The opening group-stage matches at the Euro Championship provided some eye-popping score lines and a couple of crucial upsets.
With two opportunities remaining for each team to accrue points and potentially escape their respective groups, here are some overreactions and some not-so-overreactions from the first match week.
Overreaction: France will struggle to escape Group D with an injured Kylian Mbappe
While the French themselves didn't score a goal against Austria, they still came out with the win and three points thanks to an own-goal from Maximilian Wober. However, their star striker Kylian Mbappe broke his nose in the second half, and according to insider Fabrizio Romano, he will have to wear a mask for the remainder of the tournament.
Didier Deschamps: “Yes, Kylian Mbappé has probably broken his nose”,
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 17, 2024
told TF1.
In that case, Mbappé would wear a mask for the rest of the Euros. pic.twitter.com/5dLrACmpNS
Despite that development and a relatively lackluster performance, the French should not have any further troubles securing at least another point from each of their final two matches, which should be more than enough to qualify for the knockouts.
Not an overreaction: Romania could win Group E over Belgium
Romelu Lukaku did put a couple of balls into the back of the net against Slovakia, but they didn't count because he was offside, and it cost his side three points in what became the biggest upset in Euro history.
THE LARGEST UPSET IN EUROS HISTORY
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2024
Slovakia fans will always remember this one ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VoO1uVkdyn
Romania thrashed a decent Ukrainian side 3-0 and shouldn't have the same trouble as Belgium did against Slovakia.
It will be their head-to-head matchup June 22 with Belgium that will decide the group. Anything but a loss for Romania should clinch qualification to the knockouts.
Not an overreaction: Croatia's championship window is closed
Just like Belgium, the Croatians are on the downslope of their global football dominance. After a 3-0 spanking by a revamped Spanish side, 38-year-old star Luka Modric will need to regroup with his teammates to overcome defending champions Italy and an Albanian side that proved to be anything but a pushover if they want to escape Group B.
Morata ⚽️
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 15, 2024
Fabián Ruiz ⚽️
Carvajal ⚽️
Relive all three of Spain's goals vs Croatia ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9JgRlfJbnN
Overreaction: England's tactics could cost them the title
Despite defeating a strong Serbian side 1-0, England manager Gareth Southgate's experimental tactics still produced a stressful, lackluster performance from his side. Tasking natural defender Trent Alexander-Arnold with sharing midfield duties with Declan Rice resulted in defensive holes and a lack of creativity in scoring chances.
While they should have no issue getting out of Group C, they could have major issues against the top squads in the knockouts. Southgate will adjust accordingly.
One thing is for certain: The next eight days of European soccer will be nothing short of dramatic, and that's all before the elimination rounds kick off.
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