Spain and Italy qualified for the knock-out stages with markedly different performances, while Croatia and the Czech Republic played out one of the more controversial draws in European Championship history. Here’s how Day 8 of the tournament went from dull to dramatic to emphatic.
Italy 1 Sweden 0
Italy booked their place in the last 16 with a late Eder goal against a desperately average Sweden.
The 6.5-priced striker’s run and finish, assisted by Simone Zaza (also 6.5 in the official Uefa game), was virtually the only bright spot in a drab encounter.
Sweden have now gone two full matches without recording a single attempt on target and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.0) served up another peripheral performance, to frustrate the 9% of Uefa game managers who have kept faith in him.
Italy’s second consecutive clean sheet of the tournament meant good points from their well-owned defenders and goalkeeper again, with Giorgio Chiellini (6.0) also scoring well in DraftKings courtesy of a tackle won, three interceptions and five fouls drawn.
Emanuele Giaccherini’s (5.0) goal and clean sheet in the Belgium match marked him out as a tempting Fantasy target, and his changed role against Sweden – used centrally rather than as a wing-back – should have upped his attacking potential for a player listed as a defender in the official game.
But his output – two crosses, one chance created, no attempts – was symptomatic of Italy’s cautious approach as they sought primarily to secure a point following their opening victory.
The one truly progressive player remained Antonio Candreva (7.5), who had two attempts and put in eight crosses – both match-leading figures in a contest that produced the lowest attempts’ total of the tournament – eight for Italy, four for Sweden.
Antonio Conte’s perseverance with two central forwards in Eder and Graziano Pelle is also of note. The former, with just 1% ownership heading into Saturday’s encounter, completed the 90 minutes having claimed the winner and looks a particularly tempting option for the knock-out phase as a third striker option.
The one issue surrounding Italy is how they will approach their final group match against the Republic of Ireland. Needing just a point to top the table, Conte could well rest a number of his ageing defenders as he starts to plan ahead.
Meanwhile, the Swedes still have a shot at qualification, but to do so they will need to find a guile and penetration so far utterly lacking from their play.
Czech Republic 2 Croatia 2
After the dour fare on offer in the first match of the day, Croatia versus the Czech Republic was anything but.
The Croats cruised into a two-goal lead, with classy finishes from two members of their much-vaunted midfield, Ivan Perisic (7.5) and Ivan Rakitic (7.5).
Both were influential throughout, the former (owned by just 3% of official Uefa game managers) having three attempts while the latter had match-leading figures for attempts and chances created (both five) and put in seven crosses for a superb DraftKings return.
But when Luka Modric (7.0), one of the Matchday’s most popular player with a 45% ownership figure, was withdrawn with an injury that could rule him out of their final group encounter, the match turned.
Substitute Milan Skoda (5.5) headed home a Tomas Rosicky (6.0) cross to reduce the arrears before Tomas Necid (7.0) smashed home a penalty awarded for hand ball by Domagoj Vida (5.0) in injury time – the 12th stoppage time goal of the tournament.
By then, the match had been stopped after flares were thrown onto the pitch by Croatian fans, who then fought among themselves. It was hard not to feel that the incidents contributed to the late Croatia collapse.
The result hands the Czechs a life line they barely deserved – Croatia out-shot them 17-7 and created 13 chances to just one.
Darijo Srna (6.0) was again a huge threat going forward, putting over a match-leading 11 crosses and creating two chances, while Marcelo Brozovic (6.5), so wasteful in their first match, was vastly improved, with four crosses, four chances created, one attempt and an assist to his name.
The other Croatian assist came from midfielder Milan Badelj (5.0).
Croatia should have been going into their final group match deciding whether to battle Spain for top spot or rest players for the Round of 16.
Now they could conceivably finish third – a prospect which should at least ensure that Ante ÄŒaÄić will take few chances with his line-up.
The Czechs will take a huge amount from their great escape, and a win against Turkey should see them through to the knock-out stage, a prospect that seemed beyond them before Croatian madness descended both on and off the pitch.
Spain 3 Turkey 0
In a tournament where strikers have struggled to make their mark, Alavaro Morata (8.5) bucked the trend with two goals as Spain dismantled Turkey with an ease that suggests that Vicente Del Bosque’s men are capable of retaining their crown.
Morata registered with a fine header from Nolito’s cross and was later given a tap-in by Jordi Alba (7.0) to complete the scoring and cement his place in both the Spain side and a growing number of Uefa game squads – he currently boasts a 10% ownership.
The Juventus striker, who even managed a successful tackle to add extra value to a stellar DraftKings showing, might have grabbed the headlines, but it was Nolito (6.0) who was the stand-out performer.
He scored Spain’s second goal to go with his assist, created a match-best four chances, put in four crosses and and was second only to Morata for attempts (3). Nolito is found in just 5% of squads.
In a team of such pedigree, and for a player in such excellent form, he represents tremendous value for the long term.
Alba justified his status as the official game’s most expensive defender with a second clean sheet and a major attacking contribution down the left flank, putting in three times the crosses that his teammate Juanfran (5.5) managed from the right.
Thanks to the vagaries of a 24-team tournament, twice-beaten Turkey could still qualify for the knock-out stages, but their chances are slim when faced with a resurgent Czech Republic and their players offer little Fantasy value.
The same cannot be said for Spain’s many assets.
They might be rested for the final group match with Croatia, but any number of Spanish players could provide excellent returns for the long haul, with Nolito and Morata particularly well priced.
