The home team Germany has officially become the first team to participate in the knockout round of EURO 2024, but will definitely still have to fight in the final round to compete for the top spot.
Jamal Musiala and Ilkay Gündogan both brought victory to the German team. (Source: PA)ZaloFacebookTwitterPrintCopy link
In the second match of Group A of EURO 2024, host Germany defeated Team Hungary 2-0 at the MHPArena (Stuttgart) thanks to their continued impressive play.
To the utter delight of the supporters, captain İlkay Gündoğan had an outstanding day as he made his mark on both of Germany’s goals.
In the 22nd minute, İlkay Gündoğan gave it his all in the ball battle with Willi Orbán. He then delivered a reverse pass that allowed Jamal Musiala to score a strong shot and give Germany the lead.
The Barcelona midfielder then completed his ideal day with a flawless finish in the 67th minute, capping a 2-0 victory following a ball from Maximilian Mittelstädt.
With two games played, Coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad gained six absolute points (goal differential +6), which allowed them to formally advance to the first round of the knockout competition.
Captain İlkay Gündoğan played impressively to contribute greatly to helping Germany quickly secure a ticket to the knockout round. (Source: AP)
Although Switzerland was ranked higher, they shockingly allowed Scotland to draw 1-1 at RheinEnergieSTADION in the final Group A encounter.
In the thirteenth minute, Scott McTominay’s strike deflected off the foot of a Swiss player and found the back of the net, leaving goalkeeper Yann Sommer stranded. Scotland had taken the lead.
But Scotland’s happiness was short-lived as Xherdan Shaqiri’s incredible goal cut the lead to 1-1 for Switzerland in precisely 13 minutes. This is the match’s ultimate outcome as well.
The Swiss Team can only go to the next round with 4 points, having only won a draw. However, they have a very good chance of making it to the knockout stage.
Should Switzerland surprise everyone by defeating the home team, Germany, in the group’s last game, they still have a chance to lead Group A.
The squad that places first in Group A in that match will travel with numerous advantages, while the second team will have a difficult 1/8 round.
The first team in group A will play the second team in group C, which includes teams from England, Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia, based on the bracket.
The runner-up in Group B, who can be either Spain or the reigning champions Italy, will play the second-place finisher in Group A.
This would definitely heighten the tension during Germany vs. Switzerland at Waldstadion (Frankfurt) rather than allowing the pillars to relax after reaching the objective of qualifying for the next round.
In the meantime, Scotland, with one point, will also have an opportunity to move forward if they prevail in their “life and death” match against Hungary.
The 12 teams that place first and second in each of the six groups will advance to the next round, along with the four third-place teams with the best records, according the rules set forth by the organizing committee.
The match between Scotland and Hungary will take place at MHPArena Stadium (Stuttgart) on June 23 (Vietnam time) and both teams are very hungry for victory.
Croatia drew in a dramatic draw with Albania at EURO 2024. (Photo: THX/TTXVN)
Meanwhile, in Group B, Croatia and Albania created an exciting chase before ending with a 2-2 draw at Volksparkstadion.
Albania continued to get off to an impressive start with a goal in the 12th minute from Qazim Laçi, but could not defend their achievement.
In the second half, Croatia played explosively and scored two goals in a few minutes thanks to Andrej Kramarić and an own goal by Gjasula.
The drama heightened when Klaus Gjasula redeemed himself with a goal in stoppage time to help Albania draw 2-2 against Croatia.
With this result, Croatia and Albania have the first points to hopefully advance, but the challenge for both ahead is huge. Croatia will face Italy while Albania faces Spain.