid sensation Arda Güler, compared to Mesut Ozil for his creativity and vision. Juve attacker Kenan Yildiz, Benfica playmaker Orkun Kökçü, and more are all under the age of 23 but will have a huge impact on the Turkish side slated for a deep run into knockout rounds.

The difference between Turkey’s disappointing Euro 2020 squad and this one is the sheer amount of quality entering the team. They’ll be the difference-makers in this squad, especially considering recent injuries in the defense and the potential of the offense. If everything goes right for them, this Turkish side could easily bang in four or five goals in Dortmund.

Look towards Georgia’s exciting attack partnership.

At this point, the country of Georgia is synonymous with Napoli attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. He’s arguably the best player the country has ever seen and he has blossomed into Europe’s best wingers. When Georgia beat out Greece on penalties to qualify for the Euros, the focus was on ‘Kvaradona.’

But this Georgia team should be a fun team to watch. There’s no pressure on the debutants to take points away from a tough Group F. Their attack is one of the most promising out of the tournament. His striking partner, Georges Mikautadze, scored 13 Ligue 1 goals on loan with Metz. He’s poised for an exciting summer full of transfer links. This Georgia team will be a fun team to watch due to their enthusiasm, underrated roster, and up-tempo style of play.

Portugal will lean on Ronaldo for success against Czechia.

This Portugal squad looks complete all around. Diogo Costa is one of the best young keepers in Europe and is seeing transfer links to United and City. Ruben Dias and Nuno Mendes headline a solid backline. Vitinha and Joao Palhinha are one of the quietly one of the best midfield partnerships, while Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernades serve as creators in attack. Portugal can rely on several attacking stars in the final third, with Rafael Leao and Joao Felix the most prominent. Ronaldo, currently 39 and plying his trade in Saudi Arabia, is the biggest question mark.

The memory of ex-Selecao boss Fernando Santos benching Ronaldo in the World Cup is still fresh, and he’s arguably the only great finisher on the team. Although Father Time has caught up with the legend, he still uses intelligence and technique to knock in goals by the dozen. If he does play poorly, Portugal doesn’t have a clear answer. The backup striker, Gonçalo Ramos, struggled in pre-Euro friendlies and had an inconsistent season at Paris Saint-Germain.

In the News

UEFA will charge the Albania FA after events in their Euro 2024 opener. Albania faces four disciplinary charges over throwing objects, fireworks, an Albanian fan entering the pitch towards the end of a game, and provocative messages. Albanian fans unfurled flags of the Kosovo Liberation Army and ‘Greater Albania’ during the game. Albania lost their opener 2-1 against Italy after scoring the fastest Euros goal ever.

UEFA will also charge Serbia after fans showed provocative messages and brawled in the Gelsenkirchen streets during their loss to England. Seven Serbia supporters and one England supporter were detained after a brawl that saw chairs and stones thrown. Serbia lost their Euros opener 1-0 to a dominant English side.

German police shot and injured a man who threatened local fans with a sledgehammer and a Molotov cocktail. The incident happened at the Volksparkstadion, which hosted Poland’s Euro 2024 loss to the Netherlands. Police say the man may have been suffering a psychiatric crisis, but do not currently know the man’s motives.

Spain stopper Unai Simon told media that he is playing through a wrist injury and will undergo surgery after the tournament. Simon, who kept a clean sheet in Spain’s opener, will play for later matches against Italy and Albania. The Athletic Club keeper beat out David Raya and Alex Remiro for the starting spot.

Political news

Kylian Mbappé recently urged young voters to vote against rising far-right parties in France’s upcoming National Assembly election. The winger said the situation in France is dire and he agreed with teammate Marcus Thuram’s statements about conservative politicians. The quote has garnered criticism and praise from players, pundits, and politicians alike.

UEFA will ban Russia flags from fixtures including Ukraine, per sources at ESPN. With the longstanding conflict between Russia and Ukraine, UEFA does not want any Russia flags at Ukraine games due to the ostensible security issues it poses. Russia is not competing at Euro 2024 as the UEFA and FIFA banned the Russian FA from its competitions due to the invasion.

