Euro 2024 updates: Netherlands sputter; Austria turn on style

Euro 2024 is underway! Our daily files give you the latest reporting from around the tournament as well as betting lines, what to watch for and best reads.

Check in with ESPN throughout the tournament as we bring you the latest from Germany all the way up to the final July 14.

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The lead: Netherlands blow chance as Austria turn on the style

BERLIN — Netherlands haven’t won a Euros knockout game for 20 years, and the thousands of Oranje fans who streamed out of Berlin’s Olympiastadion after watching the 3-2 defeat to Austria won’t have much hope of breaking the streak in Germany.

Ronald Koeman’s side were already guaranteed a place in the round of 16 before kickoff, so you can argue that the result doesn’t mean much at all. Except it does. Not only was it an opportunity to see what this Netherlands team are and where they rank among the tournament contenders, it was also a chance to finish top of Group D and make things easier when the knockout rounds begin.

Instead, they finished third to set up a potential meeting with England at the weekend. That Euros knockout win might have to wait another four years. Meanwhile, It’s the biggest compliment to Austria that no one will want to face them for the remainder of this tournament.

Victory over Netherlands — fully deserved and not as tight as the scoreline suggested — earned top spot in the group thanks to France’s draw with Poland and cemented their place as the team everyone wants to avoid.

Ralf Rangnick has taken a team at a low ebb after missing out qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and turned them into an energised, aggressive machine.

There was a feeling of disenchantment among Austrian fans after the last World Cup qualifying campaign, but not anymore. The sea of red shirts inside the stadium bounced and shouted “ole” every time another pass found its target.

Their team took risks — some more measured than others — but on the whole they paid off. To their credit, they bounced back from conceding two Netherlands equalisers and kept pushing forward. Only Germany have scored more than their six goals at the tournament and never before have an Austrian team scored as many in a Euros group stage.

They play with a sense of confidence and purpose that’s also mirrored on the bench. Netherlands might have been sure of their place in the knockouts, but Austria weren’t.

Still, Rangnick decided to drop four of his starters — including Bayern Munich midfielder Konrad Laimer and one of the goal scorers in the last game against Poland, Christoph Baumgartner — to make sure they didn’t pick up another yellow card, which would have ruled them out of a potential round-of-16 clash. Apparently Rangnick knew they’d get through, and he was proved right in style. — Rob Dawson

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Sights and sounds around Euro 2024

France architects of their own downfall vs. Poland

DORTMUND — After reaching the final in three of the past four major tournaments, France have grown to be very good at managing games, scenarios, emotions and situations. Reliably ruthless, once in the lead, they don’t concede anything to the opposition. When they have a chance, they take it.

So when top spot in the group is up for grabs, you would expect them to grab it. On Tuesday, they didn’t, stumbling to a 1-1 draw with Poland.

Les Bleus created five big chances, took 16 shots and had expected goals of 2.22, yet their lone goal against the worst team of Group D came from the penalty spot. France still haven’t scored from open play in these Euros. Two goals in three games, an own goal and a penalty, when expected to score 5.71, is a worrying return.

Despite Kylian Mbappé‘s return from his broken nose, the only good news for Didier Deschamps & Co. on Tuesday, the 2018 World Cup winners were off it from the start.

The lack of intensity and coordination for most of the game was baffling. The head coach got his selections wrong (choosing Bradley Barcola to start, having Youssouf Fofana and Eduardo Camavinga enter from the bench) and Dayot Upamecano gave away a silly penalty after Mbappé scored his first goal at this European Championship (on his 23rd shot.)

Les Bleus‘ tournament so far makes for unpleasant reading: a 1-0 win, a 0-0 draw and a 1-1 draw. They will have to wake up and quickly dust themselves off if they want to go far in Germany now that they’re on the same side of the draw as Portugal, Spain, Germany and potentially Belgium.

On Tuesday, they were simply the architects of their own downfall. That’s definitely something they are not used to. — Julien Laurens

Bracket breaks for England, but can they take advantage?

