08:03 AM
Maximum suspense in group E of the Euro Cup, with Belgium, Ukraine, Slovakia and Romania tied at three points before the outcome, at the end of the first phase, which closes with the Czech Republic-Turkey and Georgia-Portugal duels of the F .
Eleven qualified for the round of 16 and five places to be granted before the last day of the group stage, in which the three games in E and F are completed.
The matches corresponding to group E will be played from 11:00 am, Colombia time, and can be seen in the country through Espn; while the group F games will take place from 2:00 in the afternoon and will also have a television signal on Espn.
In an unprecedented event, four countries reach the third and final day with the same points. The final fight in the E will be decided on the one hand in Stuttgart, where the Red Devils led by Kevin De Bruyne and Ukraine, moved by his fans. At the same time in Frankfurt, Slovakia versus Romania.
The Blues of Kylian Mbappé They will wait in front of the television to find out the identity of their rival, the team that will be second, with whom they will face on July 1st in Düsseldorf in the round of 16.
The four teams will look for first place knowing that second place may not be the most advisable.
Not only does it mean playing against the world runners-up in the round of 16, but also falling into the part of the draw that also includes Germany, Portugal and Spain, waiting for a rival for the last two.
Germany, the host, already knows that it will play in the round of 16 against Denmark.
Lukaku’s curse
Belgium will try to get the best scorer in its history, Romelu Lukaku (85 goals in 117 games), he broke his curse, with two goals disallowed by the VAR in the initial defeat on the first day against Slovakia (1-0) and a third against Romania (2-0 win).
“He is a very important player for us, he creates many chances, with many spaces. If he continues like this, I am sure that he will score many goals,” the defender defended him this week. Arthur Theate.
The 31-year-old striker set a new European record with 14 goals in qualifying, but has not scored in the final phase of a competition, Euro Cup or World Cup, since the previous European tournament, in 2021.
In the other match they will face Frankfurt two teams seeking their second participation in the round of 16: Romania was in 2000 and Slovakia in 2016.
Cristiano Ronaldo starter
In group F there is less suspense: Portugal has already made sure to advance as first.
Georgia, a newcomer to the competition, will only progress to the knockout stage if they pull off a major upset against the Portuguese team in Gelsenkirchen.
“We hope to win and that Ronaldo gives me his shirt,” smiled Georgia’s star forward, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, about what would be the perfect night against his idol.
The 23-year-old Napoli winger will meet the CR7 legend on the pitch, who will be the starter, as announced by Roberto Martínez, as well as the number one goalkeeper. Diogo Costa.
The coach will not introduce “a revolution” in his starting eleven. “It will be a competitive team that wants to win,” added the Spanish coach.
On Georgia’s part, its coach, Frenchman Willy Sagnol, will try to give “more power and freshness” to his eleven.
His cash is much more limited than the Portuguese, but the former Les Bleus defender does not lose hope. “If there is even a small chance of qualifying, rest assured that my players will give it their all,” he added.
Second place in group F has a good chance of remaining in the hands of Türkiye. The team led by the Italian Vincenzo Montella must, to retain it, not lose to the Czech Republic.
