Euro roundup - Matchweek 1

Published on 16/06/21

Daniel James - Wales vs Switzerland (By Rhys James)

Dan James had a fantastic display against Switzerland, despite being quite rightfully annoyed at coming off in the 75th minute for tactical reasons. Wales were second best throughout most of the game but he stood out clearly as one of the best players on the pitch, and barely put a foot wrong. James also put up some impressive numbers with two key passes, two accurate crosses, five out of seven ground duels won and three fouls won in total, of which two drew a yellow card for the opponent (Stats from Sofa score).

His pace, dribbling abilities and crossing were Wales’ biggest threat throughout the game and whenever they created something it almost always seemed to come through him. He could have easily had an assist early on after beating his full back wide of the box and whipping in a delightful ball to Cardiff striker Kieffer Moore, who forced one of the best saves of the night from the Swiss goalkeeper. He had several other dangerous looking crosses go into the box throughout the match and the Swiss found it difficult to deal with his speed and dynamism.

In the space of a minute or so halfway through the first half, James showcased both his defensive quality as well as his danger going forward. As Switzerland broke into a dangerous position on the counter, James tracked all the way back to his own box to potentially stop a Swiss goal, and then a moment later showed great quality and pace on the counter running from his own half to drive into the final third and force swiss defender Fabian Schar to commit a foul on the edge of the box, of which got the Newcastle center back a yellow card. One of a number of impressive moments throughout the match.

Overall Wales manager Rob Page should be extremely happy with James’ performance and we’ll hope it continues going into the red dragons’ match against Turkey on Wednesday. Dylan Levitt was also in the squad, but remained on the bench.

Marcus Rashford - England vs Croatia (By Josh Coleman)

In England's opening game against Croatia, England took all 3 points, winning 1-0 thanks to a Raheem Sterling finish.

As for United players, we only saw Marcus Rashford get minutes from United. Coming on for Foden in the 71st minute at 1-0 up, Rashford was unable to make a significant impact on events, due to Croatia holding the majority of the ball in the final 20 minutes in search of an equaliser. Despite this the signs were promising, looking quick and sharp on the ball, there is definitely more to come from him in this tournament.

United's Luke Shaw was unlucky to miss out on any minutes today, with Trippier starting ahead of him. Similarly, Dean Henderson saw Jordan Pickford start over him. Harry Maguire also missed out due to his injury.

Scott Mctominay - Scotland vs Czech Republic (By Tom Cole)

Scott McTominay had a mixed game as Scotland fell to a 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic. It was a fairly tight game, the only difference being the Czech striker Schick taking his chances including a wonderful goal from just past the half way line.

The game began in a very physical way and this is where McTominay thrives. He did well to use his body on several occasions playing in the 5-man Scottish midfield, unfortunately this control did not lead to Scotland creating many chances. Scott eventually decided to take matters into his own hands and began to drive into the final third, and on another day may have been awarded a penalty after colliding with a defender in the box when trying to reach the ball first.

In the second half McTominay was moved into the back three for Scotland as they made attacking subs to chase the game. Scott again performed well but by this point the Czech players weren’t making too many chances as they were focussed on keeping Scotland out at the other end. One chance did fall to McTominay after a set piece, but this was a difficult volley to keep down and could only be put down as a half chance. It was from a tough angle and the box was full of players, so he was not expected to score.

When Scotland were pushing in the final ten minutes of the game, the ball fell to Scott a number of times, but he could not find the passing range that we have seen in a United shirt this season. As he was trying to get involved with the attacks more and more he ended up losing his opposite number a couple of times and the Czech Republic really should have scored more with the counter-attacking chances they had in the final part of the game.

Overall it could not be suggested that Scott McTominay was the reason Scotland started the Euros poorly, he did his specific job in the midfield well in the first half and pushed the team forward when they needed to put on the pressure. There is no doubt he will start the England game, but he will be hoping the strikers in front of him have their shooting boots on come Friday’s match.

Victor Lindelof - Sweden Vs Spain (By Josh Coleman)

In an incredibly one sided affair, we saw United centre-back Victor Lindelof start in a tough group E match against Spain. Lindelof played all 90 minutes plus added time, playing a vital role in seeing the game through to a 0-0 draw despite Spanish dominance throughout.

