We round up a madcap night of action in Matchday 3, as the group stage ended with a glut of goals and one Cristiano Ronaldo topping the Fantasy scoring charts.
SWEDEN 3-2 POLAND
- Goals: Emil Forsberg (€7.7m) x2 | Robert Lewandowski (€11.5m) x2
- Assists: Dejan Kulusevski (€7.0m) | Piotr Zielinski (€7.0m), Przemyslaw Frankowski (€6.0m)
Robert Lewandowski (€11.5m) went out of EURO 2020 on a Fantasy high, bagging a brace as Poland were knocked out by Sweden.
The Bayern Munich star did manage to hit the crossbar after 17 minutes with an open goal from yards out but more than made up for that huge miss with two classic finishes.
“We have been unlucky at this tournament. We had many chances to score but did not convert enough of them. And our rivals sometimes had half a chance and they scored. Me too — those two headers (one after the other) hit the crossbar.” – Robert Lewandowski
Emil Forsberg (€7.7m) also notched twice in this tie, offering a mid-priced option for managers willing to back Sweden for more goals in the knockout stages.
“He’s a bit calmer as a person. He’s said himself that he feels more harmonious and he’s been better on the pitch. He’s always been good with the national team and it’s great he can be the decisive factor for us.” – Sweden coach Janne Andersson on Forsberg
The return of Dejan Kulusevski (€7.0m), who emerged as a substitute following a Covid-19 absence, may aid the Swedes in that mission against Ukraine in the last 16. The Juventus attacker grabbed the assist for Sweden’s second and third goals.
“I think opponents think we’re difficult to play against, and that’s how it should be. Poland are a great football nation, and they have a world-class player who showed his brilliance on a few occasions. I’m really happy we managed to handle that situation and win the game. Overall, we defended well. Poland’s first goal was a fantastic piece of individual skill. He’s [Lewandowski] a skilful player – probably the best striker in the world right now – and he scored twice. We’re a little disappointed with that but we scored three.” – Andersson
Sweden XI (4-4-2): Olsen; Augustinsson, Danielson, Lindelof, Lustig (Krafth 68′); Forsberg (Claesson 78′), Olsson, Ekdal, S Larsson; Isak (Berg 68′), Quaison (Kulusevski 54′).
Poland XI (3-4-2-1): Szczesny; Bednarek, Glik, Bereszynski; Puchacz (Frankowski 45′), Klich (Kozlowski 73′), Krychowiak (Placheta 78′), Jozwiak (Swierczok 61′); Zielinski, Swiderski; Lewandowski.
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Forsberg certainly found his shooting boots against Poland, finding himself with a goalscoring opportunity every 15.4 minutes. The Swedish attacker was level with Lewandowski for total attempts (5) and shots on target (2).
SLOVAKIA 0-5 SPAIN
- Goals: Pablo Sarabia (€6.5m), Aymeric Laporte (€6.1m), Ferran Torres (€8.0m)
- Own goals: Martin Dubravka (€5.0m), Juraj Kucka (€6.0m)
- Assists: Sarabia x2, Jordi Alba (€6.1m), Gerard Moreno (€6.6m), Pau Torres (€4.6m)
- Penalty won: Koke (€7.0m)
- Penalty missed: Alvaro Morata (€9.1m)
- Penalty saved: Dubravka
Pablo Sarabia (€6.5m) was the star of the Fantasy show as Spain demolished Slovakia.
The winger, who was selected ahead of Ferran Torres (€8.0m) and Dani Olmo (€7.0m), scored and bagged two assists in a 14-point performance.
One assist was slightly fortuitous, as Martin Dubravka bizarrely touched the ball into his own net after Sarabia hit the crossbar.
The mid-priced midfielder will be on plenty of shopping lists ahead of the Round of 16, with Spain facing Croatia on Monday in Copehagen.
“We produced a 20 minute purple patch of huge intensity. For my goal Jordi (Alba) picked me out beautifully. I guess the goal brings me confidence. We’ve broken this blight of not taking our chances – but still we know that playing Croatia will be tough.” – Pablo Sarabia
The man whose goal he assisted, Ferran Torres, may struggle to oust Sarabia considering the latter’s vibrancy in attack – admittedly against inferior opposition.
Gerard Moreno (€6.6) picked up an assist for an Aymeric Laporte (€6.1m) header, while Alvaro Morata (€9.1) saw Dubravka save his early penalty.
“The atmosphere was superb and we now can’t wait for the next match. I warned everyone that when the cork was out of the bottle, the champagne would flow and that’s what happened here. But we have things to improve, for sure.” – Luis Enrique
Slovakia XI (4-4-1-1): Dubravka; Hubocan, Skriniar, Satka, Pekarik; Mak (Weiss 69′), Hromada (Lobotka 45′), Kucka, Haraslin (Suslov 69′); Hamsik (Benes 90′); Duda (Duris 45′).