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United fullback Luke Shaw, who has been out since February after suffering a hamstring injury, missed England’s Euros opener. However, manager Gareth Southgate confirmed that Shaw trained with the team ahead of the match and will play in their next match.

Antics clouded the ‘high-risk’ game before any of the players even kicked the ball. German police reportedly had to intervene in a clash between English and Serbian fans, with chairs, stones, and glasses being thrown.

Bellingham goal saves England

Jude Bellingham started the game with a bang, scoring in the opening minutes of the game. Kyle Walker played Bukayo Saka on a through ball in the 13th minute, with the Arsenal winger chipping a ball into the box. Bellingham connected with the cross, flying in to head his attempt past Serbia stopper Predrag Rajkovic.

Serbia could have equalized through Al-Hilal striker Aleksandar Mitrović in the 20th minute. Trent Alexander-Arnold had a poor touch on the ball and clumsily gave the ball up to Serbia’s Andrija Zivkovic. Zivkovic laid the ball off to Mitrović, who blasted a ball just shy of the post.

England had more chances to extend their lead. Just minutes later, the Three Lions burst onto a counter-attack, with Saka playing Walker into open space. Walker powered his way into the final third and played a pitch-perfect ball across the face of the goal. However, no one was there to convert the golden chance, with Alexander-Arnold just seconds away from the ball.

Chances became more sparse as England slowed down and looked to possess the ball. It was Serbia who found themselves searching for a goal and despite their direct play, they could not apply the finishing touch.

One of the more controversial moments of the night came in the 59th minute. Filip Mlandenovic played a cut-back to a streaking Mitrović, but the ex-Fulham striker was seemingly shoved in the back by Kieran Trippier. The Serbians protested, but the referee elected not to check the VAR monitor.

England’s biggest chance came in the 76th minute, with Harry Kane given the chance to all but seal the game for England. Jarrod Bowen beat his man on the right wing and sent a cross careening towards the skipper. However, Kane saw his header incredibly saved on the line by Rajkovic.

Juve star Dusan Vlahovic nearly found the net in the 81st minute after receiving the ball from Luka Jovic. Vlahovic strained to take a heavy touch, raced after the ball, and slammed a strike while seemingly off-balanced. His shot nearly found the back of the net if not for a stellar, fingertip-heavy save from Jordan Pickford.

Denmark up next for England after Serbia match

After taking home three points, England will look forward to their matchup against Denmark. Denmark, who drew 1-1 to Slovenia, poses a tough challenge to England. Denmark will likely need a win to stave off elimination.

England will face Denmark on Thursday at noon EST.

Serbia will desperately need a win against Eastern European rivals Slovenia to progress through the group stage. Since UEFA opened up qualification to the knockout round to the four-best third-placed teams, only one team of eight has qualified without a win. They will be favorites to win, but they’ll have to watch out for their quietly talented defense and potent offense.

Serbia faces Slovenia on Thursday at 9 AM EST.

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Christian Eriksen, making his first appearance at the Euros since suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020, headlined a star-studded Denmark team. Rasmus Højlund, Wolves target Jonas Wind, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg were included in the starting eleven.

Benjamin Šeško, linked with moves to United and Arsenal, led a Slovenia squad tipped for an early exit from Germany. Atletico Madrid stopper Jan Oblak led the Slovenia defense.

Tense battle between Slovenia and Denmark

Šeško got the game started with a beautiful shot in the 15th minute. He received the ball some yards away from the box with no defender to check him. He cleanly shot the ball, which nearly flew into the top left corner, but barely missed the post.

Eriksen scored the first goal in a fairytale start for the Danes. Wind received the ball in the 17th minute off a throw, flicking it on with a nice touch. Eriksen received the ball and smashed his half-volley past Oblak and into the back of the net.

From there, Denmark continued to dominate possession and stun the Slovenes with their fluid build-up play. Eriksen could have doubled Denmark’s lead going into the half as he looked to fire from a Jonas Wind cutback. But, despite having an open look on goal, Eriksen fired his shot into the stands.