COLOGNE — Just when it felt the expectation around England couldn’t get any higher, the knockout stage path for Gareth Southgate’s side suddenly looked even more inviting. At least in theory.

France were widely expected to be the Three Lions’ semifinal opponents should both teams reach the last four, but a combination of France being held 1-1 by Poland earlier on Tuesday and England winning Group C means Les Bleus go into the other half of the draw. Germany, Spain and Portugal all join France there, as far away from England as could be.

But then again, Southgate’s teams have been in this situation before.

At the 2018 World Cup they faced Tunisia, Panama, Belgium, Colombia, Sweden and Croatia. At the last Euros, it was Croatia, Scotland, Czechia, Germany, Ukraine, Denmark and Italy. And in the last World Cup: Iran, United States, Wales, Senegal and France.

The accusation often levelled at Southgate is that England lose to the first truly strong team they faced at each tournament. It is hard not to think that may happen again this summer, given they produced a third consecutive underwhelming performance of Group C, drawing 0-0 with Slovenia in Cologne, where they were booed off at half-time and full-time by their own supporters.

Southgate appeared to have a couple of pint glasses thrown in his direction when going over to acknowledge the fans at full-time, greeted by a mixture of applause and further boos.

England must wait to learn their round-of-16 opponents. European powerhouses Netherlands could be next. Italy could lie in wait at the quarterfinal stage in a repeat of the last Euro final. Nothing is easy, but the Three Lions do appear to have avoided the teams that have so far looked strongest at these finals.

The problem is, England are so far short of the level expected, despite topping the group, that improvement is surely needed against almost any opponent to extend their stay beyond Sunday’s round-of-16 match in Gelsenkirchen. — James Olley

Denmark advance, but underwhelming display exposes attacking issues

MUNICH — You have to feel for Rasmus Hojlund. After a tough first season in the Premier League with Manchester United, he must have thought he’d get some respite with Denmark for Euro 2024. But he’s up front, in a risk-averse team, and after the group stages, he’s three and zero.

Denmark’s 0-0 draw with Serbia was a dull match, lacking inspiration, and saw Serbia trying to play on the counter-attack against a team which was willing to sit back and bide its time. And all the while Hojlund grew increasingly frustrated up front. The same goes for the crowd — Serbian fans twice peppered Kasper Schmeichel’s goal with plastic beer cups, leading to the Danish keeper cleaning up on their behalf, while the match was also paused due to a pitch invader.

By the time the beer chucking started, Hojlund was on the bench, having been hauled after 58 minutes. He was kicked all over the pitch by the Serbian defence, but only had one kick in anger at the opposition goal which was saved comfortably by Predrag Rajkovic. You could see Christian Eriksen — making a record 133rd appearance for Denmark — but that linkup never really clicked. Hojlund was trying to play off the shoulder of Serbia’s defence but they marshalled him well — his best involvement providing a neat pass to Jonas Wind with his back to goal, only for Wind to slip and sky it.

In a match low on quality and attacking endeavour, you hoped Serbia’s bench, which included Dusan Vlahovic, Dusan Tadic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, would at least bring some life to the match, but, alas, no. It was a match of half-chances, two disallowed goals (one for the ball going out from a corner before coming back in, and an offside), and Serbia exiting the tournament with a performance well below the sum of their parts — their first shot on target coming in injury-time.

Denmark started with their oldest XI since 2004 — at the age of 28 years, 148 days — and they played like it. Hojlund has the ability and youthful exuberance to give this group a cutting edge as they slipped into the knockout stages, but he must be given a chance. — Tom Hamilton

Denmark, Slovenia separated by narrowest of margins

COLOGNE — There was confusion as the final whistles blew in Group C’s goalless draws between England and Slovenia, and Denmark and Serbia on Tuesday. It was clear that England had topped the group with five points, but who was second?

Denmark and Slovenia both had three points, one more than Serbia, but, on the face of it, they could not be separated. They were level on points, goal difference, goals scored and had drawn when they played each other.

In the end, it came down to who had accrued fewer yellow cards, which was Denmark, by one. If bookings had also been level, Denmark would have finished second. The determining factor then would have been their superior qualification record for the finals.