Spain XI (4-3-3): Simon; Alba, Laporte, Garcia (P Torres 71′), Azpilicueta (Oyarzabal 76′); Pedri, Busquets (Thiago 71′), Koke; Moreno (Traoré 76′), Morata (F Torres 65′), Sarabia.
JUST EAT’S KEY TAKEAWAYS
Tuck into some tournament data in association with Just Eat, partners of UEFA EURO 2020 and your first stop for home delivery meals.
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Sarabia had 14 more touches in the final third than any other player on show in this tie. He was also level with Morata for total attempts, while creating one big chance.
PORTUGAL 2-2 FRANCE
- Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (€12.2m) x2 | Karim Benzema (€10.0m) x2
- Assists: Paul Pogba (€8.5m)
- Penalties won: Danilo Pereira (€5.5m) | Kylian Mbappé (€12.0m)
- Penalties conceded: Hugo Lloris (€6.1m) | Nelson Semedo (€5.1m)
Cristiano Ronaldo (€12.2m) made it 29 points from three matches as he tucked away two penalties against France.
The Portuguese superstar also won the second spot-kick, though no points were awarded for that as it came via handball. He will now take on a creaky Belgium defence in the round of 16.
Bruno Fernandes (€10.5m), meanwhile, was dropped for this clash as his Fantasy appeal in the EURO 2020 game continues to diminish.
“What I really liked was the team’s collective behaviour. When I was asked what we had to do that was different from the game against Germany and I said it was to be like ourselves. We were strong, consistent, with a great spirit. We can continue to improve. In the second half we didn’t start well but we regrouped.” – Portugal coach Fernando Santos
Karim Benzema (€10.0m) bagged one half of his brace from the penalty spot, while slotting home the other after a brilliant Paul Pogba (€8.5m) pass.
France now face Switzerland in the first round of the knockout stages. With the cheaper Benzema confirmed as first-choice penalty taker, his appeal over Kylian Mbappé (€12.0m) and Antoine Griezmann (€11.1m) is heightened.
Portugal XI (): Patricio; Guerreiro, Dias, Pepe, Semedo; Sanches, Danilo Pereira (Joao Palhinha 45′), Moutinho; Jota, Ronaldo, B Silva.
France XI (): Lloris; Hernandez (Digne 45′, Rabiot 51′), Kimpembe, Varane, Koundé; Kanté, Pogba; Mbappé, Griezmann, Tolisso; Benzema.
JUST EAT’S KEY TAKEAWAYS
Tuck into some tournament data in association with Just Eat, partners of UEFA EURO 2020 and your first stop for home delivery meals.
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Along with his two penalties, Ronaldo fired off three other attempts inside the box to finish the match as the game’s top shooter.
GERMANY 2-2 HUNGARY
- Goals: Kai Havertz (€9.1m), Leon Goretzka (€6.4m) | Adam Szalai, Andras Schafer
- Assists: Mats Hummels (€5.0m) | Roland Sallai, Ad Szalai
Germany left it late in Munich to confirm a last-16 meeting with England, as a Leon Goretzka strike saw Joachim Low’s team sneak out of Group F.
From a Fantasy perspective, selecting German assets is made difficult by England’s mean defence and the abundance of options available to Low.
Having struggled to break Hungary down for large parts of the game, a raft of second-half changes helped Germany to work a late equaliser.
For example, Kai Havertz (€9.1m) was taken off immediately after nodding in Germany’s first equaliser from point-blank range.
While Low has more or less used the same XI in each group game, it would be no surprise to see changes next week. Players such as Joshua Kimmich (€6.2m) and Robin Gosens (€5.2m) remain solid options, depending on how you feel Germany will fare out against Gareth Southgate’s side.
Germany XI (3-4-3): Neuer; Rudiger, Hummels, Ginter (Volland 82′); Gosens (Musiala 82′), Kroos, Gundogan (Goretzka 58′), Kimmich; Sané, Havertz (Werner 67′); Gnabry (Muller 68′).
Hungary XI (5-3-2): Gulacsi; Fiola (Nikolic 88′), At Slazai, Orban, Botka, Nego; Schafer, Nagy, Kleinheisler (Lovrencsics 88′); Sallai (Schon 75′), Ad Slazai (Varga 82′).
JUST EAT’S KEY TAKEAWAYS
Tuck into some tournament data in association with Just Eat, partners of UEFA EURO 2020 and your first stop for home delivery meals.
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While Germany got all but one of their shots off inside the penalty area, they hit the target just six times; indicative of their inability to break down a stubborn Hungary defence.
Our Euro 2020 Fantasy coverage
BEST PLAYERS
Group A: Turkey | Italy | Wales | Switzerland
Group B: Denmark | Finland | Belgium | Russia
Group C: Netherlands | Ukraine | Austria | North Macedonia
Group D: England | Croatia | Scotland | Czech Republic
Group E: Spain | Sweden | Poland | Slovakia
Group F: Hungary | Portugal | France | Germany
BY POSITION: Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards
2 years, 9 months ago
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