The all-important Matchday 2 of the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) delivered nail-biting drama from start to finish. Heavyweights England and France were held to stalemates by Denmark and the Netherlands, respectively. Luka Modric’s Croatia, also suffered a heartbreak, drawing 2-2 with Albania.
After suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to Slovakia on Matchday 1, Belgium bounced back with aplomb on Matchday 2, claiming a 2-0 victory over Romania. Lastly, it was business as usual for Germany, Portugal, and Spain, who secured progression to the Round of 16 with their second consecutive victory in the competition.
Before we turn all our attention to Matchday 3, let’s take a quick look at the players who shone on Matchday 2. Here are the five standout performers of EURO 2024 Gameweek 2:
#5 Bernardo Silva (Portugal)
Portugal claimed a commanding 3-0 victory over an in-form Turkiye on Group F Matchday 2, and their midfield maestro Bernardo Silva was at the heart of it all. He passed the ball around beautifully, created openings for his teammates, and scored a fine goal with an impeccable first-time finish in the 21st minute.
Against Turkiye, Silva created a game-high four chances for his teammates. He also completed 48 of his 52 passes, attaining 92% accuracy; played three passes into the final third, made two recoveries, and won three duels. All in all a fine performance from the Manchester City man.
#4 Marc Cucurella (Spain)
Before the tournament began, many saw Marc Cucurella as Spain’s weakest link. However, by stepping up to the plate in the last two matches, Cucurella has shown why Luis de la Fuente has so much faith in him.
The Chelsea man was at his brilliant best as Spain beat Italy on Matchday 2. He was an efficient passer, made marauding runs throughout the match to lend support to Nico Williams, played key passes, and stood his ground against the in-form Federico Chiesa.
Cucurella created three chances and two big chances against Italy. He also won four of his five tackles, completed 52 of 53 passes, made three interceptions, won 10 duels, and performed seven recoveries.
#3 Kevin de Bruyne (Belgium)
Kevin de Bruyne had an off day on Matchday 1, and Belgium felt it. Without the Manchester City maestro running the show, they failed to create chances and ultimately fell to a 1-0 defeat. On Matchday 2, De Bruyne was back to his best, and so were Belgium. De Bruyne not only ran the show in the middle of the park, but he also exhibited great strength and positional awareness to score Belgium’s second goal against Romania in the 80th minute.
De Bruyne latched on to goalkeeper Koen Casteels’ long ball from deep, fended off Radu Dragusin, and applied a deft touch to beat the onrushing goalkeeper. The insurance goal aside, De Bruyne created three chances, completed three dribbles, and won 11 duels in the 2-0 win.
#2 Jamal Musiala (Germany)
Germany youngster Jamal Musiala became the first player in EURO 2024 to score two goals, as his team claimed a 2-0 victory over Hungary on Wednesday (June 19). Musiala showed great initiative to attack the area in the 22nd minute before applying a cool finish to make it 1-0 for Die Mannschaft. He also tormented Hungary with his mazey runs all night long and did not hesitate to take a stab at goal.
On Matchday 2, Musiala completed 39 passes with 87% accuracy, had three shots, attempted a couple of dribbles, won all three tackles, and came out on top in seven of 10 ground duels.
#1 Ilkay Gundogan (Germany)
Jamal Musiala was excellent in Germany’s victory over Hungary, but he was not the Man of the Match. That honor deservedly went to Ilkay Gundogan, who not only scored but also set up Musiala’s goal. The Barcelona man used his cool head to make the most of the chaos inside the Hungarian box before laying the ball off to Musiala, allowing him to tap it home.
Gundogan added a fine goal to his earlier assist in the 67th minute, applying a sumptuous first-time finish to send Maximilian Mittelstaed’s low cutback into the back of the Hungarian net. Goal and assist aside, the Germany skipper also created two chances, won two duels, and delivered an accurate long ball.
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