We have our Euro 2024 finalists. Spain and England came from behind in their respective semi-finals to claim 2-1 wins over France and the Netherlands to book their place in Sunday’s showdown clash in Berlin. Both games were fairly tight, edgy and, as a result, with the exception of two standout performers for La Roja, players struggled to really catch the eye. But who did enough to land themselves a spot in the FotMob XI across the semi-finals and why?
By Sam McGuire
Goalkeeper: Bart Verbruggen
The 21-year-old was beaten in the very last minute by a stunning Ollie Watkins strike that arrowed right into the bottom corner. Everything about the finish was perfect and that is why the Brighton shot-stopper hasn’t been criticised. He was the highest-performing goalkeeper across the two mid-week matches having made two saves while completing almost 80% of his passes. His use of the ball was a huge positive for the Dutch with the goalkeeper helping his side play out from the back on multiple occasions.
Right-Back: Jules Koundé
The Barcelona full-back made his way into the FotMob XI once again. Koundé has gone under the radar at this tournament, perhaps due to the fact France have struggled to really impose themselves at Euro 2024. They failed to live up to the pre-competition hype. But the 25-year-old has quietly gone about his business and he did exactly that in the loss to Spain. He completed 76% of his passes and 100% of his dribbles. He won all three of his tackles, recovered the ball on six occasions and was only dribbled past once. Koundé also won 10 of his 16 duels, doing a fairly decent job up against Nico Williams.
Centre-Back: Kyle Walker
Walker, deployed on the right-side of a back three, was solid enough for the Three Lions in their comeback victory over the Netherlands. For starters, he finished with a pass success rate of 93%. He also finished with a 100% dribble success rate, albeit he only attempted one. The Manchester City man won all of his tackles and 67% of his duels. The England No. 2 did fairly well up against an in-form Cody Gakpo.
Centre-Back: Virgil Van Dijk
Van Dijk put in a big performance for the Dutch in their defeat to England. The Liverpool skipper completed 92% of his attempted passes, he made six clearances and recovered the ball on three occasions. The 33-year-old won 100% of his ground duels and 50% of his aerial duels in what was a fairly dominant showing. Van Dijk also tested Jordan Pickford late on in the second half and will probably be disappointed not to have done better with the attempt on the England goal.
Left-Back: Marc Cucurella
Eyebrows were raised when Luis de la Fuente named Cucurella in his squad. It was an even bigger surprise to see the Chelsea full-back in the starting XI in place of the in-form Álex Grimaldo, but the decision to go with the former Brighton man has been an inspired one. He’s been a key cog in the Spain team and the 25-year-old did another solid job for La Roja against France. He was positive and accurate in possession, completing 85% of his passes and 80% of his long passes. He won 100% of his tackles, three of his five ground duels and made four ball recoveries.
Midfield: Lamine Yamal
What can you say about Yamal?
A 16-year-old should not be doing what he is doing in men’s football. He scored one of the goals of the tournament to level things up for Spain after picking the ball up on the right, cutting inside and curling an effort past Mike Maignan from distance. He also carved out two chances and was heavily involved without the ball, winning five of nine duels.
Not many manage it, but Yamal eclipsed Kylian Mbappé on Tuesday evening and it wasn’t even close.
Midfield: Dani Olmo
Olmo was only starting due to an injury to Pedri but, just as he has done throughout the competition, he made a huge difference for Spain. The RB Leipzig man scored what turned out to be the winner after a brilliant piece of skill to latch onto a William Saliba clearance before dancing past opponents and rifling an effort into the bottom corner, albeit there was a deflection off of Koundé. He also completed 85% of his passes and completed two of his three dribbles to cap off a fine display in the heart of the midfield for Espana.
Midfield: Xavi Simons
What a goal by the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder. Simons reminded everyone exactly why he’s one of the most in-demand players in Europe this summer with a sensational strike to open the scoring in the game between the Netherlands and England. The 21-year-old bounced Declan Rice out of the way before firing an effort beyond Pickford and into the top corner from 20-yards out. The Dutch No. 7 also created one chance in Dortmund last night and could’ve perhaps won the game late on when he mistimed a half-volley. Still, it was a good showing, with and without the ball, as the former on-loan RB Leipzig man won five of his seven ground duels and two of his three attempted tackles.
Attack: Harry Kane
Kane wasn’t heavily involved for England but he certainly made it count when he was. The skipper won a controversial penalty and scored from the spot to level things up for the Three Lions. He landed both of his efforts on target and created an opportunity. The Bayern Munich hitman also completed 72% of his passes in what was a well-rounded, old-school centre-forward’s display. It won’t make his personal highlight reel but what he did was so important for the team.
Attack: Randal Kolo Muani
Kolo Muani scored his first goal of the tournament to get France off to a flyer in their semi-final clash with Spain. He expertly guided a header into the corner after a fine Mbappé cross. He was neat and tidy in possession, completing 75% of his passes, but France really did struggle to get him as involved as they perhaps would’ve liked. Still, he did enough to justify his inclusion and vindicate Didier Deschamps’ faith in him.
Attack: Álvaro Morata
The Spain skipper grafted without the ball and led by example in the comeback victory over France. He involved himself in 15 duels, recovered the ball on three occasions and won 100% of his tackles. He also assisted a goal, all while completing 89% of his attempted passes in what was a selfless display. He wasn’t as much of a threat as he might’ve wanted to be but he ensured Spain remained active in the final third. So, he took one for the team and it paid off.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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