Denmark continued to pummel Oblak with chance after chance. In the 63rd minute, they saw their best chance yet as Bologna left midfielder Victor Kristiansen strode through the wing. Unmarked on the edge of the 18, he sent a stellar through ball to a streaking Højlund across the face of the goal. But, the United attacker sent his shot right into Oblak, who produced a brilliant save to keep Slovenia within striking distance.

Slovenia began to get more momentum as the game neared its final stages. Andraz Sporar nearly scored after connecting with a Jan Mlakar free kick but smashed his attempt completely wide of the goal. Šeško almost had the goal of the tournament so far after powerfully sending a half-volley towards the goal from 30 yards out, but he hit the post instead.

Slovenia score through superb strike

Slovenia got their long-awaited goal through left-back Erik Janza. After Slovenia took a corner, Denmark cleared the ball right towards the grateful feet of Janza. Unmarked with a clear view of the goal, Janza ran towards the ball and clattered his attempt from over 30 yards out. The strike took a heavy deflection from Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand.

Keeper Kasper Schmeichel, prepared for a routine save, was too far away to get a touch on the ball. Janza was swarmed by his Slovenia teammates, excited at the prospect of getting their first points at the Euros since 2000.

They fought tooth and nail to keep Denmark from regaining the lead, and the Danes could not score by the game’s end. Slovenia and Denmark both walk away from their Stuttgart battle with one point.

Slovenia will face Serbia on Thursday at 9 AM EST as they look for an unlikely win. Matjaž Kek’s men will search for a win, as their path to the knockout stage looks unlikely without picking up the full three points in Munich.

Denmark will play England in a star-studded Thursday matchup at noon EST. They need to pick up a win against the either Three Lions or Serbia to avoid another early exit after the 2022 World Cup.

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Poland entered the game without star striker Robert Lewandowski, who suffered a thigh injury in one of their pre-Euro friendlies. The Dutch, down Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners, were also missing Ajax winger Brian Brobbey to a hamstring injury

Poland started the game with a bang. Star midfielder Piotr Zieliński lofted a well-hit corner to striker Adam Buksa in the 15th minute, who powered a header past Dutch stopper Bart Verbruggen. The Netherlands faced the tall task of breaking down Poland’s low block, with Poland committed to getting at least a point from the match.

The Netherlands struck back through Cody Gakpo. Nathan Aké won a ball out of the air and laid it off to the winger. Gakpo then cut inside and fired a low shot, which took a heavy deflection from Bartosz Salamon. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who had already dove for the seemingly easy save, couldn’t get to the ball in time.

Netherlands struggles for winner against Poland

The Netherlands struggled to find a winner after, and the frustration was evident on the players’ faces. Despite generating 21 shots, the Dutch only steered four shots on target. There was a rift between the Netherlands’ offensive stars, with Memphis Depay, Donyell Malen, and Denzel Dumfries arguing after missed chances.

Gakpo had a huge chance to give the Dutch its first lead of the afternoon after he found himself on the receiving end of an Aké cutback with only the keeper to beat. But, the Liverpool star blasted his shot well over the bar.

Arsenal fullback Jakub Kiwior nearly scored Poland’s second in the 58th minute. After receiving the ball in the box, Kiwior blasted a shot to Verbruggen’s left. The shot took a huge deflection on its way to the goal, but the Brighton stopper forced the ball away.

After subbing on Depay, Weghorst scored the game’s winning goal in the 85th. Aké strolled into the final third with no Polish player to check him. The City defender played an incisive through ball that spun past the marauding Denzel Dumfries and into Weghorst’s feet. Weghorst struck the ball with one touch, powering the ball past Szczesny to put the Netherlands up 2-1.

Striker Karol Swiderski had the opportunity to even the game for Poland and rescue their chances of a draw in the 89th minute. Jakub Piotrowski strode into the box with an incisive dribble and found Swiderski open at the six-yard line. However, Swiderski, under heavy pressure from Virgil van Dijk, sent his attempt just past the post.

