Romania and Slovakia were the protagonists of the first surprises of Euro 2024, which on Monday also saw a rather weak debut from the favorite France, with some flashes of football brilliance from their star Kylian Mbappé.
The Romanians looked immense and swept 3-0 against Ukraine at the Allianz Arena stadium in Munich, Germany, at the start of Group E. A magnificent goal by Nicolae Stanciu in the 29th minute deserved UEFA's congratulations on the social network X; while Razvan Marin (53) and Denis Dragus (57) scored the other goals for the team coached by Edi Iordanescu, capable of delivering the first major blow of the tournament.
However, the most striking note came from the Slovaks and their 1-0 success over Belgium. The "Red Devils" wasted several opportunities and, to make matters worse, two goals by Romelu Lukaku were disallowed in the second half of the match corresponding to the aforementioned key, while the winners celebrated the goal scored by forward Ivan Schranz (7).
France, for its part, achieved a rather bittersweet result by defeating Austria 1-0 without showcasing the talent of its squad and with some unsettling news: Mbappé got injured in the final moments of the match.
Precisely, an action by the now Real Madrid player motivated the only goal of the match: he dribbled down the right and sent a cross that Maximilian Wober headed in for an own goal.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker left the match after receiving a strong blow to the face. The signs of pain were evident, and the decision to take him off the field was the right one.
Thus, two of the "powerful" had a rather slow start, although only the Belgians tasted the bitter flavor of defeat. The good news is that they still have a path to walk hand in hand with their great star in midfield, Kevin De Bruyne.
The competitive program will continue this Tuesday with the matches Turkey-Georgia and Portugal-Czech Republic, all tenants of group F.
Undoubtedly, the main attraction of the event will be the presence of the Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who may be facing the last great challenge of his career at the national level.
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