- Second round of group stage matches get underway on Wednesday afternoon
- Sofascore have revealed their best and worst XI’s from the opening round
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! Why leaving Phil Foden out would be an extreme knee-jerk reaction
The first round of group stage matches came to a thrilling end on Tuesday night as Portugal recovered from a goal down to beat Czechia in the Leipzig rain.
Hours earlier, fans had been treated to arguably the game of the tournament between Georgia and Turkey at an even more raucous and wet Westfalenstadion.
Euro 2024 began with the largest-ever opening game win, as Germany thumped Scotland 5-1. It’s fair to say the tournament has been a roaring success in its first few days.
Following the conclusion of the first round of fixtures, Sofascore have revealed their best and worst XI’s based on their player ratings throughout the competition so far.
It’s little surprise to see a handful of Scots feature in the latter, while three Spanish players find themselves in the ‘Best XI’ after their impressive 3-0 win over Croatia.
Romelu Lukaku and Rasmus Hojlund lead the line in Sofascore’s ‘Worst XI’ following the conclusion of the first round of matches at Euro 2024.
The Manchester United strikers of past and present were each handed scores of 6.0 after underwhelming in their respective side’s tournament opener.
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Lukaku missed a hatful of chances and saw two goals disallowed in Belgium’s shock 1-0 defeat by Slovakia.
Meanwhile, Hojlund struggled to impose himself on Slovenia’s defence and was substituted in the second half of Denmark’s draw 1-1 with the side.
Unsurprisingly, behind them in a flat 4-4-2 formation, are four Scotland players, who were on the end of a drubbing by hosts Germany on opening night.
Captain Andy Robertson and Aston Villa‘s John McGinn were given ratings of 6.0, while Arsenal outcast Kieran Tierney was given a 6.1.
The lowest Scottish mark was reserved for Ryan Porteous, who was dismissed in the first half against Germany after a horror tackle on Ilkay Gundogan. The Hibernian defender walked away with a score of 5.1 – which is pretty generous all things considered.
His only chance of playing again in this tournament will come if Scotland can progress from a tricky Group A, including Hungary and Switzerland, who are their next opponents on Wednesday, after picking up a two-match ban.
Elsewhere, Ukraine and Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was given 4.9 after he was at fault for two of his country’s concessions against Romania. The 25-year-old’s poor clearance led to Nicolae Stanciu’s stunning opener in Munich.
His shotstopping was later found wanting when Razvan Marin unleashed a fierce strike shortly after the interval.
Lunin’s compatriot Yukhym Konoplya was given a 5.9 and Czechia’s Robin Hranac rounded out the defence with the same score.
Poland midfielder Przemyslaw Frankowski received the joint-highest score in the team, 6.1, after his side’s 2-1 defeat by the Netherlands.
On the other end of the scale, Georgia’s Sandro Altunashvili had the the unwanted distinction of being the player with the lowest score.
He was given a 4.1 for his total of around eight minutes on the pitch after coming on as an 89th-minute substitute against Turkey.
Best XI
The biggest contributors to Sofascore’s Best XI was Spain, following an impressive 3-0 win over Croatia. Goalkeeper Unai Simon was given an 8.6 after saving a penalty in the match.
The Athletic Bilbao star was at fault for the concession after failing with an attempt to play the ball out from the back.
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However, the 27-year-old redeemed himself before receiving a helping hand from the officials after Croatia slotted in the rebound.
Goalscorers Dani Carvajal and Fabian Ruiz were given scores of 7.8 and 8.9 respectively. Ruiz received the highest grade of any player thanks to his goal and assist.
The PSG midfielder played provider for Alvaro Morata’s opener before showing sublime skill and poise to net La Roja’s second.
At the back, Nathan Ake, Samet Akaydin and Alessandro Bastoni form a solid defensive three. The Dutchman Ake was given an 8.1, mainly thanks to his assist for his country’s equaliser against Poland.
Akaydin of Turkey was handed a score of 8.0 and Italy’s Bastoni got himself on the scoresheet despite a mix-up between himself and Inter Milan team-mate Federico Dimarco leaingd to the fastest goal in Euros history.
Switzerland stars Michel Aebischer and Granit Xhaka partner Spaniards Carvajal and Ruiz in the midfield. The pair were impressive in the nation’s opening game win over Hungary and received scores of 8.5 and 8.1 respectively.
Further forward, Christian Eriksen and Cody Gakpo, who both found the net in their first matches of the tournament, slotted into No 10 positions with scores of 8.7 and 8.8.
Ahead of them was Arsenal’s revitalised and versatile forward Kai Havertz, with a score of 8.0. He was on hand to calmly convert Germany’s third goal against Scotland, which came from the spot just before half-time.