Netherlands have advantage after win

The Dutch have a huge advantage after winning three points in their first match. They won’t necessarily have to play to win against France — four points is enough to advance out of the group stage. The Netherlands are also favorites in their match against Austria, meaning they have a fair chance of finishing first in their group.

Poland will need to get their points elsewhere, and their best chance is in a pivotal clash with Austria. Austria is likely to not take any points from their Monday match against France. A win against Poland could set them up to take away points from France in Group D or even qualify as one of the best third-placed finishers.

The Netherlands plays France on Friday at 3 PM EST, while Poland faces Austria on Friday at noon EST.

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Poland faces the Netherlands to open up Group D. Poland will miss Robert Lewandowski through a thigh injury, while Charlotte FC Karol Swiderski is expected to take. Napoli attacking midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Arsenal center-back Jakub Kiwior will lead Poland looking for their first Euros victory since 2016. The Dutch, plagued by injuries, are looking to start their European conquest with its solid offense. Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk, and an experienced defensive group will look for the full three points.

Derek Rae will join Robert Green to commentate the game on FS1 at 9 AM EST.

Slovenia faces Denmark at noon EST. Darren Fletcher and Warren Barton will commentate the game on FS1. Denmark is coming off a forgettable group-stage exit at World Cup 2022, with Christian Eriksen making his first Euros appearance since collapsing against Finland in Euro 2020. Slovenia searches for its first Euros victory ever, led by Newcastle talisman Benjamin Sesko.

Serbia faces England at 3 PM EST to cap off the exciting slate of Euro 2024 matches. This is arguably one of England’s strongest teams to date as they look to end their 58-year drought without a major title. Stars like Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Bukayo Saka will look to lead the Three Lions to a strong start in Germany. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Dusan Vlahovic, and Dusan Tadic are the main players for a sleeper Serbia side. Ian Darke and Landon Donovan will commentate on the match at 3 PM EST.

Three Things to Watch

The Dutch midfield needs to hold up despite injuries.

Injuries — not poor management, feuds between players, or a lack of quality — have hurt this Dutch squad. We saw it last March, where stars Cody Gakpo, Mathijs de Ligt, and more missed play due to a virus caused by curry — which played a big part in their embarrassing 4-0 loss to France. They will feel hard done again after missing Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners through injury.

However, the good thing about the Netherlands is their depth in key areas. It’s horrible to lose one of the best midfielders in Europe through an injury (in a friendly, no less). But, midfielders Joey Veerman and Jerdy Schouten could ease the pain. They just led PSV to the Eredivisie title, both versatile, collected, and technically adept. Look for them to play a key role against a Robert Lewandowski-less Poland team at 9 AM EST.

Slovenia can shock the world with its compact defense

Granted, this will sound a lot like Scotland…and Hungary…and Albania. But, Slovenia poses the best chance of getting Euro 2024’s first genuine upset. They’re also on an unbeaten run of six games, including wins over the United States and Portugal.

They’ve done it through their compact 4-4-2, with their compact backline aiming to frustrate strikers. They don’t counter-attack but rather play fast and energizing. Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko, linked with moves to Arsenal and United, is the jewel of the potent offense, and he’s been their main source of life throughout qualification. Look towards veteran keeper Jan Oblak and center-back Jaka Bijol to frustrate a promising Danish offense filled with gems. Rasmus Højlund, Christian Eriksen, and Jonas Wind will be tough to stop, but Slovenia could be the unlikely underdogs who take a point (or more) from this matchup.

This Serbian attack will be a handful for England’s star-studded defense

Enough with all of the England punditry, the endless hot takes, the constant rambling about which celebrities and wives will travel to Gelsenkirchen for the big game. This Serbian team may be one of the best in its history. The striker partnership of Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic, along with the all-seeing eye of creator Dusan Tadic should be a lot to handle for England.

