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Euro 2024: Which Teams Impressed the Most Throughout the Opening Round of Fixtures?

Euro 2024: Which Teams Impressed the Most Throughout the Opening Round of Fixtures? source: unsplash

The opening round of fixtures at Euro 2024 delivered an exhilarating start to what promises to be a spectacular tournament. The hosting Germans raised the curtain on June 14th with a resounding 5-1 drubbing of Scotland, underlining their tournament credentials. But over the days that followed, plenty of other teams stamped stood out from the crowd. Here are the three teams that impressed us the most throughout the opening round of action.

Austria


While Austria did not secure a victory in their opening match, their performance against heavyweights France deserves recognition. But many had considered Ralf Rangnick's Austrians as a potential dark horse in Germany this summer, and those predictions looked spot on in this Group D Clash.

Ultimately it was the French who ran out victorious, but they did so by the skin of their teeth in an entertaining affair. Leeds United defender Maximilian Wöber was the unlucky man on the scoresheet, bundling into his own goal from Kylian Mbappe's cross. The former Paris Saint-Germain star missed a guilt-edged opportunity to make it 2-0 in the second half, as did Olivier Giroud. But in the end, it was their side who scraped the three points.



Germany


It's impossible to write this article without mentioning the dominant Germans. Not many knew what to expect of Die Mannschaft heading into Euro 2024, especially considering their back-to-back Group Stage exits at the last two FIFA World Cups and their plethora of friendly defeats over the last 18 months. They headed into this tournament on home turf as 7/1 third-favorites, primarily because of the huge support they receive from their adoring public.

However, even they couldn't have anticipated the blistering start that they would ultimately make. Scotland had the potential to run the German party on night one, but those faint hopes were obliterated almost instantly thanks to early goals from Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Further goals followed from Kai Havertz, Niclas Füllkrug, and Emre Can secured a comprehensive 5-1 victory.

This put them in third place, behind England and France. However, while those two faltered toward their respective one-goal victories, Germany was rampant. Musiala has received plenty of plaudits over the last couple of years at Bayern Munich, and his star has already grown considerably following a masterful display against the Scots. How much further can he take this talented side?

Romania


When Romania headed into their contests against Ukraine on matchday one, they were the rank outsiders. The Ukrainians have a stacked attack featuring the likes of Chelsea's Mykhaylo Mudryk and Girona hitman Artem Dovbyk. However, they were thoroughly outclassed by an upstart Romanian side who secured their first victory at the European Championships in 24 years, with talisman Nicolae Stanciu scoring en route to a resounding 3-0 victory.

Who Will Reign Victorious?


Out of the three teams that impressed, it is only Germany that is considered a tournament frontrunner, alongside the likes of England and France. Will they be able to get over the line in Berlin on July 14th? Only time will tell.


- Euro 2024