Matchday one of Euro 2024 concludes with two Tuesday games

Euro 2024 has been full of action, with goals, controversy, upsets, and disappointment alike, and it is only matchday one. All of those emotions were fully shown on Monday as six teams took the field in Germany.

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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