Serbia is a mighty underdog in this game and can expect to play on the back foot for several minutes at a time. Their direct style of play and their quality cannot fly under the radar at all. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, one of the most underrated midfielders of all time, will play a huge part as Serbia searches for revenge after its early World Cup exit.

In the News

Spain stars Rodri and Alvaro Morata dispelled injury concerns after both were subbed off in Spain’s 3-0 win over Croatia. Morata also told reporters that his injury that left him limping off the field after a tough Marin Pongracic tackle was just a knock. De la Fuente said Rodri, who also seemed hurt, was simply fatigued and asked for the sub to avoid further injury. Both should start in their pivotal clash against Italy.

The 16 goals scored through four matches are the most at this stage of the tournament since Euro 1976. Germany beat Scotland 5-1, while Switzerland swept aside Hungary 3-1. Spain beat Croatia 3-0, and Italy beat Albania 2-1, meaning all four games have at least three goals.

The Danish Euro 2024 squad recently refused a pay rise and accepted a reduction in insurance coverage to ensure equal pay between the men’s and women’s teams. Denmark reached a four-year agreement with Denmark’s player union to ensure equal pay between the men’s and women’s national teams. The men chose not to demand any changes to the agreement. It means that more funding could go to the women’s teams.

German police reportedly shot a man who attacked soccer fans watching Euro 2024 at a private house. The man, an Afghan citizen, stabbed another Afghan man with a knife at a rural town 80 miles west of Berlin. He went on to attack three other men watching the Germany vs. Scotland game. Police shot the attacker, who later died of his wounds in a hospital. His motives were unclear. German police will increase their presence around the state.

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It’s the Euro 2016 final, and with 67 minutes left in the game, Ronaldo tearfully hands Nani his captain’s armband and limps down the tunnel. The moment Portugal has waited for since 1921 — a major tournament title — seems to be ruined.

But surprisingly, it’s not ruined. Goalkeeper Rui Patrício comes up with seven saves throughout the night. The Portugal defense bends but doesn’t break as the France attack launches shot after shot. André-Pierre Gignac scores, but he hits the post in stoppage time.

And finally, the breakthrough. Super-sub Eder receives the ball in the 109th minute, cuts inside amid heavy pressure, and sends a low shot past Hugo Lloris into the bottom left corner. Mayhem breaks loose as the Portugal team, including Ronaldo, rushes the field to celebrate. France can’t respond as the referee blows three whistles, and Portugal is on top of the world. Finally, after 95 years of waiting, Portugal claims its first major title.

It’s a monument that Portugal still hasn’t surpassed. They lost to Uruguay in the round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and lost to Belgium at the 2020 Euros. Eder and Rui Patricio don’t play significant roles for the national team anymore, while Euro 2024 could be Ronaldo’s last chance to take home more silverware for Portugal.

There’s still a host of worries and questions for Portugal, who enter Euro 2024 as one of the strongest teams in the tournament on paper, most of which surround Ronaldo and how they can replicate their past success.

Their Form

Since bouncing out of Euro 2020 in the round of 16, Portugal has had a mixed batch of results. A talented squad finished second in its World Cup group through a last-minute conceded goal and scraped through a difficult playoff round to make it to Qatar. There, Portugal looked like genuine contenders to win the title, with huge wins over Uruguay and Switzerland. However, a shocking loss to Morocco in the quarter-finals shattered their World Cup dreams.

However, Portugal looks confident under new manager Roberto Martinez. Portugal finished with ten wins from ten games in their Euro 2024 group along with friendly wins over Sweden and Finland.

Portugal beat Finland 4-2 in the June international window, but narrowly lost to fellow contenders Croatia 2-1.

Their Path to the Final

Portugal has a pretty easy group, unlike the stacked 2020 group of France, Germany, Hungary, and Portugal. Opta Analytics gives Portugal a 93.6% chance of qualifying for the knockout rounds and a 60% chance to win their group.

Portugal will face the Czech Republic first. Czechia made it to the quarter-finals in 2020, and it seems the Czechs have only gotten better. They’re led by West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek and Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick. Both played significant roles in the Czech Republic’s continental campaign, with Schick’s goal against Scotland one of the more memorable parts of the tournament.