With 85% possession, Spain had complete dominance over the game and looked sure to eventually score a goal. However, while Olsen in goal will rightly get most of the credit with several fantastic saves, Lindelof's organisation of the defence and efforts at the back shouldn't go unnoticed. Lindelof wasn't dribbled past once and didn't commit a single foul throughout the game. He also blocked two shots, as well as a vital headed clearance in the final stages of the match. This then resulted in Victor Lindelof getting awarded Man of the Match after the game.

A positive start for Victor Lindelof and Sweden, successfully holding out in what were seemingly endless waves of Spanish attacks. It will definitely be worth keeping an eye on Lindelof. While he has at times been blamed for the defensive shortcomings for United this season, this a very welcome performance. The leadership and defensive abilities shown to not crack under pressure and to organise a back line, would be excellent to see in a United shirt if he can continue this form into the 21/22 season.

David De Gea was an unused substitute in this game, missing out to Unai Simón in goal.

Bruno Fernandes - Portugal vs Hungary (By Dara O'Brien)

In Tuesday’s Group F matchup between Portugal and Hungary, we saw Bruno Fernandes play 87 minutes before coming off, with Portugal enjoying a comfortable lead. In a game Portugal generally controlled from start to finish, Bruno stood out as one of the best players on the pitch. He was playing in a role that was perhaps unexpected, filling in as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, rather than Portugal’s usual 4-3-3.

Similarly to when playing for United, Bruno was playing very high up the pitch, practically playing as a second striker, allowing for Cristiano Ronaldo to drift into wider areas.

Bruno barely put a foot wrong, and was central to nearly everything that Portugal excelled in. His best moment in the first half came in the 42nd minute, when he crossed an inch-perfect ball into the box, which Cristiano Ronaldo was surprisingly unable to convert. As I have already mentioned, Bruno was one of the finest players on the pitch, with an 87% pass accuracy, creating 3 chances, 2 big chances, 12 passes into the box and 0.60 xAssists. He also played a crucial part in Portugal’s first goal, playing winger Rafa in behind, which led to the ball being deflected into the back of the net.

(Stats from StatmanDave)

Overall, it was a fantastic performance from Bruno Fernandes, one that Portugal manager Fernando Santos will no doubt be delighted with. It leaves us in no doubt that if Portugal are to go far in this tournament, Bruno will play a crucial part in doing so.

Paul Pogba - France vs Germany (By @Elitesolskjaer)

Overall performance

Paul Pogba finally started his euros against Germany; The United Midfielder ran the France Midfield alongside N’Golo Kante. The first half was excellent, with him using his strength to quickly guide the ball through the German midfield like they weren’t there. He did the dirty work in the French defence and often tracked back to get the ball after losing possession. His passes were on point with pinpoint balls to both wings and the striker upfront; he played a significant role in the first goal when he passed it into Lucas Hernandez, who then played the ball across in which Hummels put it in for an own goal, this was an excellent ball from Paul. One us united fans see with Rashford and Cavani when he plays for us. He could have scored himself when he got on the end of a corner and just put it over the bar. The goal would have topped his fine performance off. Paul was bitten on the stroke of halftime by Antonio Rüdiger, who bit him on the shirt but wasn’t seen by VAR.

In the second half, he dropped back more and defended the French lead but played a great ball into Mbappe, who scored but was ruled to be offside. Overall I thought Pogba had an outstanding performance in both defence and attack.

Stats

The stats prove that Paul had a fantastic game. In the attack, Pogba had an eighty-two per cent pass accuracy and seventy-four touches, and three were in the box. He had three successful take ones and had one shot. Defensively, he made twelve ball recoveries and three interceptions. He won fifteen ground duels and five of his aerial duels. Impressively, he wasn't dribbled past once. His passing accuracy was seventy-seven per cent in his box and eighty-six per cent in Germany’s box (Stats from Statman Dave and Sofa Score).

The team's performance

The French controlled most of this game and made their early dominance count with the goal; they had the ball in the net again, but it was ruled out correctly for offside. Kante had a world-class performance in midfield alongside Pogba, with them running the game. Another player who impressed me was Raphael Varane, a leader at the back for Les Bleues. Overall, manager Didier Deschamps should be happy with his teams opening game performance and win and especially Paul Pogba.