The group stage of Euro 2020 simply flew by, as 36 matches were played in 13 days. The tournament has been a thrilling ride so far and has given us a lot to be excited about in the last 16. Here are the 3 key takeaways from the group stages of Euro 2020:
Ronaldo’s still got it, Lukaku steps up, Kane and Mbappe yet to make a mark
CR7 currently leads the scoring charts in Euro 2020 with 5 goals to his name. Although three of them have been from penalties, the joint-highest international goalscorer has been in tremendous form in the group stages.
For Belgium, Romelu Lukaku was an absolute beast in the group stages, making quick work of Denmark and also showing his skills against Finland.
Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are yet to show their best in the tournament. While Mbappe was amazing against Germany, he hasn’t been able to score just yet for France. Harry Kane also needs to dig down deep to find his best against the German national team in the last 16.
Are France still the favourites?
Les Blues headed into the tournament as the odds-on favourites to win the Euro 2020. However, the rise of Germany, Portugal and Belgium has dented their chances just a little bit. They haven’t been at their dominant best, and only won one of their group matches.
But with Karim Benzema providing the attacking output for his national team once more, it would be foolish to count them out of the competition just yet.
Italy rise again
Roberto Mancini managed to revive the Italian national team in the last six months or so, and they progressed into the Round of 16 winning all three games. Their defensive record has been flawless for the last 11 games, and they haven’t conceded a single goal in Euro 2020 so far.
They will be expected to brush Austria aside in the last 16, and will face their first big test against Portugal or Belgium in the quarters.