Turkey, although several levels behind Portugal in quality, will be the toughest opponent coming out of Group F. They suffered a humiliating exit in Euro 2020, dismantled by Italy in the opening game and facing similar fates against Wales and Switzerland. But this Turkish team is shaping into a golden generation of itself. Wunderkinds Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız will join Turkey for their first major tournament ever, while Orkun Kökçü and Hakan Çalhanoğlu take on leadership roles in their redemption run.

Georgia, the tournament’s only debutants, joins as arguably the weakest team in the entire field. The most recognizable faces are superstar winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Newcastle-linked stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili, and promising Ligue 1 striker Georges Mikautadze. Expectations are low, but the potential and promise for the rising Georgia squad are high — is an upset in the works?

If Portugal wins its group, it will play one of the tournament’s four best third-placed teams. If Portugal finishes as runners-up, it will play the winners of Group D; likely France, who is facing its own problems ahead of Euro 2024.

Key Players

This Portugal squad is arguably the most complete it’s been in years. The team’s leaders — Pepe, Ronaldo, and even backup keeper Rui Patrício — are all still with the team. Rising players like João Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Antonio Silva could all make appearances despite being under the age of 21.

Outside of the enigmatic Ronaldo, the most important player for Portugal is center-back Ruben Dias. He’s arguably the best center-back in the Premier League, if not in the world. His presence ties together a talented backline that weighs in as one of the best in Europe on paper. However, Portugal has run into difficulties on defense.

Portugal hasn’t had a clean sheet since November. It conceded at least two goals in all four of their 2024 friendlies before a 3-0 win over Ireland. The most troubling was their 2-1 loss to Croatia, where the potent midfield of Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović, and Mateo Kovačić carved up Portugal’s defense. Dias’ performance will be vital in Germany, especially with a young defensive core and an inconsistent midfield.

The Key Question

There’s been a lot of controversy over Ronaldo’s presence in the national team. Former manager Fernando Santos benched Ronaldo during Portugal’s knockout round games in the 2022 World Cup — a 6-1 win over Switzerland and a 1-0 loss against Morocco.

“Today I would make the same decision,” Santos told The Guardian. “It was a tactical decision. Me and my team discussed it and thought it was the right decision. It wasn’t an easy decision but the right decision. But I was always convinced that he could come on and change the game.”

He’s since been reintroduced into the national team under new manager Martinez, scoring ten goals in ten appearances since the World Cup. But Ronaldo’s aging. His playstyle has shifted from working as a dynamic winger to playing as the target man. The question of how far Ronaldo can take Portugal is the most important going into Euro 2024.

That question rests on both Ronaldo’s ability to play like he isn’t 39 and Portugal’s ability to create chances. Ronaldo is one of the most elite finishers in the world, and he showed that by scoring 44 goals in 45 appearances for Al-Nassr. If Portugal’s creators like Rafael Leão, Bernardo Silva, and Bruno Fernandes can easily create chances for the marksman, Portugal can score in droves. If it fails in that regard, Martinez could look towards Diogo Jota or Gonçalo Ramos, both of whom can play several different positions.

Group-stage schedule at Euro 2024

Portugal vs. Czechia, June 18, Euro 2024 (FOX)

Portugal vs. Turkey, June 22, Euro 2024 (FOX)

Portugal vs. Georgia, June 26, Euro 2024 (FOX)

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At 9 a.m. ET, Hungary and Switzerland battle as they look to get out on top of Group A. Hungary is on an incredible rise, evoking comparisons to the 1954 team that finished second at the World Cup. It qualified for three straight Euros and finished unbeaten in their most recent qualifying run. They’re one of the sleepers of the tournament, especially through captain Dominik Szoboszlai and United-linked fullback Milos Kerkez.

But it’s Switzerland who are the favorites. Considering their run to the Euro 2020 quarterfinals and 2022 World Cup round of 16, Switzerland has a penchant for success. Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri lead a promising Swiss attack. Stars like Manuel Akanji, Gregor Kobel and Denis Zakaria look to forge a deep run into the knockout rounds.

