The group stage of the UEFA Euro 2020 is over, as Matchday 24 witnessed the last round of matches. Following the same, 16 best teams have made it to the pre-quarters. In the same light, we present the round-up of this matchday.
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Spain destroys Slovakia to finish second in Group EIn one of the opening contests of the matchday, Spain was up against Slovakia at the Estadio Olímpico de Sevilla. It turned out to be utter destruction for the Spanish, as, despite Álvaro Morata missing a penalty in the 12th minute, Martin Dubravka's own goal in the 30th minute handed it the opening lead. At the same time, Aymeric Laporte doubled it at the stroke of half-time.
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The second half saw an even more aggressive approach from the side, as Pablo Sarabia tripled it in the 56th minute, followed by the fourth from Ferran Torres (67) and the fifth in the form of another own goal from Juraj Kucka (71). With this win, Span finished second in the group, making it to the pre-quarters.
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Stats- Spain named two 20 or below aged players in a Euro game for the first time.- Spain became the first side in Euro since the Netherlands in 2000, failing to score two penalties in an edition.- Torres's goal was the second-fastest by a substitute in the Euro (44 seconds) after Juan Carlos Valerón (39 seconds).- Since Euro 2012, it was the first time Spain scored four EuroWorld Cup goals in a game.- Spain has scored five goals for the first time in the tournament.- Spain equalled the biggest margin of win in a Euro match, along with Sweden's 5-0 rout of Bulgaria in 2004.
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Sweden narrows past Poland to top Group EIn another Group E clash held simultaneously, Sweden took on Poland at the Saint-Petersburg Stadium. Emil Forsberg opened the scoring for Sweden in the second minute, as it led at half-time.
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The second half saw Forsberg double it with his brace in the 59th minute. While Robert Lewandowski fought back and pulled off a couple in the 61st and 84th to level things, Viktor Claesson scored the winner in the 93rd to break the Polish hearts and top the group.
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Stats- Forsberg's opening goal was the second-fastest in Euro (81 seconds) after Dmitry Kirichenko (65 seconds).- Lewandowski has become the highest goal-scorer for Poland in the Euro (4), surpassing Jakub Blaszczykowski (3).- Dejan Kulusevski became the second youngest to assist in a couple of goals in a Euro clash (21 years and 59 days) after Cesc Fàbregas (21 years and 53 days).
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Germany held by Hungary, finishes second in Group FIn one of the Group F clashes, Germany was up against Hungary at the Allianz Arena in Munich. It turned out to be an evenly contested game, as Ádám Szalai put Hungary ahead in the 11th minute, thus leading at half-time.
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Although Kai Havertz levelled it in the 66th minute, András Schäfer restored Hungary's lead in the 68th. Nevertheless, Leon Goretzka's solo effort in the 84th allowed Germany to settle for a 2-2 draw and finish second in the group.Stat: Szalai's 11th-minute goal became the second earliest against Germany in Euro after it conceded in the fifth minute against Romania in 2000.
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Portugal holds France to finish one of the best third in Group FIn another concurrent Group F clash, defending champion, Portugal took on reigning world champion France at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. The high-octane clash was intense right from the start, as Cristiano Ronaldo fired the defending champion ahead in the 31st minute through a penalty before Karim Benzema drew level with a penalty too at the stroke of half-time.
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The second half saw Benzema scoring his brace in the 47th to put the world champ ahead. However, Portugal earned another penalty in the 60th, with Ronaldo allowing the defending champ to draw level. While France topped the group, Portugal finished third and qualified as one of the four best third-placed sides.
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Stats- Ronaldo has equalled the record of most goals in international football, along with Iran's Ali Daei (109).- Ronaldo is the first European to score 20 goals in EuroWorld Cup, going past Miroslav Klose (19).- Ronaldo is the joint second-most scorer in the group stage, along with David Villa (4), after Michel Platini (7).- Since October 2015, Benzema has scored his first goal for France after five years and 258 days, which is the second-longest wait for the side after Didier Deschamps (7 years).- Benzema has become the oldest to score two goals in a EuroWorld Cup for France (33 years), overhauling Zinedine Zidane (31 years).- The tie was the first Euro game to see three regulation time penalties being scored.Wednesday saw 18 goals, which is the most in the competition's history on a single day.- Since 2014, France is the only side to top the group in each EuroWorld Cup.
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Pre-quarters fixtures (IST)June 26: Wales vs Denmark (9.30 PM)June 27: Italy vs Austria (12.30 AM), Netherlands vs Czech Republic (9.30 PM)June 28: Belgium vs Portugal (12.30 AM), Croatia vs Spain (9.30 PM)June 29: France vs Switzerland (12.30 AM), England vs Germany (9.30 PM)June 30: Sweden vs Ukraine (12.30 AM)NOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
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