Euro Cup 2020: Major highlights so far!
Euro Cup 2020 Highlights | Image source: istockphoto.com
The Euro Cup 2020 is at a very exciting stage as group fixtures are going to end, and the Round of 16 is set to begin. Top teams like Belgium, Italy, England, and Holland have qualified for the Round of 16, but the fate of Portugal, Spain, and Germany is yet to be sealed.
There have been quite a few surprises so far. For example, not many people expected Italy and the Netherlands to perform as well as they have in the group stage. On the other hand, England and France are yet to explode, given the kind of talent they have.
At Fun88, we think the time is right for us to talk about the major highlights of the Euro Cup so far. Read on as we bring the latest analysis, best betting odds, and a lot of action for soccer punters.
Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands have already qualified for the Round of 16 of the Euro Cup
Meet the qualifiers! | Image source: UEFA Euro 2020 Twitter
Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands have emerged as the winners of their respective groups. As expected, Belgium won all three matches comfortably. With superb players like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, they can come back from any situation, which they showed in the match against Denmark when they were 0-1 down initially but later went on to win 2-1. No wonder they are one of the favourites to win the Euro Cup in 2020.
Similarly, Italy has advanced to the Round of 16 by winning all three matches. Roberto Mancini’s side beat Turkey and Switzerland by 3-0. Italy has gone more than 1,000 minutes without conceding a goal, which speaks volumes of their defence. That said, the team has superb attack and midfield players as well.
Before the start of the tournament, many commentators weren’t sure of the Netherlands. The team had not been performing up to the mark. But, Holland has proven the sceptics wrong by winning all group matches and reaching the Round of 16. The Oranje won comfortably against Austria and North Macedonia, but Ukraine gave them a tough fight. However, Holland won against Ukraine, too, by 3-2. Will Holland surprise soccer lovers and punters in the next rounds as well? Well, let’s wait and watch.
Denmark, Wales, and Austria, too, have qualified for the next round
The feeling of victory! | Image source: Indian Express
Having finished as runner-ups in their groups, Denmark, Wales, and Austria have also qualified for the Round of 16. No team so far has had an emotional roller-coaster ride like Denmark in the Euro Cup. In their match against Finland, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed as he suffered a heart attack. Denmark lost back-to-back games to Finland and Belgium. But, the Danes beat Russia 4-1, which helped them qualify to the Round of 16.
Like Denmark, Wales, too, have qualified by winning only one of their group matches. Wales beat Turkey 2-0 but lost their Italy match 0-1. Interestingly, Wales drew their match against Switzerland 1-1 and had a better goal difference than Switzerland, which helped them qualify.
Compared to Denmark and Wales, Austria has reached the Round of 16 rather comfortably by winning two group matches. Austria beat Ukraine 1-0 and North Macedonia 3-1. However, they lost to the Netherlands by 2-0.
France have underperformed in the Euro Cup
The weakest performers at the UEFA Euro Cup 2020 | Image source: UEFA.com
France, the 2018 World Cup winners, didn’t live up to the expectations at all. Despite having players like Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba, and Karim Benzema, the French attack has not dominated in this tournament. While Benzema was still energetic on the field, some of the other top players looked like their pale shadows.
We could hardly see Mbappe and Griezmann playing the way they had played in the World Cup. Even the French defence looked weak and easily penetrable. So ineffective were some of their players that France won against Germany because of Mats Hummels own goal. Although France has reached the Round of 16, their performance has left much to be desired.
Group F (the Group of Death) is like a seesaw between talented teams
Group F UEFA Euro Cup 2020 | Image Source: UEFA.com
For a football punter, the situation in Group F can’t be more interesting. While France has qualified for the next round, Germany and Portugal are yet to do so. They have only one match left to play each. Germany and Portugal may end up as Group F winners, or they can also get eliminated.
Although Germany isn’t as good a team as they used to be, their 4-2 thrashing of the defending champions, Portugal, showed what they are capable of. While Portugal seems like a weak team in Group F, they will have the memories of their 1-0 win over Les Blues in the Euro Cup 2016 final, which should give them a lot of confidence.
Spain struggles to make it to the next round
Will Spain qualify In the UEFA finals? | Image Source: UEFA.com
Three-time Euro winners, Spain, have had an average tournament so far. La Roja has drawn both the matches they have played so far. They had a goalless draw against Sweden and a 1-1 draw against Poland. With only one match remaining against Slovakia, Spain fans are eager to see what their team does. Meanwhile, Slovakia had stunned Poland by 2-1 in their opening match, which should be a cause of concern for Spain.
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