And the Danes’ reward? A last-16 meeting with hosts Germany in Dortmund.

There was a happy ending for Slovenia as well, though. They progress as one of the best ranked third-placed teams, reaching the knockout rounds of a major tournament for the first time in the nation’s history. They are likely to play Portugal or the winners of Group E, which could be Belgium. — Sam Marsden

Munich stadium getting ready for Swift

Amid the rain, Austrian folk singer Andreas Gabalier and David Hasselhoff were doing a duet on Saturday evening on roughly the same patch of turf where Michael Owen scored the first of his three goals in England’s 5-1 win over Germany in 2001. These days, the Munich Olympiastadion is reserved largely for concerts, but it was built for the 1972 Olympics and was where Bayern Munich played until 2005, while neighbours and old rivals 1860 Munich were also frequent tenants.

Those memories are cast into a small museum recognising the sporting past. It has boots worn by Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Muller and Michael Ballack, and a brief montage shows a glimpse of David Beckham from that 2001 match, amid a flurry of German footballing nostalgia.

They will shut the stadium next year to completely renovate the electrics and infrastructure — it has just one air-conditioning generator for the entire 68,000-capacity ground — while the VIP suites are dated to say the least. They reckon 1860 Munich may return there in a few years while their Grunwalder Stadion is being updated, but for now, it’s a place of sporting memories and instead a large-scale music venue.

The old athletics track still pokes through — they held the 2022 European Championships there — but it’s a tired old place, the small Olympic torch just another reminder of its past. Instead, you’re more likely to see Coldplay or AC/DC there. Up next? Well, Munich is readying itself for Taylor Swift, who is playing the venue in late July. One of England’s finest footballing moments is in a different era for this old stadium. — Tom Hamilton

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Stat of the day

France are lucky to move on to the knockout rounds: Since 1980, the only Euro group stages in which Les Bleus failed to score more than two goals were in 2008 and 1992, the only European Championships in which France exited at the group stage. — ESPN Stats & Information

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Match previews for Wednesday

Group E: Slovakia vs. Romania (Frankfurt, Germany; 6 p.m. local / noon ET)

Odds (via ESPN BET): Slovakia +220 Draw +115 Romania +260

The curious dynamic of Group E, where all four teams sit on three points, offers up some classic game theory reading for Romania and Slovakia, who face off in Frankfurt on Wednesday. A draw would send both teams into the round of 16, regardless of what happens in the other clash between Belgium and Ukraine. Defeat however would likely mean exiting the tournament.

Given the circumstances, you expect both teams to be conservative in their approach.

Slovakia coach Ciccio Calzona has no injury concerns and has talked about helping forward Ivan Schranz, who has scored in both games thus far, continue his streak. Romania boss Edward Iordanescu could return Ianis Hagi to the starting lineup in place of Valentin Mihaila, but, otherwise, the lineup seems set.

Both camps, obviously, talk about wanting to win to secure top spot in the group. But, you imagine, both are fully aware of the stakes and what it will take to advance. — Gabriele Marcotti

Group E: Ukraine vs. Belgium (Stuttgart; 6 p.m. local / noon ET)

Odds: Ukraine +360 Draw +300 Belgium -150

Ukraine and Belgium meet for the first time at senior international level in Stuttgart. Ukraine know they have to win to have any chance of making the knockouts, while a draw is enough for Belgium — who would even be guaranteed to be through with a three-goal defeat in third if Romania lose, too. A draw could see both Ukraine and Belgium qualify if there is a winner between Slovakia and Romania.

Belgium are without the injured Axel Witsel and the suspended Dodi Lukebakio, while defender Arthur Theate expects a difficult challenge against a Ukraine team motivated by the ongoing conflict in their country. “It’s going to be tough; we know what it means,” Theate said. “They [Ukraine] have a situation in their country which isn’t easy. I think they have their hearts set on making their fans and their nation very happy. They will give their all, just like we will.”

