Euro 2024 social round-up: Mbappe's broken nose, Neville's concern and the stars are out

By Sports Desk June 17, 2024

Euro 2024 is truly up and running, with five of the six groups having already gone through their first matchdays.

On Monday, favourties France clicked into gear with a 1-0 win over Austria.

That came after Romania thrashed Ukraine 3-0 and Belgium were the first major side to suffer a shock defeat, going down 1-0 to Slovenia.

But what about the action on social media? We've picked out some of the best posts...

 

The stars are out

There's plenty of big names taking in all the action in Germany, and there were some superstars in attendance to watch on as France faced Austria in Dusseldorf.

Among them were Portuguese great Luis Figo, Germany icon Philipp Lahm, and Spain legend - and current Bayer Leverkusen coach - Xabi Alonso.

Lahm posted on Instagram: "#AUTFRA in best company! Amazing how fans from Europe and all over the world have turned Germany into a big festival within just a few days."

Expected broken bones (xBB)?

Poor old Kylian Mbappe. He just can't catch a break at the Euros.

He did help create France's winner against Austria, but subsequently missed a great chance (one that had an expected goals value of 0.6) in the second half, and is yet to score at the European Championships.

To top it off, he then sustained what appeared to be a broken nose when his face clashed with Kevin Danso's shoulder.

Mbappe also received a booking before he was eventually substituted. Opta Analyst saw the funny side, at least. 

Evergreen

Eyebrows were raised in some quarters when Didier Deschamps elected to select N'Golo Kante in France's squad.

At 33 and having struggled with injuries in recent seasons, Kante now plies his trade out in Saudi Arabia.

Yet he was simply magnificent in the heart of France's midfield against Austria. He attempted three tackles, won two of them and made two interceptions in an all-action display.

Key skills

Fan parks in Germany are equipped with CPR training centres, so supporters can learn how to potentially save a life if required.

And it's not just the fans who are able to take in a lesson. 

As UEFA's official X account showed, the players are getting involved too. The Romanian team gave it a go.

Midfield an issue for England?

Gary Neville is out in Germany as a pundit for ITV Sport, though the former England defender was back on Sky Sports to share his thoughts on the Three Lions' display against Serbia on Sunday.

And Neville fears for the balance of Gareth Southgate's midfield.

"The midfield is the major concern and the fluidity of the game that comes through there is one thing we need to try and work on in the group stage because when we play against a good team, we'll have to have it right," said Neville. 

"There are some small alarm bells around balance and having a good group of players that are very talented but are we as good a team?"

Quickfire tour

Ever wondered what it's like behind the scenes at a team training camp at a major tournament?

Well, Scotland's social media team allowed fans to have a quick peep behind the curtain by sharing a 45-second video of their Alpine training base.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a town in Bavaria, and it's as picturesque as you can imagine.

Where's Wally?

Can you pick out one character in a sea of red and white?

The Austria fans were out in uniform for their clash with France!

Would you like fries with that?

It was far from a dream start for Belgium, as they slumped to a 1-0 loss to Slovakia.

Romelu Lukaku was twice thwarted by VAR, and squandered numerous big chances.

But Lukaku can at least take solace in the fact he is not the Belgium fan who elected to turn up to the match wearing a hat resembling a portion of french fries... That really is having a chip on your shoulder!

Related items

  • Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters Hurtig the hero after late goal sends Arsenal into Champions League quarters

    Lina Hurtig's 89th minute winner ensured Arsenal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League after edging Juventus 1-0 on Thursday. 

    After being frustrated for large parts of the encounter, Hurtig bundled home from close range after Martina Lenzini's poor clearance to book the Gunners' place in the last eight. 

    Despite Arsenal dominating the early exchanges, it was Juventus who had the first sight of goal, though Eva Schatzer's effort was easy for Daphne van Domselaar to gather.

    In a first half that saw just two shots on target, both coming from the visitors, Renee Slegers' substitutes proved to be the difference for Arsenal. 

    Slegers introduced Beth Mead, Stina Blackstenius and Hurtig late on, with the latter somehow putting Kim Little's cross over the bar from five yards out. 

    However, the Swede would atone for her earlier error, combining with fellow substitute Blackstenius to net against her former club and send them out of the competition with two group games remaining. 

    Meanwhile, in Group D, Barcelona edged closer to the quarter-finals of the competition with a convincing 4-1 victory over St. Polten at the Generali Arena. 

    The reigning champions are still three points behind Manchester City following their 2-1 win over Hammarby, and know a win against the Swedes next month will see them progress.

    Kika Nazareth opened the scoring in the 20th minute after capitalising on a mistake by Kamila Dubcova, notching her second nine minutes later from close range. 

    Barca found themselves three goals up at the break when Vicky Lopez netted her first goal in the competition to put the result beyond doubt. 

    There was also a landmark moment for Alexia Putellas, who netted her 200th goal for the club with a well-taken effort into the far corner. 

    Valentina Madl took some of the shine off an otherwise impressive display from the visitors, who have now taken their tally to 20 goals from their four matches in the competition. 

  • Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City Guardiola agrees two-year contract extension with Man City

    Pep Guardiola will be Manchester City manager for at least two more seasons after 2024-25, after he signed a two-year contract extension on Thursday.

    The 53-year-old was coming to the end of his City deal, which was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, but he has opted to remain at the Etihad Stadium.

    The deal itself will take Guardiola's tenure at the club to over a decade, making him City's longest-serving manager since Les McDowall in 1963.

    There had been suggestions that he may leave at the end of the season following the announcement that director of football Txiki Begiristain was on his way out.

    Guardiola was strongly linked with the England job after Gareth Southgate resigned in the wake of their Euro 2024 final defeat, but the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel last month.

    “Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. “This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.  

    “That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.

    “Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The Owner, The Chairman Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, the players and, of course, the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here.  

    “I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much.  

    “Hopefully, now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

     

    Having been appointed in 2016, Guardiola is by some distance Manchester City's most successful manager of all time, having won 18 major trophies during his time at the club.

    That list includes their first-ever Champions League triumph in 2023 and six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four on the spin.

    He also boasts a 72.04% win percentage across all competitions, which is unsurprisingly the highest of any full-time City manager in history.

  • Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League Shaw at the double as Man City progress in Champions League

    Khadija Shaw scored twice as Manchester City beat Hammarby 2-1 to seal their place in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals.

    Gareth Taylor's team entered Thursday's game with a perfect record in Group D, and their fourth win in as many European matches ensured they finished in the top two.

    Shaw—the leading scorer in the Women's Super League this season with eight goals—put them ahead in the 31st minute, driving into the area after taking in Yui Hasegawa's pass before seeing her shot deflect into the top corner.

    Shaw was booked for celebrating in front of the home fans despite appearing to have objects thrown at her from the stands, and Hammarby should have levelled when Julia Blakstad fired wide 10 minutes later.

    The hosts did draw level three minutes into the second half as Ellen Wangerheim tapped home while City's Laura Blindkilde Brown was down appealing for a free-kick. 

    That parity was short-lived, though, as Shaw blasted into the top corner from 25 yards out, taking her overall tally for this season to 12 goals in all competitions.

    In Group C, meanwhile, Bayern Munich lost their perfect record as they played out a 1-1 draw with Valerenga, boosting Arsenal's hopes of topping the pile.

    Jovana Damnjanovic came off the bench to put Bayern ahead 15 minutes from time in Norway, but Elise Thorsnes headed home following an 88th-minute corner to snatch a point for the hosts.

    Arsenal could now move within a point of Bayern when they face Juventus in Group C's other match later on Thursday.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.