EPL Players at EURO 2024 – Day 16
We now know the first two quarter-finalists of the tournament, after Switzerland knocked out Italy and Germany staying in the competition thanks to a win against Denmark. As part of our EPLNews EURO 2024 report, here is how Premier League players performed in these games.
Switzerland 2-0 Italy
The reigning champions went out of this year’s tournament with a whimper after failing to test Switzerland in any significant way, as they registered a single shot on target.
The Swiss put in a pragmatic and professional performance, scoring shortly before and shortly after half time, the first goal courtesy of Remo Freuler finishing a great team move, while the second was a superb curling finish by Ruben Vargas, who had also assisted the first goal.
In terms of Premier League players, while none featured for Italy, there were two on from the start for Switzerland: Fabian Schär and Manuel Akanji. Both had a good game, keeping a limp Italy at bay without much fuss.
Ratings
Switzerland: Fabian Schär (Newcastle) – 7.5; Manuel Akanji (Manchester City) – 7.5
Italy: N/A
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Germany 2-0 Denmark
Hosts Germany also advanced to the quarter-finals in a game that was interrupted for about half an hour due to a powerful lightning storm in Dortmund.
Germany’s goals came in the second half, with Kai Havertz converting a penalty in the 53rd minute and Jamal Musiala finding a composed finish in the 68th.
The game did not lack controversy, as VAR had a busy night, disallowing no fewer than three goals: two for Germany and one for Denmark. It was also a VAR intervention that ultimately awarded the hosts the penalty, moments after disallowing a Joachim Andersen goal at the other end.
Premier League players had mixed fortunes in this one, as we saw decent performances from Havertz and, to some extent, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, but the likes of Rasmus Højlund and Andersen struggled to rise to the occasion.
Ratings
Germany: Kai Havertz (Arsenal) – 8
Denmark: Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace) – 5.5; Jannik Vestergaard – 6; Pierre-Emile Højbjerg (Tottenham) – 7; Rasmus Højlund (Manchester United) – 6; Christian Eriksen (Manchester United) – 6; Christian Nørgaard (Brentford) – 6.5
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