Ukraine forward Roman Yaremchuk expects Belgium to be similarly determined, however. “We will need to do something incredible to get points against a team of this standard,” he said. “I really hope it will be Ukraine’s day and not Belgium’s. They will be highly motivated.” — Mark Ogden

Group F: Czechia vs. Turkey (Hamburg; 9 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Czechia +165 Draw +220 Turkey +175

Czechia‘s hopes of qualifying for the round of 16 have been dealt a blow with striker Patrik Schick expected to miss the game against Turkey in Hamburg on Wednesday. Schick, joint top scorer at Euro 2020 with Cristiano Ronaldo, was forced off during the second half of the 1-1 draw with Georgia on Saturday. The Bayer Leverkusen striker scored Czechia’s equaliser to ensure they can still reach the knockout rounds.

There were hopes initially that with intensive treatment Schick might be able to shake off the problem, but he looks set to miss the crucial game.

Czechia, who sit third with one point from two games, will likely have to win to stand a chance of qualifying from Group F. A point would mean Czechia finish third but their record is unlikely to be good enough to qualify as one of the best third-place teams.

Turkey are in a strong position to qualify and need only a point. — Rob Dawson

Group F: Georgia vs. Portugal (Gelsenkirchen; 9 p.m. local / 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Georgia +600 Draw +400 Portugal -260

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will get the chance to play against his boyhood idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, when Georgia take on Portugal to try to claim a place in the round of 16. At 23, Napoli winger Kvaratskhelia just missed out on facing Ronaldo in Europe, but he will finally fulfil a dream at the Arena AufSchalke.

“If it really is a time for dreams to come true, hopefully I can get a win and then his shirt after the game,” Kvaratskhelia said on Tuesday.

Georgia are guaranteed to qualify — either as Group F runners-up or as one of the best-ranked third-placed teams — with a victory over Portugal. Being in that position alone going into the final match is a fine achievement for the lowest-ranked nation at Euro 2024.

Their hopes of pulling off the unthinkable before the tournament kicked off could be aided by the fact Portugal will rotate their team, having already sealed top spot in the group. However, coach Roberto Martínez says Ronaldo will start. Kvaratskhelia, therefore, may finally get his hands on his shirt. Will it come with a ticket to the next round? — Sam Marsden

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Betting tip (odds via ESPN BET)

He’s got to get on the scoresheet eventually after so many VAR overturns, so we’re going for Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku to outscore Ukraine at +250 — ESPN

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One big read

Spain were a roller coaster at Euro 2020. Fielding most of the same players as they have at this tournament, they couldn’t score against Sweden, drew a tepid match with Poland, then hammered Slovakia 5-0 before conceding three against Croatia, winning 5-3, in the round of 16. They only won on penalties against Switzerland in the quarterfinals, but utterly outplayed Italy in the semifinals only to lose on spot kicks. And, for the record, they would have taken England to the cleaners in the final.

This group is older, wiser, hungrier, better and, again for the record, a good bet to be European champions.

– Graham Hunter: Spain bringing Euro 2008 vibes to 2024 in quest for glory

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And finally …

The people have spoken, and it is not good news for Germany striker Kai Havertz, who faces a battle to hold on to his starting place in their round-of-16 tie on Saturday with rival Niclas Füllkrug among the goals again.

German newspaper Bild ran a poll for who should start between misfiring forward Havertz and Füllkrug, who has come off the bench to score twice for the tournament hosts, including a last-gasp equaliser against Switzerland on Sunday.

With more than 160,000 votes cast, 90% of fans are in favour of Füllkrug, a clear message to coach Julian Nagelsmann.

A quick look at the numbers paints its own picture. No player has had more attempts on goal in the tournament than Havertz, but from his 10 shots, he has only a penalty against Scotland to show for his efforts.

Füllkrug is less mobile than the Arsenal forward, but big, strong and good in the air. He has two goals from his three attempts at Euro 2024, can hold up the ball and bring Germany’s array of skillful attacking midfielders and wingers into the play.

“Füllkrug has a chance to start, but Kai has the same chances,” Nagelsmann told reporters, though he said he would wait to see who their round-of-16 opponents would be before making a decision. — Reuters