England draws with Denmark, the European Cup continues to stage a youth storm: Spain narrowly beats Italy
On June 20, the second round of the 2024 European Championship group stage will have three more games. The Spanish team is once again swept by the youth storm. After Yamal created the youngest appearance record in the history of the European Championship and contributed assists in the first round, the 21-year-old young player Nico Williams played well in this round, helping the team to beat Italy by one goal and advance to the next round.
Spain and Italy played a strong match in Group B. Williams was active on the left and broke through frequently to create opportunities. Italy's defense on the right was tight and there were constant dangers in front of the goal. Fortunately, goalkeeper Donnarumma played well and made many saves. The two teams were tied at 0:0 at halftime. Spain had more than 60% of the ball in the first half and led 9:1 in shots.
In the second half, Spain continued to attack, and Williams continued to be the team's explosive point. The Italian full-back Di Lorenzo who was facing him was miserable. In the 55th minute, Williams made a cross from the wing, Morata headed the ball in front of the goal, but Donnarumma saved it with one hand, but Italian defender Calafiori was unable to dodge and scored an own goal, and the "Matadores" took the lead 1:0.
After that, the Spanish team organized a series of threatening attacks, and the Italian team was in a state of panic. In the 71st minute, Williams cut in from the left and hit the goal frame with an excellent shot, and the Spanish team missed the opportunity to expand the score. The Spanish team controlled the situation on the field and finally turned the advantage into a victory. With two wins, they advanced from the "death group" in advance. After swallowing the bitter fruit of defeat, the Italian team ranked second in the group with 3 points. In the last round, they will compete with Croatia, which has 1 point, for the qualification.
In the match between Slovenia and Serbia in Group C, the last-minute goal was played out again. Neither side made any progress in the first half. In the 69th minute, Kanicnik scored the first goal for Slovenia. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Serbia got a corner kick opportunity, and striker Jovic scored with a header in the melee in front of the goal, grabbing 1 point for Serbia in the countdown period, preserving the team's hope of qualifying.
The other two teams in Group C, England and Denmark, then started the match. Danish midfielder Eriksson started the game. This was his 132nd appearance for Denmark, tying defender Kjaer as the player with the most appearances for the Danish national team.
In the 18th minute, England's Walker made a cross from the bottom, and Kane pushed the ball in front of the goal to break the deadlock. In the 34th minute, Danish midfielder Morton Juerman fired an unstoppable world wave, and the ball hit the inside of the post like a cannonball and went into the net, and England goalkeeper Pickford was unable to reach it. In the second half, both sides were unable to score. Foden's long-range shot hit the post in the 56th minute, which was the most threatening opportunity for the England team in the second half. England coach Southgate replaced the front three early, and the young player Palmer, who performed well in Chelsea this season, still did not get a chance to play. The score remained 1:1 until the end.
After a dull draw, England still leads the group with 4 points. Denmark and Slovenia follow closely with 2 points each, and Serbia is temporarily at the bottom with 1 point.
