The pre-favorites have not lost in European Championship football. England didn’t break the formula, but the odds of an opening victory were slim.
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The challenges even against Serbia did not yet give cover to the talk about England being the biggest advance favorite for the European football championships.
England won Sunday’s tournament opener, but only by one of Jude Bellingham on the finish line. The feared attack equipment did not impress Urheilu’s experts.
– Not convinced. More than that, this was a continuation of the rather lame performances of recent times. They came into the game well and scored practically from their first position. Soon after, they relinquished control of the game and were content to defend for long periods, Miika Nuutinen your sum.
Especially in the second half of the match, England’s grip weakened. It had to defend from deep and tried more to avoid conceding an equalizing goal than to seek additional hits. Serbia is used to scoring goals, but in the end only got one per attempt by Jordan Pickford paint.
– In the second half, England practically played against time and did what was necessary. If in the first round we try to see the real strength of these champion candidates, then this left more questions than answers, Nuutinen wonders on Monday morning’s 11 friends podcast.
England captain Harry Kane answered the questions in the sweat interview as expected, i.e. emphasizing the importance of just winning. Even in British circles, shortcomings were still noticed in the first appearance.
Criticism was received, for example Phil Foden, who has never been the same weapon for England as he was for his club team Manchester City. News and Toni Koskela thoroughly unpacked the challenges of England attacking and playing on the wing in the podcast episode.
The head coach Gareth Southgate assess the gloomy evening from behind the lenses of an optimist.
– We had to suffer a bit, and I think it’s good for us. It was good that we defended the penalty area like that. I was really happy with a lot of things in how we played. “In the second half we didn’t stick to it as well as I would have liked, but the win was very important,” Southgate said, according to the BBC.
Kane, for example, was not properly engaged by England when it came to creating an attacking threat. For example, Nuutinen hoped for more movements and initiatives in depth, and not only from the star striker.
– England warned in very small moments. The finish was great, and along with Bellingham Bukayo Saka was the most dangerous and could create a threat. However, somehow the handbrake was on and England was in its own block. Then there is always the threat of a work accident, that is, that some Long Shot or special situation sinks.
The result continued the winning streak of the early favorites. Earlier, Germany roared and Spain celebrated with goals. Italy also successfully defended its championship from three years ago.
English didn’t disappoint either. However, the first game has to be the worst, experts said. According to Koskela, the only similarity with, for example, Germany was a fast finish.
– The tournament has been started with a win, and the biggest pressure is gone from “what if we don’t win today”. However, with a tight comb you can look for things that England would like to see again in their game, Koskela said.
The big favorites of the tournament, France and Portugal, are still waiting for their opening match. The first mentioned will be seen in action tonight. France will face Austria in the match starting at 22:00.
– France is the number one favorite in my own papers. It’s hard to find a weak link. They have the ability to adapt to different game images. They have practically experienced everything. There are also some failures, such as being relegated in the previous European Championships, but a lot has been won, Koskela said.
European Football Championship on channels 14.6.–14.7. Go to the competition website from this link.