The first round of fixtures at Euro 2024 are now complete and some teams have already made a profound impact at the tournament.
Euro 2024 has been notable for the number of long-distance goals it has produced with thrilling matches witnessed across Germany. There will be no shortage of further drama and excitement before a winner is crowned next month.
Here is our power ranking of the best 10 teams on the basis of their opening performances at Euro 2024.
1. Spain
A 3-0 victory over Croatia by Spain was the biggest statement result of the first round of fixtures with Luis De la Fuente’s team extremely sharp in their dismantling of the 2018 World Cup finalists and 2022 semi-finalists. Lamine Yamal and Fabian Ruiz shone as Spain adopted a more direct approach that got the best out of their young and hungry attack-minded players. This wasn’t your Spain of old – La Furia Roja took their chances and took them well against an experienced and talented side.
2. Germany
Germany put on a show as the host nation on opening night, thumping a hopeless Scotland team 5-1. Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz encapsulated what Julian Nagelsmann wants this team to be under his stewardship as they drifted into the half-spaces and caused all sorts of problems with their dribbling and creativity. Scotland may not have been the best measuring stick, but if Germany can maintain this level, they will be among the frontrunners.
3. France
While France played somewhat within themselves in their 1-0 victory over Austria, they still managed to avoid a potential banana skin against a high-energy Ralf Rangnick team that could still make an impact at Euro 2024. Les Blues could have asserted themselves more in possession, but Kylian Mbappe was a threat throughout – before suffering a broken nose. The fitness of their main star and Antoine Griezmann will dictate how France can perform against the Netherlands on Friday.
4. England
Anyone expecting to see a more attack-minded, cavalier England team start their Euro 2024 campaign on Sunday was surely disappointed by the performance they produced in a conservative 1-0 win over Serbia. However, Jude Bellingham still managed to catch the eye and the potentially vulnerable England defence didn’t give up many opportunities. The Euro 2020 finalists have plenty of fresh faces that may need another match or two to fully gel.
5. Netherlands
Wout Weghorst scored a late winner for the Netherlands in their opening Euro 2024 fixture against Poland as the Dutch produced a performance to suggest they will be among the teams in the knockout rounds. Nathan Ake was impressive at left back, registering two assists, but Memphis Depay was wasteful in front of goal – hence the need for Weghorst to come off the bench.
6. Italy
Luciano Spalletti’s Italy are still a work-in-progress, but many of the principles the former Napoli boss wants to install in his team were apparent in the performance against Albania. The Azzurri conceded in the opening minute yet were able to respond well and turned the game around through goals by Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella. They faded in the second half, but this was likely due to a lack of physical fitness over anything else.
7. PortugalÂ
They might have made hard work of their 2-1 victory over Czechia on Tuesday, but Portugal still showcased some of their attacking talent during the match. Roberto Martinez set up his midfield to be fluid and pose all sorts of problems to Czechia, who had no choice but to sit in a low block and hope for the best. Francisco Conceicao netted late to secure all three points, highlighting just how many options Portugal have in the final third.
8. SwitzerlandÂ
Switzerland produced one of the most shocking scorelines of the opening round of fixtures by beating much-fancied Hungary 3-1. Led by the assertive Granit Xhaka in central midfield, the Swiss controlled much of the game on Saturday and were especially smart in pulling Hungary into the wide areas to open up passing channels through the middle. They could go far at this tournament.
9. Romania
Romania produced one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far by beating Ukraine 3-0 in their opening fixture. Nicolae Stanciu scored a stunner with Denis Dragus and Denis Man both impressive for Tricolorii. Radu Dragusin was also rock-solid at the back with the dangerous Ukrainian attack held at arm’s length. A date with a vulnerable Belgian side will show how much potential this Romanian team has at Euro 2024.
10. SlovakiaÂ
Slovakia rode their luck at times in their shock 1-0 victory over Belgium, but Ivan Schranz netted the winner against the 2018 World Cup semi-finalists. Martin Dubravka was also in top form, producing a number of quality saves to stop the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku, with David Hancko and Milan Skriniar similarly solid.
