Euro 2024 is underway and the games are coming thick and fast. In this daily feature on FotMob, which is going to run for the entirety of the tournament, here are four things you should look out for across day nine of the competition as Georgia take on Czechia, Türkiye come up against Portugal and Belgium will be looking to bounce back from their shock defeat to Slovakia as they face off against Romania.
By Sam McGuire
The entertainers
Georgia, making their first appearance at the Euros, suffered a 3-1 loss to Türkiye on Tuesday. They may have lost the game but their approach and performance certainly won over many neutrals.
They were fearless and this opened up the game completely. As a result, they carved out five big chances, the joint-most of any team across the opening round of fixtures, while also giving up the highest number of Expected Goals (three).
Having lost their first game, Georgia will be determined to get points on the board against the Czechs on Saturday and this could well see them attack with even greater numbers. This early kick-off from Hamburg could be a fun one to watch.
The Ronaldo show for Portugal
Portugal have a ridiculously talented group of players and some questioned whether Cristiano Ronaldo should’ve been included in their starting XI. Was he there on merit or simply in Roberto Martínez’s team because of his reputation?
He answered that question in the 2-1 win over the Czechia. The 39-year-old didn’t score but he was heavily involved in everything good Portugal did on Tuesday evening. Ronaldo had five shots (the joint-most in a single match across matchday one), while landing the most shots on target (three) and creating two chances for teammates.
The former Real Madrid striker was a handful and justified his place in the XI. He’ll want a goal though, so Türkiye should be wary of what is to come.
Turkish delight
Another side tipped as dark horses at this tournament, Türkiye certainly lived up to the billing during their 3-1 win against Georgia. It was pure tournament football with Vincenzo Montella’s side determined to win.
As mentioned above, they carved out five big chances, the most of any team across the opening round of fixtures while finishing with the highest Expected Goals haul (three).
Türkiye could cause Portugal a number of issues when the two sides meet in what is now a top-of-the-table clash. If Montella’s men play with the same freedom they did on Tuesday, Portugal might be in for a bit of a surprise.
A misfiring Belgium attack
Belgium huffed and puffed but could not find a way past Slovakia in what was one of the shock results of matchday one. Domenico Tedesco’s side, ranked third in the world, suffered a 1-0 loss on Monday.
They had two goals ruled out and spurned a number of chances. In fact, they carved out four big chances and missed all four. They racked up an xG total of 1.7 but couldn’t find a way past Martin Dúbravka.
Romelu Lukaku was the leading culprit on the day as he missed three big chances for the Red Devils. Belgium’s leading scorer has given Tedesco a decision to make. Does he stick with him and write it off as one bad game or does he turn to Loïs Openda? The RB Leipzig man looked bright off of the bench against Slovakia.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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