What Have Been the Standout Performances of the EURO’s So Far?

The 2024 European Championships are well under way in Germany. There have been some fantastic performances in the group stages of the competition, with some teams and players causing a shock. There have also been teams and players that have performed below expectations, and we will look at them below.

Best Team

Portugal have perhaps been the most impressive team to date at Euro 2024. Drawn in a group with Czech Republic, Turkey, and Georgia, the Portuguese booked their place in the round of 16 before playing their final fixture in the group. In fact, Portugal are going to finish top of the group, regardless of the results in the final group games. They have been good to watch in attack and have played some of the best football in the tournament. Portugal will play against a third-place team in the round of 16, giving them a great chance to reach the quarterfinal. As a result, the odds have shortened for Portugal to win the tournament.

Spain have also looked impressive and booked their place in as winners of Group B having played only 2 games. The Spanish comfortably defeated 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia 3-0 and followed that with a good 1-0 win over Italy. Group B looked tough to call before a ball was kicked but Spain have shown their quality to dominate proceedings. The hosts, Germany, have also performed well in-front of their own fans. They slipped up a little in their final group match, drawing 1-1 with Switzerland but Germany had already booked their place in the round of 16. So, in terms of the teams, Portugal, Spain, and Germany have been the standout performers of the Euros so far.

Betting on the Tournament

You can use any of the best crypto betting sites to have a bet on Euro 2024. France are currently leading the way in the betting on 19/5, with Spain at 22/5, and Germany on offer at 89/20. You can also get 14/1 for a France vs Germany final. Of the teams who have progressed at the time of writing, Switzerland are the outsiders priced at 50/1 which is interesting considering they meet Italy in the round of 16, who have failed to impress. Switching to the potential golden boot winner, Harry Kane (13/2) and Kylian Mbappe (9/1) lead the way, followed by Jamal Musiala (10/1), Niclas Fullkrug (16/1), and Alvaro Morata (16/1).

Best Players

At the time of writing, there are four players on 2 goals each in the tournament and they are Georges Mikautadze, Niclas Füllkrug, Jamal Musiala, and Ivan Schranz. Of those four names, Musiala has been the standout player, having played superbly in the first two group games of the tournament. Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed himself for Portugal despite failing to get on the scoresheet himself, with Christian Eriksen and Kevin De Bruyne also shining for Denmark and Belgium, respectively. Defensively, William Saliba has looked superb at the back for France and helped them to clean sheets against Austria and Netherlands. Saliba’s passing has been excellent, giving him one of the highest pass percentage competition rates (97.3%) of any player in the tournament.

Surprises

Austria, despite their 1-0 defeat against France, have looked excellent and their energy across the pitch has been relentless. Switzerland did well to take a point off Germany in their final group game to qualify in second place in Group A on 5 points. Romania have also done well, beating Ukraine 3-0, and creating some good chances to score against Belgium despite the 2-0 defeat. In terms of players, Spain’s Fabian Ruiz has emerged as one of the best central midfielders in the initial stages of the competition and his teammate, Marc Cucurella, has also been excellent.

Disappointments

There have been many successes at Euro 2024 but also a few disappointments. England have been one of the major disappointments in many people’s eyes despite amassing 4 points from their opening two matches. Phil Foden has not come close to showing the form he has produced in the Premier League for Manchester City. Croatia, who have been excellent in recent major tournaments have been poor, especially defensively, with Luka Modric struggling to control games from central midfield. Poland and Scotland have both been disappointing, with the Poles eliminated from the competition after only two games. England and Croatia could still come good, but time has run out for Poland and Scotland.

Published by Patrick Jane
26.06.2024