Spain and Croatia headline the three-game Saturday with a match at noon. It’s a rematch of Euro 2020’s eight-goal thriller. Spain beat Croatia 5-3 in extra time. It’s an important match that will likely decide the order of Group B. A loss is catastrophic for either.

16-year-old Lamine Yamal will become the youngest player to appear at the Euros. Meanwhile, Rodri, Pedri and Nico Williams are the stars for Spain. A legendary midfield of Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović and Mateo Kovačić leads Croatia.

With the last game of Saturday, Albania takes on a mighty Italy side with nearly 50,000 fans in support at 3 p.m. ET. Despite the mass excitement both in Germany and Albania to watch Armando Broja and company at the Euros, Italy is the favorite to take home the full three points. They will begin their quest to win a second straight European Championship, only done by Spain in 2008 and 2012.

Things to watch in the first full day of Euro 2024

Hungary’s defense needs to remain flexible against the dynamic Swiss attack.

This Hungary squad is arguably the most talented since the days of Ferenc Puskas and the Magnificent Magyars. They finished undefeated in their Euro 2024 qualifying group, mainly through a sturdy backline that starts quick, blistering counters. It’s shown in their shape. Under manager Marco Rossi, Hungary lines up with three central defenders, two wingbacks, and a double pivot. The biggest point for this Hungarian team and the only way they can get through the group stage will be by hunkering down and frustrating their opponent’s attack. Leipzig’s Willi Orban and Freiburg’s Attila Szalai will play huge roles in repelling this Swiss attack.

Switzerland’s attack isn’t something to shrug at either. Burnley striker Zeki Amdouni will start up top, while pieces like Ruben Vargas, Noah Okafor, and Dan Ndoye can all wreak havoc if unchecked. They can dominate the ball and break offenses. This Hungarian squad needs to win the ball often and strike off the counterattack through captain Dominik Szoboszlai to succeed.

Spain’s vulnerable defense needs to hold its own against Croatia.

Spain’s defense enters Euro 2024 with a questionable track record. They look as vulnerable as ever, and their 3-3 friendly draw to Brazil is damning evidence of it. Aside from Unai Simon’s error in the 40th minute, where he inadvertently passed the ball to Rodrygo with an open net, Spain looked solid in the first half. They crumbled in the second half; they looked uncoordinated and unfocused when they gave up Endrick and Lucas Paqueta’s goals. Even worse for Luis de la Fuente and Spain, starting center-back Aymeric Laporte will miss their opening game through injury and Barca prodigy Pau Cubarsi was dropped from the squad.

Croatia’s midfield is arguably one of the best at the Euros — Modrić, Kovačić, and Brozović are all elite midfielders with success at the international level. If they can play at their peak and beat Spain on the ground, Spain’s defense could easily crumble. This Spanish squad isn’t used to playing on the back foot, so they will be stretched to their minutes early.

Can Italy find its number nine?

With the lack of quality and the relative inexperience of Albania, Italy is a heavy favorite for their Saturday opener for Euro 2024. The biggest question for Italy isn’t whether they can push back against Armando Broja and the Albanian offense, but where Italy’s goals will come from. It’s one of their biggest weaknesses and a huge reason for their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup.

Manager Luciano Spalletti will likely start Gianluca Scamacca, who has scored just one goal in 16 appearances for Italy. The Atalanta striker has been solid for his club. Yet, he struggled in a friendly against Bosnia. He could also turn to Argentina-born striker Mateo Retegui, who scored nine goals for Genoa this season and started against Ukraine in another friendly. Either way, Spalletti’s options aren’t overly exciting, especially with limited time to find a starter ahead of their match.

In the news

Spain defender Aymeric Laporte will miss Spain’s Saturday match against Croatia through injury. The Al Nassr center-back missed team training on Friday and is suffering from minor discomfort, per the Spanish FA. It’s a big blow for manager Luis de la Fuente, whose only other options at center-back are Nacho, who will likely start alongside Robin Le Normand and Dani Vivian.

