Friday’s opener in Munich saw EURO2024 get off to a flying start, and the goals kept coming on Saturday. Ten goals were scored across three matches, with three records being broken in the process.
Lamine Yamal became the youngest player in EUROs history as he started for Spain, who won a match whilst having less possession than their opponent for the first time since the EURO2008 final in Austria.
Elsewhere, Nedim Bajrami opened the scoring for Albania against Italy after just 23 seconds. The record for the fastest goal scored at the European Championships previously sat at 67 seconds, and had been held by Russia’s Dmitri Kirichenko since 2004.
Catch up on all of Saturday’s main events with our handy recap, which will be published daily throughout the tournament.
Hungary 1-3 Switzerland
Hungary’s status as the dark horses of EURO2024 looks to be remarkably shortlived, as the Magyarok fell to an underwhelming defeat in Saturday’s first match. Marco Rossi’s side applied late pressure, but the side captained by Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai ultimately succumbed to a 1-3 loss in Köln and can have no real complaints about the scoreline.
It was an impressive afternoon for la Nati though, and Murat Yakin is mentioned as one of the five key things we learnt from the match as he appears to have put any doubt surrounding his future to bed.
Spain 3-0 Croatia
Croatia were utterly dismanted in Berlin on Saturday, leading by two goals at half-time before adding a third in the second half to complete a wonderful Olympiastadion rout. Whether Croatia would be able to carry their World Cup form across to the EUROs had been questioned ahead of the tournament – and early signs seem to show that the answer is a resounding no.
16-year-old Lamine Yamal was the star of the show, and received a high rating for a sensational performance that saw him register an assist in the same match he became the youngest player in the tournament’s history. Check out the rest of the player ratings here – are there any you disagree with?
Zlatko Dalić accepted in his post-match press conference that Spain “deserved” such a resounding win, and apologised to the travelling Vatreni fans for a “bad show” in the German capital. Read more from the Croatian manager here.
Luis de la Fuente was understandably a much happier man following the final whistle, and praised how la Roja are developing into a team “with many options – our opponents know that we can hurt them with possession, but that we can also be quick on the break too.” Find out what else the Spaniard had to say here.
A blend of a “flair, discipline, and clinical finishing” allowed la Roja to cruise past their Croatian opponents, and those traits were highlighted as one of the five key things we learnt from the showdown in Berlin. What were the other four? Find out here.
Italy 2-1 Albania
Italy were stunned after just 23 seconds in Dortmund when Nedim Bejrami opened the scoring to hand Albania the lead – but the reigning European champions eventually fought back, racing into a 2-1 lead by the interval and never really looking back after that.
Sylvinho insisted that despite the result at the BVB Stadion, Albania are “proud” of their performance and thanked the fans for their “incredible” support. Read more from the Red and Blacks boss here.
Alessandro Bastoni was the standout player, earning FromTheSpot’s first 10/10 rating of the tournament – and you can check out how we rated the other players here.
But it was not a flawless performance from the Azzurri, and Federico Dimarco’s early error from a throw-in gifted Bejrami the opener. Defensive lapses, highlighted as one of the five things we learnt from the match, must be worked on by the Italians before they face Spain on Thursday.
The key press conference quotes
Gareth Southgate expressed that England “have to be exceptional” if they’re to progress through Group C, and emphasised that leading the Three Lions into another major tournament is “an amazing honour.” You can hear more from the England boss here.
Elsewhere, Ronald Koeman brushed off the idea of there being a standout favourite to lift the Henri Delauney Cup on July 14. “In my opinion, there is no big favourite,” he suggested, adding that “France [are] maybe a bit more than the rest.” Catch more from the Dutchman here.
Marcus Thuram addressed the media from France’s base camp on Saturday, and while it is the fact he was mistakenly referred to as Kylian Mbappé that has stolen the headlines, the forward took the opportunity to praise his teammates ahead of their clash with Austria on Monday. Speaking about Olivier Giroud, the 26-year-old suggested that “being able to rub shoulders with him on a daily basis is an honour for me.” You can read more from that press conference here.