The second leg of Euro 2024 will go down as the week when the tournament really started.
This past week we were faced with heavyweight battles (Spain vs Italy), a clash of many players (England fans) and world class players from the best football players in Europe (Bernardo Silva).
In this article we will focus on the latter – the best players for the second game of Euro 2024.
Yes, Marc Cucurella.
Yes, Marc Cucurella who plays for Chelsea.
It turns out that he is a completely different player, a brilliant one, when he wears a Spanish jersey.
Cucurella pocketed Federico Chiesa with a free during Spain’s win over Italy – which was not what we expected to write.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has renewed his rivalry with Declan Rice this past week, and it’s fair to say he has done the Arsenal midfielder very well.
Hojbjerg produced his best performance in a very, very long time against England, offering a cool head on the ball and a fierce edge.
Carmelo Anthony celebration, pink number ten jersey, deadline before goal. Jamal Musiala made a surprise appearance in Germany’s second game of the tournament.
In scoring he also became the youngest player ever to score in his first European Championship match. It was beautiful.
Bernardo Silva scored his first international goal against Turkey.
That is a very good figure.
The Man City striker was at his best in the 3-0 win, hitting the ball and causing havoc in the 90th minute.
Fabian Ruiz gave the number eight a masterclass against Italy at Signal Iduna Park.
His ability to consistently find space to receive the ball and keep it (completing 95% of his passes) is something every Euro 2024 team would kill to have at the heart of their midfield.
Fun fact: Austria is very beautiful and that is in large part thanks to Christoph Baumgartner.
The RB Leipzig man was at his best on the right side of Austria’s attack, scoring a vital goal in the second half and often thanks to his clever use of the ball in possession.
There’s a world where Ryan Porteous’s dunk on Ilkay Gundogan in the first leg ended the midfielder’s competition early.
Thankfully, that is not the world we live in.
In the world we live in, Gundogan is fully fit and at the peak of his powers. The midfielder scored a crucial goal in the victory over Hungary, and is enjoying playing in midfield under Julian Nagelsmann at the moment.
If we could describe Nico Williams’ performance against Italy in one word, it would be ‘electric’.
Williams was like that of electricity on the left side of Spain.
The 21-year-old was grilled by Giovanni Di Lorenzo on numerous occasions, and his shoulder drop and drive into the heart of the penalty area led to the winning goal.
Expect all of Europe’s top clubs to be after his signature soon.
READ THE LATEST EURO 2024 NEWS, PREVIEWS AND PLAYER RATINGS
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