Euro 2024 Match Day 4 June 17, 2024
By Gerald Lutchman
France 1 vs Austria 0
FRANCE got all the points but were unconvincing in their game against Austria. France needed an own goal by the defender Maximillian Woeber in the 38 minutes in order to secure the win having fallen flat in most of the counter attacks.
France were outplayed by Austria in the middle and depended mainly on their speed in counter attacks to try and score.
Both teams only had three shots each on target but Austria dominated possession with 58%.
Kylian Mbappe was injured and he was subbed off in the 90th minute and received a yellow card for returning to the field without the official’s consent. His injury occurred in the 86th minute when he
caught the shoulder of the Austrian defender Kevin Danso. He left with a bloodied nose and many concerns of his fitness for the next clash.
Belgium 0 vs Slovakia 1
Slovakia defeated Belgium in the first major upset of the tournament. Ivan Schranz’s 7th minute strike sealed a huge upset, as well as two disallowed Belgian goals. Romelu Lukaku twice had the ball in the net but VAR denied both. Belgium, ranked third in the world, were beaten by the 48th ranked team.
Belgium’s goal scoring issues have resurfaced and they have now gone four and a half hours at major events without a goal. Belgium will next play Romania and hope to win to try to move on in the tournament.
Romania 3 vs Ukraine 0
Romania had the biggest ever victory in a European championship with a comfortable and confident win over Ukraine in Munich. They played a counter attacking game and it paid off with three goals for three points. Nicolae Stanciu (29th) opened the scoring and gave Romania the lead. Ravin Murin (53rd) added a second and Denis Dragus (57th) completed the route for Romania. This places them in first place in the group.
Romania were unbeaten in qualifying and this was their first win in Euros since 2000 when they beat England 3-2 in the group stage.
Tuesday will see the last of the first round of games and the big question will be answered – will Cristiano Ronaldo be benched?
June 18, 2024 games:
Turkiye vs Georgia 12 noon Signal Iduna Park
Portugal vs Czechia 3 pm Red Bull Arena
