Already the best target of this euro? Czech striker Patrick Schick with a brace, including a brilliant lob from the center line, beat Scotland in Glasgow (2-0) on Monday, lighting the start of a tournament hitherto marred by extra-game concerns. is.
Before a Spain-Sweden shock (9:00 am / 7:00 pm GMT) under the sign of Covid-19 that disrupted the two selections, the poster without much glare between Scotland and the Czech Republic met all expectations. Against, gave birth to a sparkling gem in Hampden Park.
In the 52nd minute of the game, Schick sent an uncontrolled 50-meter strike that fell directly under the bar as the unfortunate Scottish goalkeeper, at too much back-and-forth motion, became trapped in his own net. Tough reunion for Scotland with the international elite, who had not played a major tournament since World-98 in France…
This goal, as well as Schick’s uncrossed header shortly before (42nd), offered a more pleasing image of this Euro than Denmark-Finland on Saturday, during which Football Europe feared the worst for Christian Eriksson, who is between I was a victim of cardiac arrest. Matches before they are saved by the rapid intervention of emergency services.
The Danish midfielder, in a “stable” condition and “impressed with support from around the world”, will remain under observation in hospital until at least Monday, announced his agent Martin Schutz.
– “Kovidiko” –
Following this incident, controversy arose: many Danish players publicly expressed regret for choosing between resuming their match against Finland in the same evening (1–0 defeat) or the following day at noon. fell.
“We have been put in a position where, on a personal level, I think we should not have been placed,” goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told a news conference.
Apart from the Ericsson case, the medical section continues to make Euro headlines, until the number of cases of COVID-19 affecting selections.
On Sunday, it is Portuguese Joo Cancello, who tested positive, who left the title-holders’ squad, which also included France and Germany, before entering into a brawl against Hungary in the opposing Group F on Tuesday evening.
And on Monday in Seville, the place in Spain, deprived of its captain Sergio Busquets and in opposition to Sweden, itself weakened by the coronavirus, for “Covidico” without stars … but full of stakes.
For “Rosa” one of the favorites of the tournament, despite the non-selection of several big names like defender Sergio Ramos, it is a question of getting off to a good start at home in the Seville heat (still expect around 30 degrees in the opening evening) ), history largely to dispel doubts born of troubled preparation.
The Spaniard must compose without Busquets, still in isolation after testing positive on 6 June… while the Swede, already deprived of superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic on injury (knee), proceeds without his young winger Dejan Kulusevski , the Juventus Turin prodigy, and neither does Mattias Swanberg, positive either.
– Poland awaits Lewandowski –
Like “Rosa” before him, “Blaglt” on Monday chose to replace his players with reservists to await their return from quarantine. But it is difficult to say what the nature of the two teams are due to the lack of collective benchmarks!
Other Group E matches, involving Spain and Sweden, pit Slovakia led by Marek Humsik against Poland’s top scorer of Europe this season, Robert Lewandowski, in St Petersburg late on Monday (6 pm).
In the northernmost phase of this Euro, held in 11 cities across the continent until July 11, the pandemic is also forcing the authorities to adapt.
From Thursday, wearing masks will become mandatory in fan-zones and no food will be sold there, among other measures to counter a rebound in contamination.
Meanwhile, Poland has pinned its hopes on Bayern Munich’s serial scorer “Levy”, hoping to repeat the graceful course of Euro-2016, where the Poles reached the quarter-finals.
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