North Macedonia 0-3 Netherlands
- Goals: Georginio Wijnaldum (2) (€8.0m), Memphis Depay (€10.0m)
- Assists: Memphis Depay (2), Donyell Malan (€6.0m)
The Netherlands had already clinched the top spot in Group C before this afternoon’s emphatic victory sent them through to the Round of 16 with all nine points.
Striker Memphis Depay finally delivered the haul that many Fantasy managers had been hoping for since the beginning of the tournament with a 24th minute goal set up by Donyell Malan, making his first start of EURO 2020, and then second-half assists for both of captain Georginio Wijnaldum’s clinical strikes just before the hour.
North Macedonia battled hard throughout and went close on occasion, notably from a free header for Arijen Ademi in the first half, but, despite having found the scoresheet in their previous two games, they were unable to manage a third to give legendary forward Goran Pandev anything from this game except the commemorative shirt for his 122nd and final cap presented to him by the Netherlands before kick-off and the guard of honour from his team-mates as he was substituted in the 69th minute.
Many owners were delighted to see Denzel Dumfries start the game against a North Macedonia side that had already conceded five times and he was a fine point-blank save away from adding to his attacking returns so far, but he was withdrawn for a rest at half-time in a match the Dutch needed nothing from, leaving many fantasy managers looking anxiously at their benches to replace his one-pointer.
Netherlands (3-5-2): Stekelenburg; Dumfries (Berguis 46′), De Vrij (Timber 46′), De Ligt, Blind, Van Aanholt; De Jong (Gakpo 79′), Wijnaldum, Gravenberch; Depay (Weghorst 66′), Malen (Promes 66′)
North Macedonia (4-2-3-1): Dimitrievski; Ristovski, Velkovski, Musliu, Alioski; Ademi (Nikolov 79′), Bardhi (Stojanovksi 78′); Trajkovski (Hasani 68′), Elmas, Tricovski (Churlinov 56′); Pandev (Kostadinov 69′)
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Memphis Depay was rewarded by the fine finishing of Wijnaldum with an assist for both of his chances created, even though only one was rated a big chance.
His young strike partner Donyell Malan set Depay himself up in the first half, but Malan was unlucky not to emerge from the game with considerably more than five fantasy points as he set up three big chances and made four altogether in just 66 minutes on the pitch at a rate of a chance every 17 minutes.
If he can keep his starting berth for the Round of 16 tie against a third-place finisher Malan could provide great differential value in this attacking Dutch side and maybe even get a goal or two himself. Wout Weghorst (€7.0m) will have a fight on his hands to get his place back.
Ukraine 0-1 Austria
- Goals: Christoph Baumgartner (€7.0m)
- Assists: David Alaba (€5.5m)
Ukraine raised themselves in the second period and went looking for the goal that could have put them through automatically to the knockout stages, but they couldn’t erase the damage done by their lacklustre and somewhat disjointed showing in the first half where they went behind to Christoph Baumgartner’s stretching finish from a David Alaba corner.
The Austrian goal scorer was to last only another few minutes before requiring substitution due to showing signs of concussion symptoms, but his country, who seemed to surprise even their own press and supporters with a vibrant performance missing from some recent games, always had enough to prevent the Ukrainians from taking back the second place in the group they had held before kick-off and should probably have won by a wider margin.
Just before half-time Baumgartner’s replacement, Alessandro Schöpf (€6.5m), presented Marko Arnautovic, starting for the first time in EURO 2020, with a chance to put clear blue water between Austria and their opponents, but instead he buried his face in the turf after somehow steering his shot wide.
18 points from his first two matches had persuaded more than 10% of value-seeking fantasy managers to find a place for midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko (€8.5m) against a defence widely seen as fragile, but neither he nor forward Roman Yaremchuk (€7.1m), who was almost as popular, could find more than scraps to work with.
The Austrians, who only days ago were celebrating their first ever win at a European Championship finals, now travel to Wembley on Saturday evening to face Italy while Ukraine must wait anxiously to see if three points will be enough to go through as one of the better third placed teams.
