Group F sprang into life on Monday with two shock results as hotly-tipped Austria were left humiliated by Hungary, while Iceland rode their luck to claim a 1-1 draw with a frustrated Portugal.
Austria 0 Hungary 2
Hungary pulled off the first surprise of the European Championships against a well-fancied Austria side who failed to live up to their pre-tournament hype.
Austria weren’t helped by the dismissal of defender Alekandar Dragovic for a debatable second yellow card, but Bernd Storck’s men were well worth their win courtesy of a dynamic second half performance.
Ádám Szalai was an unlikely first goal scorer. The Hanover striker, who is priced at 6.5 in the official Uefa game, hadn’t found the net in 41 matches for club and country, but made no mistake when put through by Laszlo Kleinheisler.
Budget midfielder Zoltan Stieber (5.0) then secured the points with a deft finish on the break. Another budget offering in the official Uefa game, former Watford forward Tamas Priskin (5.5) provided the assist.
Both Szalai and Kleinheisler were willing outlets throughout, recording three attempts apiece, while Balazs Dzsudzsak confirmed his status as Hungary’s main man, putting in a match-leading eight crosses, creating three chances and having two attempts himself.
At 6.5 in the official game, he still looks Hungary’s most likely points scorer despite his opening blank.
Austria’s threat, as expected, came from midfielder David Alaba (7.0).
His six goal attempts, including a shot that hit the post in the first minute, was the joint-highest of the tournament up to that point, and he also created a match-high four chances. Just over 18% voted for the Bayern Munich star in our captaincy poll, but he might well struggle to exert such an influence on the match against Portugal.
Austria’s top scorer in qualifying, Marc Janko (7.5), started after recovering from a neck injury, only to be starved of service and subbed off in the second half before Dragovic saw red and Hungary took full advantage.
That dismissal creates a headache for the 3% of managers who have the 5.0-priced defender in their Uefa game squads as he will miss the Portugal match. Watford’s Sebastien Prodl (4.5) is his likely deputy as he featured in seven qualifiers, although Tottenham’s Kevin Wimmer (5.0) is another possibility.
Hungary could secure their passage into the knock-out stages against Iceland, and their key players now look viable differential options, at least in the short-term. Going into Matchday 2 of the official Uefa game no Hungary player had an ownership of more than 1%.
Meanwhile, our pre-tournament confidence in Austria and their Fantasy assets has suffered a significant dent.
Portugal 1 Iceland 1
Birkir Bjarnason (6.5)’s composed finish gained a point for an Iceland team outgunned but never broken by a Portugal side that had 26 goal attempts compared to their opponent’s four.
Portugal’s star man Cristiano Ronaldo was particular profligate, with just one of his ten goal attempts hitting the target.
Nani (7.5), who was playing up front alongside Ronaldo, was far more accurate. His goal from an Andre Gomes (5.0) pass was one of three shots on target out of five attempts.
It was left to Portugal’s defence to provide further threat. Vieirinha (6.5) – used as a defender but listed as a midfielder in the official Uefa game – and his fellow full-back Raphael Guerreiro (4.0) put over 12 and eight crosses respectively for good DraftKings returns.
If the latter keeps his place, he has the potential to be a major budget enabler in the official Uefa game. His 3% ownership figures might not stay low for long.
Iceland’s smash and grab point revolved around midfielder Bjarnason’s goal, scored very much against the run of play from a cross by forward Berg Gudmondsson (6.0). It proved an exceptionally busy night for goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson, who made a tournament-high eight saves.
The 2%-owned Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson (8.0) had a great chance to open the scoring early in the match and fired in four attempts, three of which were on target.
With potentially their toughest match behind them, Iceland will approach the rest of their group campaign with some relish and Sigurdsson will surely remain their best chance for goals.
As for Portugal, their defence might well struggle against more ambitious opponents, and they will have to find a measure of ruthlessness up front if they are to truly convince.
An emphatic 65% backed Ronaldo in Day 5’s captaincy poll and the official Uefa game’s most expensive asset at 12.0 is owned by 41% of all managers. In a group that could spring more surprises yet, that is a luxury many might find they can ill afford.
