The Top Flight
Fansided

Prem Watch: Matchday 1 of Euro 2024

The Euros has begun. It's been exhilarating, with goals galore in every match (apart from England; blame Gareth Southgate for that). Many Premier League players have shone in the first few days of the competition, but some were disappointing. Here are the 5 most notable performances by Premier League Players during Matchday 1 of Euro 2024.

By Daniel Hancock

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

1. Kai Havertz (Arsenal/Germany)

Kai Havertz
Alexander Hassenstein/GettyImages

Kai Havertz was chosen as Germany's main striker for the Euros—a controversial choice but one that paid off handsomely. He led from the front as Germany thrashed Scotland 5-1. He set up Musiala's thunder strike and scored a penalty. He may face some competition for the striker position as Dortmund striker Niclas Fullkrug scored Germany's fourth goal with a powerful strike, but for now, the number 9 role is his, and he deserves it.

2. Dominic Szoboszlai (Liverpool/Hungary)

Dominik Szoboszlai
Justin Setterfield/GettyImages

Szoboszlai was part of Liverpool's midfield revolution last summer and made a great start to his career at Anfield. However, since the start of 2024, he has not fulfilled his potential. Szoboszlai was largely a passenger while Switzerland claimed a 3-1 victory against the Hungarians. Szoboslai and his fellow midfield teammates had no answer to the prowess of Granit Xhaka, who controlled the midfield for Switzerland. Szoboszlai will be hoping to make more of an impact against Germany, or things could get ugly for Hungary.

3. Declan Rice (Arsenal/England)

Declan Rice
Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

Declan Rice made £105 million look like a bargain last summer. His performances for Arsenal were so impressive that he was named in the PFA Team of the Year. While England conspired to bore fans of football with their turgid play, they still managed a 1-0 win. Jude Bellingham may get the plaudits for his well-taken goal, but Declan Rice was faultless for 90 minutes, providing security for an England defence that was deemed the team's weakness. If England are to have any chance of winning, Rice needs to be at the top of his game. If performances like this are anything to go by, Rice may yet rise to the occasion and deliver a trophy for England at last.

4. Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea/Ukraine)

Mykhaylo Mudryk
Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

Mudryk has had a tough start to his Chelsea career. Now and again, you'll see memes on social media mocking his various misplaced shots and frustrated antics. It's hard to put the blame solely on this foot; the whole Chelsea team has struggled. Ukraine was a chance for Mudryk to bounce back and get away from the £88M price tag that has hung like a millstone around his neck. However, it was not to be, as Ukraine was shocked by Romania, who won 3-0. Mudryk was a passenger who struggled to find form as the Romanians ran riot. He'll be hoping the next game against Slovakia will be more fruitful.

5. Tomas Soucek (West Ham United/Czechia)

Cristiano Ronaldo, Tomas Soucek
Soccrates Images/GettyImages

Everybody expected Czechia to be steamrolled by a Portugal team brimming with superstars. The Portuguese eventually won 2-1 thanks to a couple of late goals, but Czechia put up a good fight. This was helped by West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek, who provided a calming voice when Czechia took a surprise lead. Soucek defended well and kept the likes of Ronaldo and Bernardo Silva quiet, which is not an easy task. Czechia will be hopeful of qualifying for Group F now that they've already played their hardest opponent.

Euro 2024 has been incredibly exciting so far, with many goals and lots of drama. Let's hope the second matchday will bring the same excitement. Get in touch via @topflight to share your thoughts with us.

Home/England National Team