Ukraine (4-3-2-1): Bushchan; Mykolenko (Besedin 85′), Matviyenko, Zabarnyi, Karavayev; Zinchenko, Sydorchuk, Shaparenko (Marlos 68′); Malinovskiy (Tsygankov 46′), Yaremchuk; Yarmolenko
Austria (4-3-2-1): Bachmann; Lainer, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Alaba; Schlager, Laimer (Ilsanker 72′), Grillitsch; Baumgartner (Schöpf 33′), Sabitzer; Arnautovic (Kalajdzic 90′)
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Match-winner Christoph Baumgartner (number 19 above) scored the only goal of the game from a corner delivered by set-piece maestro David Alaba, (number 8), but when Alessandro Schöpf (number 18) came on for Baumgartner just after the half hour he took up a position equivalent to Alaba on the right flank.
From there Schöpf delivered as many opportunities to add to that goal as Alaba at an equivalent rate, including the pass for Arnautovic that should have clinched the game before the break.
Austria showed in this one that, when they have to attack, they can up the pace and still make quality chances. Italy’s defence is undeniably fearsome, but they’ll be playing away from Rome for the first time in the tournament, they were a shanked volley from an unmarked Gareth Bale away from conceding to Wales and every nation usually has at least one bad game in a major championship. If Saturday is that day for Italy, Alaba and Schöpf have shown they could be the ones to spring the surprise, especially if Arnautovic, so often a pinpoint marksman, can find his touch.
Finland 0-2 Belgium
- Goal: Romelu Lukaku (€11.1m)
- Own Goal: Lukáš Hrádecký (€4.2m)
- Assists: Kevin De Bruyne (€10.5m), Thomas Vermaelen (€5.0m)
Half-time had come and gone and it was looking increasingly as if Finland would defy Belgium once again as they have so often over the years when the Red Devils benefitted from a stroke of luck that finally breached Finnish defences and allowed them finally to confirm top spot in Group B.
A Thomas Vermaelen header hit the post, but the rebound struck goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký’s hand and, despite his best efforts to claw it away, he could not prevent the ball from crossing the line. It was a very fortunate way for Belgium to maintain their record of scoring in all of their last 33 games, a run stretching back to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.
Romelu Lukaku, favoured before the match to benefit greatly from the kind of elite assistance provided by Kevin De Bruyne who was starting for the first time in EURO 2020, had already had the ball in the net, setting off a couple of minutes worth of chanting in Copenhagen in the process, but VAR eventually ruled that he had stepped very slightly offside.
He made no mistake when Kevin De Bruyne presented him with the chance to make the game safe in the 81st minute, rifling home a low right-footed shot. This was De Bruyne’s third goal involvement since coming on as a substitute in Match Day 2.
Belgium’s reward is a night in Seville on Sunday facing one of the third place finishers. Lukaku and De Bruyne will doubtless be cornerstone choices for many fantasy managers, though Eden Hazard (€10.0m) showed signs of being back to near his best. Thomas Meunier‘s many owners may be considering safer alternatives after Belgium negotiated their passage with Meunier on the bench and Brighton’s Leandro Trossard (€6.5m) wide on the right.
Belgium: (3-4-2-1) Courtois; Vermaelen, Denayer, Boyata; Chadli, De Bruyne (Vanaken 90+1′), Witsel, Trossard (Meunier 75′); Doku (Batshuayi 76′), Lukaku (Benteke 84′), Eden Hazard
Finland: (5-3-2) Hradecky; O’Shaughnessy, Arajuuri, Toivio; Uronen (Alho 70′), Kamara, Lod (Forss 90+1′), Sparv (Schüller 59′), Raitala; Pukki (Jensen 90+1′), Pohjanpalo (Kauko 70′)
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Romelu Lukaku’s more than 50% ownership will have been delighted that he finally produced the goal his attacking work on the night had merited, having been denied by half a boot’s width from earlier opening the scoring. There’s little doubt that he is in great form and that his rapport with Kevin De Bruyne is as strong as ever.
However, what may have gone unnoticed, as he did not register a goal nor an assist in the victory, is that Eden Hazard produced underlying numbers indicative of a role as a second striker.
