An electrifying second-half comeback saw Ukraine fight back from the brink of crisis at the 2024 Euros, with goals from Mykhola Shaparenko and substitute Roman Yaremchuk earning them the first three points of the competition with a 2-1 win in Slovakia. The result leaves Group E intriguingly balanced, with three teams on three points, while Belgium maintain the table where they were expected to top after Monday's defeat.
In the remaining matches on Friday, Group D reached the two-match mark. Austria won 3–1 against Poland in Berlin, while France and the Netherlands failed to live up to their high expectations in Leipzig, leaving controversy among the few notable examples of a dull 0–0 draw.
Euro 2024 results for Friday
Always Oriental
- Slovakia 1, Ukraine 2
- Poland 1, Austria 3
- Netherlands 0, France 0
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Netherlands 0, France 0: Simons denied by VAR
A night of great debauchery from Antoine Griezmann went unpunished as the Netherlands were controversially denied what could have been a winner in Leipzig. Xavi Simons drove in from the edge of the penalty area halfway through the second half and saw his goal chalked up as the first assistant referee. Subsequently, VAR concluded that Denzel Dumfries had been too close to goalkeeper Mike Maignan when the ball flashed into the goal line. net.
It wasn't the only time the Dutch came close in a match where they saw little of the ball but were prepared to surge forward on the counter when favorites France turned possession over. Jeremy Frimpong came close in the first half, his shot well saved by Maignan, while Cody Gakpo also tested the opponent's goal.
France might have had more clear-cut chances had it not been for some bafflingly inaccurate play from the usually excellent Griezmann, who twice failed to get convincing attempts away when the ball broke towards him in the penalty area. N'Golo Kante flexed his creative muscles with a series of elegant passes into the penalty area, the former Leicester City and Chelsea midfielder looking back to his best after a number of injury-plagued seasons before his move to Saudi Arabia.
His excellence was not quite matched by others: Adrien Rabiot curled a late cross towards Kingsley Coman. I miss the spark that could come from Kylian Mbappé, who was on the bench after his broken nose against Austria. Les Bleus powered their way to the tournament's first goalless draw, making Poland the first team to be eliminated from the 2024 European Championship.
Slovakia 1, Ukraine 2: Yaremchuk fires Ukrainians to big win
Forty-five minutes from the brink of elimination, Ukraine delivered the kind of quality their talent had suggested so far at Euro 2024, overcoming an impressive start from Slovakia to move firmly into contention for a place in the round of 16.
Such an outcome had seemed unlikely at times in Dusseldorf, where Slovakia started with the goal and organization that had taken them to a surprise 1-0 win over Belgium in the opening round. After more than a thousand days without a goal for club or country, Ivan Schranz delivered two in the space of a week so that Slovakia could have been dreaming of a place in the round of 16 at half-time, instead of battling with four players. for the last 16 they may soon have to deal with. Breaking away from Oleksandr Zinchenko at the back post – the Arsenal defender guilty of an all-too-familiar lack of concentration – he met Lukas Haraslin's cross with authority, bouncing his header low and past goalkeeper Anatolii Trubiin , who perhaps felt he could have done more. to keep his side horizontal.
Ukraine, who made four changes from the opening match, including dropping Real Madrid shot-stopper Andriy Lunin, were much improved from the disappointing (albeit heavily punished) performance that saw them defeated 3-0 in the opener by Romania, but in the first half they were. guilty of too much passivity without the ball, allowing Slovakia to get back into the groove after their open play.
With 45 minutes remaining to revive their hopes in the tournament, Ukraine rallied. Mykhailo Mudryk led a deliberate break from the edge of his penalty area before Zinchenko provided a reminder of his attacking qualities with a well-placed pass for Shaparenko to pounce. Serhii Rebrov's changes provided more purpose for the Ukrainian press and the second half was dominated by the yellow team.
An impending meeting with Belgium, pre-tournament favorites to top the group, could have given a boost to the Ukrainian cause and in the 80th minute they got the rewards that were theirs for much of Euro 2024 escaped. Shaparenko's ball over the top was killed by one brilliant touch from Roman Yaremchuk. His second wasn't so bad either, curling the ball past Martin Dubravka to earn three invaluable points for his country.
Poland 1, Austria 3: Rangnick's solid win
It is a huge victory for Austria as the team led by former Manchester United coach Ralf Rangnick managed to score three goals and beat Poland in Berlin. Austrian Gernot Trauner opened the scoring nine minutes into the match, but the lead did not last long as Krzysztof Piatek scored the equalizer in the same stadium where he used to play with Hertha Berlin. Despite Polish star Robert Lewandowski making his UEFA Euro 2024 debut, Austria scored two goals in the second half and eventually won the first match of the tournament.
Christoph Baumgartner took the lead thanks to a great move from Inter striker Marko Arnautovic, before the same Arnautovic scored the last goal of the match with a penalty that closed the match at 3-1. Austria will now meet the Netherlands at the same stadium on Tuesday, while Poland will face France in their final match of the tournament.
Group D prospects
|
1 |
The Netherlands |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
2 |
France |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
3 |
Austria |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
4 |
Poland |
0 |
0 |
2 |
-3 |
0 |
Group E prospects
|
1 |
Romania |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
|
2 |
Ukraine |
1 |
0 |
1 |
-2 |
3 |
|
3 |
Slovakia |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
4 |
Belgium |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-1 |
0 |
What happened on Thursday
Not much, at least if you look at England's draw against Denmark. Their late 1-1 draw earned them enough points to make them almost certain to reach the last 16 and they remain top of the Group B table after Serbia's late equalizer denied Slovenia victory earlier in the day. The only one of the three matches to end with a winner was the last, an impressive display by Spain who defeated Italy in Gelsenkirchen, with Riccardo Calafiori turning into his own net in a match that saw the holders weather an almighty Spanish storm.
Saturday's games
Always Oriental
- Georgia vs Czech Republic, 9am
- Turkey vs. Portugal, 12:00 (example)
- Belgium vs. Romania, 3 p.m. (example)
