The Milan midfielder delights, but gets lost in the usual discontinuity: it’s 0-0 on his debut. Ok Ukraine and Spain
Belgium and the Netherlands, in one of the two opening matches of the European Championship played in Tbilisi, do not go beyond the 0-0 and already find themselves chasing: the hosts of Georgia indeed beat Portugal by surprise and take the lead from group A. But the absence of goals at the Meskhi stadium shouldn’t deceive: the few spectators weren’t bored, thanks to two teams with significant quality cues and not exactly waterproof in defence. Among the interested eyes, at least from TV, those of the AC Milan fans: Charles De Ketelaere, back in the Under 21s to take a run up and come back up, showed a couple of interesting flashes diluted however in the usual discontinuity. Some more interesting notes ended up in the notes on Lois Openda: the Belgian striker from Lens (21 goals in Ligue 1 and 13 in 16 appearances for Under) impressed with his speed in progression and his ability to face the goal. He didn’t find the goal but he came close to it, on CDK’s best play (a splendid vertical pocket from midfield) who sent him face to face with the excellent Verbruggen, good at saying no. Evidence of an agreement that in the meantime will serve Belgium to reach qualification and then – why not – can whet the imagination in terms of the transfer market.
Start OrangeThe Netherlands coached by Erwin van de Looi (father of Brescia midfielder, Tom) starts much more proactive. He already dribbles from the back for a long time – with the associated risks – and then attacks en masse, almost scoring in the first 10′: from the right-footed trocar the hole comes for Taylor who escapes from the central players and crosses on the post. The Dutch never give up on phrasing, even from dead ball: and it is on the articulated development of a corner kick that, close to the quarter of an hour, another double great opportunity arises with Empoli’s De Winter (on loan from Juve) good at saving twice on the line, first on Brobbey and then on Summerville. The wave subsides midway through the first half, when the pace slows down and you notice how expensive (and a bit extreme) the Orange system is: a 3-4-3 based on continuous rotations in the middle of the field to remove the references and then slip between the lines, with the predisposition for immediate ball recovery and – when he fails – for one-on-one defense with a lot of field behind him. At half an hour, the Azeri referee Aghayev had already handed out four yellow cards (two on each side, the Dutch star Gravenberch, Bayern midfielder, is also in the notebook) which help to curb the intensity a bit. The Dutch offensive flow begins to lean to the left, where the Summerville elf (4 goals in the Premier League with Leeds) starts with an inverted foot and wreaks havoc, still finding the silhouette of De Winter – great sense of position – to shield another attempt to shot. In any case, Belgium’s low center of gravity goes well with Openda’s rapid progression: a central tear from the Lens attacker thus generates his first notification in the match, leading to Vertessen’s shot. In this wake, we understand how the search for depth can send the Dutch into suffering. And thus, shortly before the break, De Ketelaere’s first noteworthy play was born: the AC Milan player moves back in midfield and thinks vertically with a splendid left-footed half-back, sending the usual Openda on goal (Verbruggen’s save was decisive) .
Changes for Belgium Belgium comes out of the locker room with fresh energy: inside the winger Balikwisha – who immediately wins a free-kick on the short side of the left – and the full-back Siquet, who beats that free-kick finding a dirty deflection on the crossbar. The waltz of substitutions leads the Netherlands to defend themselves often with four and to lower themselves, with the game thus changing: opportunities arrive from both sides, often the result of imperfect defensive countermeasures. De Ketelaere stands out for his good dribbling from 20 metres, but a rebound takes away the right time for his shot. However, it is Belgium that moves up the tide, compared to the first half: the man of the match statuette is taken by Dutch goalkeeper Verbrugghen (who plays in Brussels, for Anderlecht) with a couple of decisive saves: in fact, twice it is exalted on Balikwisha, in a case triggered by a velvet heel by Openda which also disguises itself as a finisher. Belgium protests, in the final, for a touch by Van Hecke (reserve centre-half for De Zerbi’s Brighton), but his arms were clearly crossed behind his back. An episode that serves as a reminder: in this European Championship there is no technology, neither Var nor Goal Line Technology. You have to get used to it.
Georgia-Portugal 2-0Kvaratskhelia’s little brothers (in his absence) start with a bang: two goals in the first half and Georgia – one of the two host countries – knocks Portugal out, to the delight of the Boris Paichadze stadium in Tblisi. Both goals in the final and both from an assist from Tsitaishvili: in the 37th minute the first signing came from the center forward Gagua, 193 centimetres, whom Alaves sent on loan to Real Uniòn in Irun in the Spanish third division. The doubling just before the interval, from a corner, with Sazonov jumping undisturbed. After the substitutions, Portugal reacted with the crossbar hit by Ajax striker Francisco Conceiçao (a goal in the Champions League in November), but was then unable to scratch the resistance of the well-equipped Georgian defence. In the next match against the Netherlands – already decisive for qualification – the Portuguese coach Rui Jorge will have to do without Tomas Araujo, who was sent off in the 76th minute.
The result that comes from Bucharest also makes noise, where Ukraine starts strong and gives Croatia a goal in each half. With star Mudrik on the bench, unlock Kashchuk by rewarding the great Ukrainian start. The same author of the first goal, at the beginning of the second half, served the assist for Sikan’s double – seen in the Champions League and Europa League with Shakhtar after three minutes of the second half. The reaction came from Stojkovic’s crossbar and Frigan’s attempt into the outside of the net, but Croatia – after this defeat – are already under pressure ahead of Saturday’s match against Spain.
romania-spain 0-3
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Spain, one of the big favorites for the title, started off on the right foot by neutralizing – unlike what happened to Portugal – the home factor. At the Steaua Stadium in Bucharest there is no match against the hosts, overwhelmed by the quality and intensity of the talents led on the bench by Santi Denia. The final numbers say 25 shots to 7, with 75% of ball possession in favor of Gabri Veiga and his companions. The first half finished 0-0 was strange, but then Spain – who recited a monologue of chances – flooded after the break: Alex Baena (double-digit seasonal midfielder with Villarreal) opened from the heart of the area, doubled by the full-back left foot Miranda at the end of a playstation action, three of a kind by Guardioliano Sergio Gomez (about twenty overall appearances with City) on a free kick deflected by the barrier. The “Italians” Mario Gila of Lazio and Bernabè of Parma remained on the bench.
Results and rankingsBelgium-Netherlands 0-0
Georgia-Portugal 2-0 (goals by Gagua and Sazonov)
Ukraine-Croatia 2-0 (goals by Kashchuk and Sikan)
Romania-Spain 0-3 (goals from Baena, Miranda and Gomez).
Group A standings: Georgia 3 pts, Belgium and Holland 1, Portugal 0.
Group B standings: Spain and Ukraine 3 pts, Croatia and Romania 0.
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