EURO 2024 Roundup, Matchday 7
Here is a summary of the matches that occurred during Matchday 7 of EURO 2024, focusing on surprising results and exceptional individual displays.
Slovenia 1-1 Serbia
Luka Jović scored a late equalizer for Serbia against Slovenia at the Allianz Arena in Munich, securing a 1-1 draw and keeping their chances of advancing to the knockout stages of the UEFA European Championship alive. Slovenia had a slight advantage having already earned a point. Serbia struggled to create chances until just before the half-hour mark when Dušan Vlahović’s header was saved by Jan Oblak. Slovenia had the best opportunity of the first half when Timi Max Elšnik hit the post and Benjamin Šeško missed the rebound. Despite a late push from Serbia, including a close-range effort from Aleksandar Mitrović saved by Oblak, the first half ended goalless, only the second such instance in the tournament so far.
Following the restart, Mitrović and captain Dušan Tadić combined well, but Oblak once again prevented Mitrović from scoring. This match at Euro 2024 set a record for the longest time without a goal, but Žan Karničnik changed that by scoring in the 68th minute. Despite Serbia’s attempts to equalize, including Mitrović hitting the crossbar, it seemed they would leave empty-handed. However, in stoppage time, Jović scored from Ivan Ilić’s corner, securing a dramatic victory for Serbia. The team will now face Denmark with renewed optimism, while Slovenia, who have two points, will play against England.
Denmark 1-1 England
England missed their first chance to advance to the knockout stage of the 2024 UEFA European Championship after delivering a lackluster performance in a 1-1 draw with Denmark in Frankfurt. This result means that everything is still up for grabs in their final group match. England started strong against Denmark, with Kyle Walker setting up Harry Kane for a goal in just 18 minutes. However, they couldn’t capitalize on Kane’s goal and were eventually punished by Morten Hjulmand’s powerful long-range strike in the 34th minute.
After a disappointing end to the first half, England responded positively at the start of the second period. Trent Alexander-Arnold made a brilliant long pass to find Bukayo Saka, who narrowly missed scoring with a header. Despite these promising moments, Gareth Southgate made some substitutions, bringing in Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, and Ollie Watkins. Watkins quickly got involved, creating a chance with a pass from Bellingham that forced Schmeichel to make a save. The match ended in a draw, leaving England at the top of the group ahead of their final game against Slovenia, while Denmark remained in second place with two points.
Spain 1-0 Italy
Spain secured their spot in the knockout rounds of the 2024 UEFA European Championship ahead of schedule by defeating Italy 1-0 in their 11th meeting at a major tournament. Despite previous eliminations by Italy in Euro 2016 and Euro 2020, Spain demonstrated their evolution as a team. Spain dominated possession early on, creating scoring opportunities such as Pedri’s header that was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Italy struggled to match Spain’s pace, with Nico Williams missing a clear chance to score. As the first half progressed, Italy attempted to counterattack, but Spain remained in control, with Álvaro Morata and Fabián Ruiz testing Donnarumma with shots on goal.
Pedri replicated another miss by sending his 12-yard shot wide at the start of the second half. Spain then scored through an own goal by Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori after 55 minutes, a goal that was well-deserved. The Spanish team displayed shades of their past success with their fluid passing, leaving the Italian team struggling to keep up. Italy only managed to breach Spain’s defense in the final 10 minutes, but it was too little, too late for them as they now face a crucial final group stage match against Croatia. Spain, on the other hand, are silencing their critics and seem to be in top form as they prepare for their upcoming game against Albania.
