Group D of Euro-2024 had its definition this Tuesday, and it was a real roller coaster, with three teams taking turns to reach the round of 16, with Austria, the team with the least poster, being the unexpected leader of the key.
The Austrians, along with the Netherlands and France, had secured tickets for the next phase before their matches, but the order in which they would conclude was not defined and, therefore, they did not know their pairings in the round of 16 either.
Austria beat the Netherlands 3-2 and finished with six points, while their opponents were left with four. In the other game, France and Poland tied 1-1, with the French having five points to one for their opponents.
Two realities were seen in this key, Austria went from least to most, while the Dutch and French took the route from greatest to least, leaving doubts in their tactical positioning.
The Austrian coach, the German Ralf Rangnick, left two of his main references on the bench: Konrad Laimer and Christoph Baumgartner, a strategy that gave him positive dividends, although he later introduced them on the field in the 63rd minute.
France is starting to cause concern because, despite its power and solidity in all positions, it has not yet unleashed its full offensive potential. It has been a team of moments, time that is enough for it to score and then defend with a defense that has fulfilled its role. In the round of 16 it must show its best version, if it wants to stay alive in Germany.
ENGLAND IS LEFT WITHOUT FOOTBALL
If the matches in group d were a “cachumbambé”, the two matches in section c went through a plain in which there was no presence of goals, since both England-Slovenia and Denmark-Serbia ended with pale 0-0 .
These results caused the English to finish as leaders with five points, while the Danes and Slovenes were in second and third place, in that order, with three points, enough to get into the second round.
The image of the English has been disastrous. A team full of stars, but his technical direction does not allow them to play offensively. The Three Lions eleven retains the ball a lot, but does not look for quick associations or passes between the lines. They are destined to fall by the wayside as soon as they come across another European giant.
Bravo for Slovenia. Nobody gave a euro for them to reach the second round. Their midfield has sacrificed and closed the spaces very well, along with the defense, to get a 0-0 that tastes like glory.
CANADA CONFIRMS ITS PROMOTION
Canada’s qualification for the last World Cup was not a fortuitous event. In the current Copa América they have just won their first 1-0 victory, against the experienced Peru.
Although the South Americans showed better football in the first half, the scoring did not open until the Inca eleven suffered the expulsion of Miguel Araujo (59′). After that mishap, the Americans got a second wind and managed to control the development of the game, a situation that Jonathan David took advantage of (74′) to score the winning goal.
Peru put historical figures on the field, but their push was not enough, and they were left with one point after two games. Their next duel will be with Argentina, while Canada will face Chile.