Poland talisman Robert Lewandowski will also miss his country’s opener, a Sunday clash with the Netherlands. He suffered a ruptured muscle in his thigh while playing in a friendly against Turkey. Lewandowski has scored 82 goals for Poland, which is the most in the nation’s history. Polish team doctors are optimistic of getting Lewandowski back in action for their match against Austria.

Despite missing Italy’s tune-up for Euro 2024 against Turkey and Bosnia, Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella will feature against Albania on Saturday. Yesterday he did everything in training. He will participate in training matches later today and we’ll consider that,” manager Luciano Spalletti said. “And we’ll wait on how he feels because he’s had a similar problem in the past.” Barella will be a key player for Italy.

Switzerland recently lodged a formal complaint to UEFA surrounding the quality of the pitch at their training camp. Head coach Murat Yakin was unhappy with the conditions of the pitch. However, he will continue to use it due to the lack of time to switch to another stadium. The Swiss are also unhappy about a TV tower next to the stadium, fearing that teams could send spies to watch their practices.

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“It is a great honor for me to be head coach of Borussia Dortmund. I would like to thank everyone in the club’s senior management team for the faith they have shown in me, and I am hugely looking forward to my new role at BVB,” Sahin said in a Dortmund statement. “From day one we will do everything we can and work with energy and passion to make this club as successful as possible.”

Sahin fits Dortmund criteria

Sahin has a long, storied history with Dortmund, working his way into the first team as a youngster. The midfielder made his senior team appearance at 16 years and 334 days old, then a Bundesliga record. He played a pivotal role in the squad’s Bundesliga-winning season in 2010-11, winning Bundesliga Player of the Season.

Sahin left Dortmund to join Real for a $11 million fee, but his career derailed due to repeated injuries. He had stints with Liverpool, Feyenoord, Werder Bremen, and Antalyaspor, where he retired. Sahin is regarded as one of the best Turkish midfielders of all time.

He retired so he could immediately start his managerial career with Antalyaspor, where they were suffering in the Turkish top flight. Sahin led the club on a huge unbeaten run, rescuing them from relegation. Sahin left in November to take an assistant role for Dortmund.

Dortmund has period of change

Sahin’s hiring follows a tumultuous series of events for Dortmund, including the sudden resignation of manager Edin Terzic and defender Mats Hummels. Hummels told German newspaper Bild that he “felt insulted” by Dortmund’s style of play. It led to a “violent” confrontation between the two ahead of the Champions League final, which they lost 2-0 to Real.

Sahin is a breath of fresh air for a Dortmund side that finished outside of the top four for the first time since 2015. He’s had experience both as a head coach, assistant, and player, and he embodies the Dortmund spirit.

Jürgen Klopp had the most influence on my career. First, when I was a player – including when we won the league title in 2011 – but also when I became a coach,” Sahin said in a recent interview. “He always saw the human being first and then the football player,” he continued. “You felt it, from player number one to squad player number 25. Young player or old player, it didn’t matter to him.”

He coached his Antalyaspor teams to play dynamic and entertaining football in Turkey, building up energetically and pressing up high. He combines the ideas of previous managers Klöpp and Terzic along with his own unique ideas into his managerial style. It’s something that the Yellow Wall will surely enjoy.

Dortmund are reportedly targeting Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy, who scored 30 goals in 30 total appearances. He will be an excellent addition to a Dortmund side that struggled to score at times during the season.

“Definitely,” Guirassy told Sky Sports when asked if he was open to joining Dortmund. “It’s a very big club. But nothing is advanced, I’m still under contract at VfB Stuttgart. I was with the national team, and now it’s time for vacation. We’ll know what will happen in a few weeks.”

Dortmund will also target a host of defensive prospects, including Juventus wunderkind Dean Huijsen and Porto’s Alan Varela. With Hummels set to depart and the fitness issues of Niklas Süle, Dortmund need all of the help they can get on defense.

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