EURO 2024 Group Stage Review

As the group stage of EURO 2024 comes to a close, we've witnessed an exciting display of performances, both from standout players and surprising teams. In this review, we'll dive into some of the best players, games, disappointments, surprises, and goals from the group stage in Germany.

Best players so far

Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia)

His performance against the Czech Republic, in which he made nine saves, was the standout goalkeeping display of the tournament to date. He's made a total of 21 saves throughout the tournament, keeping Georgia in the match in important moments.

Fabián Ruiz (Spain)

Ruiz shone in Spain’s opening two fixtures, particularly against Croatia, where his midfield mastery saw him score, assist, and claim UEFA’s Man of the Match award. His average rating was an outstanding 8.34 over the two matches he played. In those matches, he registered 139 total passes, of which 130 were accurate.

Toni Kroos (Germany)

Kroos was nearly perfect in Germany’s opener, completing 101 out of 102 passes. His stellar play has laid a solid foundation for Ilkay Gündogan to excel further up the pitch. In total, the midfield maestro has created 6 big chances, made 323 accurate passes, and had an average rating of 7.6 over the three group-stage matches.

Marc Guéhi (England)

Guéhi has been a revelation in England's defence, showing calmness and assurance at centre-half. Despite England’s uninspiring start, Guéhi's performances have been a bright spot. England's defence has only conceded 1 goal, with Guéhi racking up 2 interceptions, 6 clearances, and 2 blocked shots.

Georges Mikautadze (Georgia)

The 23-year-old forward carried his excellent club form into EURO 2024, scoring in all three of Georgia’s group games and helping his team reach the last 16 for the first time ever.

Best games of the group phase

Germany (5) - (1) Scotland

The opening match set a high bar for sheer drama and atmosphere. Germany kicked off their home tournament with a stunning performance against a Scotland side that many expected to put up a fight.

The quality of the goals was top-notch, and Germany's relentless drive was epitomised by Emre Can's fifth goal in the 93rd minute, making it a great start to the Group Stage.

Netherlands (2) - (3) Austria

Austria triumphed over the Dutch with a masterfully executed modern game plan. By overloading a mostly man-marking midfield, they gained a significant upper hand in possession, and their precise execution proved to be the key to victory. Although the Dutch had some promising offensive transitions, they still have work to do.

Austria topped Group D thanks to France's 1-1 draw with Poland in the other match. Both France and the Netherlands were already assured of progress due to results in other games.

Biggest disappointments

Steve Clarke & Scotland

It's impossible not to feel sorry for the Tartan Army. The best fans at the tournament had to follow the worst team. Scotland’s defensive and uninspired approach led to a disappointing group-stage exit. Despite their passionate fans, Scotland managed only 17 shots in three games, the joint-fewest in group stage history.

Not even in their final fixture, which they had to win, did the Scots start attacking until 10 minutes to go. Even worse, for the second time in three games, they failed to even attempt a shot in the first half.

England

Despite winning their group, England’s performances have been underwhelming. Fans are growing frustrated with Gareth Southgate’s defensive tactics, and the team's uninspiring play has faced widespread criticism.

England have arguably played well for only about 20 minutes across three games. In a way, it's impressive that Southgate has managed to get a squad packed with so much talent performing so poorly. However, as seen after the Slovenia draw, there's a very real risk of this campaign turning toxic.

Of course, all it takes is a single burst of brilliance to ignite the team, and England certainly have game-changers. But if the Three Lions don't improve, starting with this weekend's last-16 tie against Slovakia, they could be heading home far earlier than expected.

Biggest surprises

Georgia

Nobody gave Georgia much hope of reaching the knockout stage at Euro 2024. There were even understandable doubts about whether the tournament debutants would pick up a point in Group F.

However, after spirited displays against both Turkey and the Czech Republic, Georgia stunned the world by upsetting Portugal in Gelsenkirchen to set up a last-16 showdown with Spain. They'll be underdogs again against Spain, one of the best teams we've seen in Germany so far, but that won't bother them in the slightest. Before the tournament began, Georgia looked like its weakest team. As it turns out, they're actually one of the best to watch.

N'Golo Kante

France's campaign isn't going according to plan at all, with Les Bleus ending up on the wrong side of the draw after two underwhelming group-stage draws. Didier Deschamps' selections are facing increasing scrutiny, but his decision to recall N'Golo Kante has already proven to be a masterstroke.

The midfielder hadn't played for his country in two years before being surprisingly named in France's squad for EURO 2024. Deschamps had to explain why he was willing to put his faith in an injury-prone player now playing in Saudi Arabia.

The coach insisted that Kante had "regained all of his physical capabilities," and he's been proven 100 per cent correct. The 33-year-old has been Les Bleus' best player in Germany, already collecting two Player of the Match awards!

Austria

Rangnick's redemption has been one of the stories of EURO 2024. His fantastic Austria side has proven themselves by topping the toughest group in the tournament and doing so with a wonderfully positive and dynamic brand of football. If they can continue playing with the same kind of energy that allows them to press teams into submission, Rangnick's Austria has every chance of reaching the European Championship quarterfinals for the first time in the country's history.

Goals

The top scorer at Euro 2024 so far? The much-feared own goal, and by a wide margin!

Georges Mikautadze is the only player to have scored three times in the group stage, while Golden Boot favourites Kylian Mbappé and Harry Kane have each netted only once, and Cristiano Ronaldo is still waiting to get off the mark.

However, we've already seen seven own goals, each with varying degrees of comic quality. The bottom line is that the all-time record of 11 own goals at a single European Championship is now seriously threatened.

On the plus side, 14 goals were scored from outside the box during the group stage, meaning the Euro 2020 tally of 19 could be surpassed before the quarter-finals.

Who are the favourites for the final now?

Now, here's a conundrum. The best three teams so far have been Germany, Spain, and Portugal, but they all find themselves in the same half of the draw, along with France. This sets up a brutal series of matchups in which some of the tournament's top contenders will inevitably knock each other out before the final.

In stark contrast, England has been the most disappointing performer of the tournament so far, struggling to find their form and facing growing criticism for their play. Despite this, they have an easier path forward. If they can get their act together, England's most likely quarter-final opponent would be Italy. While historically strong, Italy needs to be more consistent in this tournament. In the semi-final, they would most likely face the Netherlands or Austria, and they got the lucky draw as well.

This favourable draw gives England and the Netherlands a golden opportunity to advance far, provided they can capitalise on it and overcome their current struggles. If they manage to improve their performances, starting with their upcoming last-16 tie, they could find themselves in the finals despite their early setbacks. This contrast in the draw dynamics means the tournament remains wide open and full of surprises, with the potential for dramatic twists and turns as the knockout stages unfold.