Matchday one of Euro 2016 has come and gone in haste, providing us some major talking points in the process.
Big boys get their perfect starts
Host nation France opened the tournament amid a stunning Stade de France backdrop against Romania on Saturday. The Romanians were plucky and pushed Les Blues all the way, only to be beaten by a Dimitri Payet stunner – something we are becoming more and more used to as the matches roll by – falling 2-1 with a matter of minutes to play.
Beautiful ceremony ahead of the game tonight. #Euro2016 #FRA #Rou #FRAROU pic.twitter.com/Y6GPiwkO04
— Onefootball (@Onefootball) June 10, 2016
Like Romania, Czech Republic made the going tough for back to back European champions Spain. Pavel Vrba’s defensive setup, which held firm for 89 minutes, frustrated La Roja, with the central European nation finding chances of their own. Happy to concede possession, Czech Republic looked set to take a hard-earned point away from Toulouse, before a delightful Andres Iniesta delivery was nodded home by Gerard Pique.
Germany too were made to work for the three points against Ukraine. Shkodran Mustafi put the world champions ahead after 19 minutes, but were made to wait until injury time for Bastian Schweinsteiger to put the result to bed.
Belgium flatter to deceive
Ranked second in the FIFA rankings behind Argentina, Belgium have been widely tipped to finally make a splash at an international tournament in the midst of their golden era of football stars, boasting the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Toby Alderweireld and Thibaut Courtois.
Yet the Red Devils stumbled at the first hurdle, beaten 2-0 in underwhelming fashion by Italy, who were typically masterful at the back. The Azzurri‘s Juventus-inspired back three marshalled striker Romelu Lukaku expertly, forcing the Everton man into high and wide areas of the pitch.
A number of Belgium’s stars were alarmingly sub-par, and Marc Wilmots must address their issues before their next clash against Ireland in Bordeaux. Defeat on matchday one is a huge dent to the highly fancied team’s progression chances, and anything less than a win against the Irish will leave Belgium’s chances hanging by a thread.
UEFA under the microscope
After clashes between English and Russian fans in Marseille marred the opening matchday, UEFA came down hard on the latter, imposing a suspended disqualification on the Russians as well as a $169,000 fine.
European football’s governing body itself came under fire for not doing enough to prevent the violence inside the stadium, where fans of either nation were easily able to move from one area of the arena to another – in particular those frequented by opposing supporters.
UEFA have come down hard on Russia, but if ugly scenes reminiscent of those seen in Marseille repeat themselves, will Russia find themselves eliminated?
Stage set for Great Britain showdown
Even before Euro 2016 kicked off, this match was the one that stood out for football fans everywhere.
As if it did not need any extra spice, Group B’s opening matchday has seen England in need of a win, while Wales got off to the perfect start on debut, downing Slovakia 2-1 and putting themselves in the driver’s seat. Victory over their ‘bigger’ brother could well see the Three Lions miss out on the round of 16 and would guarantee Chris Coleman’s men’s progression.
This will be the 102nd meeting between the two teams, but none as important as this, and for Wales, no better time than to sink their geographical neighbours for the first time since 1984.
Andres Iniesta continues to dazzle
Will this guy’s star ever fall? Even at the ripe old age of 32, Iniesta is still setting football fields alight. It took a delightful cross from his right boot to break down a steely Czech Republic, setting up Pique for the simplest of tap-ins at the back post.
Despite dominating much of that much, Spain secured the 1-0 win only after being frustrated and the Czechs defended manfully, holding out until the 89th minute. Still, a win is a win, and La Roja will take the three points and quickly refocus onto their next match against Turkey, who need a win to keep their hopes of progression alive after falling to Croatia.
Mixed luck for the newcomers
Euro 2016 has brought with it something of a changing of the guard in European football. Global giant the Netherlands missed out on qualification, but saw the likes of Iceland, Northern Ireland, Albania and Wales reach the Euros for the first time.
On debut, the results varied for the new kids on the block. Albania and Northern Ireland both fell to Switzerland and Poland 1-0 respectively, while Wales kicked off their run through Europe in the best way possible, defeating Slovakia 2-1 to sit atop Group B after one matchday. Iceland were hardly disgraced, snatching a point from Portugal after falling behind.
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