EURO 2024 Roundup, Matchday 8
Here is a recap of the games that took place in Matchday 8 of EURO 2024, highlighting unexpected outcomes and standout individual performances.
Slovakia 1-2 Ukraine
Ukraine overcame a one-goal deficit to secure a 2-1 victory against Slovakia, moving ahead of their opponents to claim the second spot in Group E of Euro 2024 in Düsseldorf. In their first-ever encounter at a major tournament, Slovakia faced Ukraine with hopes of building on their surprising win against Belgium. On the other hand, Sergiy Rebrov’s team aimed to erase the memory of their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Group E leaders Romania. The match started as expected, with Lukáš Haraslín and Ivan Schranz both having good attempts on goal, only to be thwarted by excellent saves from Anatoliy Trubin. Despite these early threats, Ukraine fell behind when Haraslín’s cross was met by Schranz for a headed goal.
Slovakia had a moment of distraction that allowed Oleksandr Tymchyk a good opportunity to score, but Martin Dúbravka’s save kept the score at 1-0 until halftime. Shortly after the break, Ukraine equalized through Mykola Shaparenko, and then took the lead with a goal from Roman Yaremchuk. Slovakia couldn’t respond, and Ukraine secured a crucial victory. Slovakia now needs to avoid losing to Romania to improve their chances of advancing to the Round of 16.
Poland 1-3 Austria
Austria secured their first win at UEFA Euro 2024 by defeating Poland 3-1 in Berlin. Despite a valiant effort in their initial loss to France, Austria knew they couldn’t afford another defeat if they wanted to advance. They continued their strong performance from the France match, taking the lead with a goal from Gernot Trauner. However, like in their previous game, Austria couldn’t keep a clean sheet, as Poland equalized through Krzysztof Piątek.
Austria struggled to regain their momentum after Poland’s equalizer, but their strong team performance allowed them to take the lead back shortly after the hour mark. Christoph Baumgartner scored with a well-executed team play, deceiving Szczęsny before slotting the ball into the net. The game was sealed with a penalty kick ten minutes later, as Marcel Sabitzer drew a foul from Szczęsny, resulting in Marko Arnautović confidently converting the spot kick. This victory kept Austria’s chances of advancing alive, while it damages Poland’s hopes.
Netherlands 0-0 France
The Netherlands’ winning streak of four matches in European Championship group games came to a stop they were held to a 0-0 draw by France in Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena. The Dutch team had a strong start and almost scored early on when Jeremie Frimpong’s shot was saved by Mike Maignan. France, despite their recent dominance in head-to-head matches, struggled to respond and missed a clear chance when Antoine Griezmann failed to score from close range. The game then settled into a more balanced rhythm, leading to a goalless first half and increasing the pressure on both teams to score.
Stefan de Vrij made a defensive mistake that almost allowed France to score, as his failed attempt at an offside trap kept Marcus Thuram onside. However, Thuram missed the chance by shooting over the bar. Despite French pressure on Bart Verburggen’s goal, Aurélien Tchouaméni missed a close-range header, and Griezmann also failed to score from inside the six-yard box. The first goal of the match came from Xavi Simons, but it was disallowed due to an offside call on Denzel Dumfries. The game ended in a goalless draw, the first between the two nations since 2004. The result leaves Group D wide open, with France having a chance to secure the top spot by facing Poland in the final match.