He lasted the full 90 minutes and not only did he match Lukaku for total attempts on goal, with three coming inside the box, but he also managed seven touches in the area.
De Bruyne did the heavy lifting in midfield, creating two big chances amongst seven opportunities in all, but Hazard, who is classified as a €10.0m midfielder, looks like he could provide out-of-position forward value against an opponent in Seville on Sunday night that will have only finished third in their group.
Russia 1-4 Denmark
- Goals: Mikkel Damsgaard (€6.0m), Yussuf Poulsen (€8.0m), Joakim Mæhle (€4.5m), Andreas Christensen (€5.5m), Artem Dzyuba (€8.5m)
- Assists: Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (2) (€5.5m)
- Penalty Won: Aleksandr Sobolev (€6.0m)
- Penalty Conceded: Jannik Vestergaard (€5.0m)
Russia came to Copenhagen to try to hang on to second place in the group and for most of the first half it looked like they might manage it, stifling the Danes even as the hosts strove for the win and the goals that could take them through automatically if Finland lost in St Petersburg.
Finally, in the 38th minute, a Pierre-Emile Højbjerg pass found 20 year-old Sampdoria protégé Mikkel Damsgaard who drove home a fiercely dipping opener from just outside the box to put the Danes on their way.
A horrendously careless backpass allowed striker Yussuf Poulsen to stroll in for Denmark’s second, but a mis-timed challenge from Jannik Vestergaard on Aleksandr Sobolev allowed Russia’s totemic captain Artem Dzyuba to pull one back from the spot.
Far from being put out of their stride, Denmark poured forward in waves, buoyed by news of Belgian goals and looking for some more of their own to snatch second place outright. Andreas Christensen put the game itself beyond doubt with a rasping 25 yard drive and popular Fantasy defensive choice Joakim Mæhle sealed qualification. Højbjerg set him free in the inside-left channel before the full-back switched the ball onto his right and drove crisply home from inches inside the area for the strike that sent Danish fans delirious and their country to an appointment with Wales in Amsterdam for the opening Round of 16 match on Saturday
Russia (3-4-3): Safonov; Diveev, Dzhikiya, Kudryashov (Karavaev 67′); Mario Fernandes, Ozdoev (Zhemaletdinov 62′), Zobnin, Kuzyaev (Mukhin 67′); Miranchuk (Sobolev 61′), Dzyuba, Golovin.
Denmark (3-4-3): Schmeichel; Christensen, Kjaer, Vestergaard; Wass (tryger Larsen 60′), Hojbjerg, Delaney (Jensen 86′), Maehle; Braithwaite (Cornelius 85′), Poulsen (Dolberg 60′), Damsgaard (Nørgaard 72′)
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Looking at the Goal Threat table for Denmark’s eventually resounding win over Russia one thing leaps out immediately. ALL their players who had two shots in the box, and there are FOUR of them, are listed as defenders in UEFA EURO 2020 fantasy.
Andreas Christensen actually scored from a ‘bonus’ attempt outside the box, and netted an extra point for his owners in the process. Joakim Mæhle was a few centimetres from joining him as his driving run took him a step inside the area before he let fly with his ‘wrong’ foot to bring up the first team score of more than four goals at these EUROs.
Simon Kjaer, who was much-heralded before the finals as a potential differential defender because of his knack of finding the net, seems to have plenty of attacking company in his country’s rearguard and followers of Southampton will know how comprehensively Jannik Vestergaard can also head home a set-piece.
Denmark’s reward for their buccaneering exploits against Russia is their first away tie of the Championship, in Amsterdam against Wales. Robert Page’s side showed against Italy just how obdurate they can be against a wave of attacks, even with ten men, but their undoing was a free-kick and they had one of the worst records in the qualifiers against dead-balls in general of any team that progressed to the finals.
Those who didn’t already know a couple of weeks ago about Maehle’s marauding talents will be well aware of them now, but don’t sleep on Christensen. At €5.5m he’s more expensive than his colleagues, but he might just be beginning to show why that’s still a good investment on the national knockout stage.
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