There was a resounding thud as Patrik Schick kicked the ball from just inside the opposition's half. It was minute 51:31 of match 8 of the Euros, between Scotland and Czech Republic. Schick—the Czech no 10—had already put his team 0-1 ahead. But, my first reaction when he seemed to have just booted the ball away was: “What is he doing?”. One second later, as I noticed the ball curling and dipping, it turned to: “Whoa!” At 51:34, the ball, along with a hapless goalkeeper, was in the back of the net.
The match, which the Czech won 2-0, had kicked off at 6:30pm IST, amid generally low expectations. I mean, it was Scotland vs Czech Republic. What was going to happen, really? As it turned out, the best moment of the tournament so far. Schick, who plays his club football for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, was considered an exciting young prospect a few years ago. But, he has had a largely unremarkable career so far. But, at 25, he still has time. And now, he has the eyes of the world on him. A quick shoutout to the (limited) crowd at Hampden Park in Glasgow. Though a limited number of fans have been permitted at football matches in Europe recently, including at the Euros, none of those crowds matched the roar of the Scots every time the host nation attacked.
From the highs to the lows. Not much needs to be said about Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen's collapse on the field. As he recovers from what has been confirmed as a cardiac event, football fans are united in their prayers for one of the most talented playmakers of his generation.
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As the first round of group stage matches ended with France's 1-0 win over Germany (which was on June 16, 12:30am IST kick-off), the Euros have given us a lot to look forward to. Italy and Belgium had the best results (both 3-0 wins). Hungary gave defending champions Portugal a tough match, but ended up losing 0-3. The most intense contests happened in Group C, where the Netherlands edged past a fiercely competitive Ukraine (3-2) and the minnows North Macedonia pushed technically superior Austria to the limit before losing 3-1.
Slovakia, arguably, had the most important result of the round: Beating Poland, captained by reigning world player of the year Robert Lewandowski, 2-1, to move to the top of Group E, ahead of Spain and Sweden, who played out a 0-0 draw. The second round of matches kick off at 6:30pm IST on June 16 with Finland vs Russia.
I know what you are thinking. 'I mean, it is Finland vs Russia. What is going to happen, really?'
There was a lot to take in during the first round of matches. There will be a lot more to digest soon. For now, THE WEEK has chosen the best tactical play from the first round of matches. Italy, which is unbeaten since 2018, outplayed Turkey in the tournament opener on June 12 (12:30am IST). The following infographics explain how: