Euro 2024 social round-up: Football, eh? Italy snatch a last-16 place and England debate rolls on

By Sports Desk June 24, 2024

Gary Lineker has been at the centre of something of a storm when it comes to England at Euro 2024, and that story was plastered over social media on Monday.

Then, the football took control, with Spain keeping up their winning run and Italy salvaging a draw against Croatia to claim a spot in the last 16.

Here, we unpack the best of the day's social media clips from the tournament in Germany.

 

Football, eh?

Football... It's crazy! 

With a minute to go, Italy - the holders - were on the brink of a possible exit, with Croatia leading 1-0 in Leipzig.

Yet within 30 seconds, Mattia Zaccagni's maiden Azzurri goal had sent Italy through into the last 16, and it's Croatia who are on the verge of an early departure.

Lineker responds

There was a lot left to be desired following England's performance in their 1-1 draw with Denmark, but it is the post-match criticism that has since drawn the most attention.

In particular, Lineker's comments were brought to the attention of Harry Kane in a recent press conference, with the England captain urging the pundits to support the squad.

With the ball back in Lineker's court, he - along with fellow pundit Alan Shearer - had his say on the ongoing debate.

Ferdinand chips into pundit debate

Rio Ferdinand has done his fair share of punditry, and the former England defender had his say on the Lineker debate.

Ferdinand said the England players shouldn't expect pundits to act as "cheerleaders" when the team aren't performing.

Strike a pose

With qualification for the knockout stages already complete, Portugal do not have to worry about any pressure going into their final match against Georgia.

And while taking some time off during training, Joao Felix decided to try his hand at something a little different.

We may even see some of his photos popping up on Portugal's official X account in the coming days.

A family affair

Among the travelling Spanish fans are a family of nine, who have made a 2000km journey to watch their nation at the tournament.

After finally reaching their destination, they got to meet Ferran Torres, Marc Cucurella and Dani Vivian.

Torres subsequently starred for Spain as La Roja stayed perfect in Group B by beating Albania, with the Barcelona forward scoring the only goal of the game.

French cuisine 

Ever wondered what an international footballer does at lunchtime?

Well, fortunately for you, the French team allowed their social admins into the inner sanctum.

Scholes backs Mainoo for big things

More punditry relating to England, and this time it was Paul Scholes who had his say.

Scholes thinks Kobbie Mainoo, who has had an impressive season with Manchester United, could be the player to pull the strings in midfield for the Three Lions.

Vertonghen sees into the future

Jan Vertonghen is playing in his sixth major tournament for Belgium, and his third Euros.

Sitting down at Belgium's 'The Basecamp', the veteran defender was given a glimpse of what he will look like if he chooses to forgo retirement and keep playing with the help of AI.

While Vertonghen was seemingly happy with the results, Maxim De Cuyper was not so impressed.

The grind never stops

Cristiano Ronaldo will make his 50th appearance at a major tournament the next time he features at Euro 2024.

And even though Portugal are already through, the work on the training field never stops for the 39-year-old...

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    David de Gea saved two penalties for Fiorentina, setting the stage for Albert Gudmundsson to score the winner in a 2-1 victory over Milan. 

    In a pulsating encounter that saw three missed penalties and two red cards, Fiorentina prevailed to halt Paulo Fonseca's Serie A winning run.

    The hosts had the first spot-kick of the game, with Moise Kean's tame effort being kept out by Mike Maignan before the forward had a goal disallowed for offside.

    Former Milan midfielder Yacine Adli did break the deadlock soon after, ricocheting a low shot in off the far post from the edge of the box, and De Gea kept them ahead at the break, superbly denying Theo Hernandez from the spot. 

    Kean had a second goal chalked off for offside in the second half and Milan wasted another golden opportunity from 12 yards, as De Gea got down well to keep out Tammy Abraham this time. 

    On the hour mark, an in-form Christian Pulisic finally pulled the visitors level with a perfect volley, but the drama was far from over as Gudmundsson drilled his low shot past Maignan to put Fiorentina back in front in the 73rd minute.

    Emotions ran high in the final moments as Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino was sent off, while Hernandez also received his marching orders for arguing with the referee after the final whistle had gone.

    Data Debrief: De Gea's penalty redemption

    For all the plaudits De Gea received while at Manchester United, one blip on his record was his struggles against penalties.

    However, with his impressive showing against Milan, he became the first goalkeeper to make two penalty saves in a single Serie A match since Federico Marchetti in May 2016.

    Since his debut in the top five European leagues (2009-10), the Spaniard has saved 10 of his 52 penalties in the league, including each of the last three, having also saved one against Fulham in May 2023.

  • Rangers 2-0 St. Johnstone: Cerny double provides Ibrox redemption Rangers 2-0 St. Johnstone: Cerny double provides Ibrox redemption

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    Cerny broke the deadlock 11 minutes before the interval, cutting inside and curling a sumptuous effort into the bottom-left corner of Ross Sinclair's goal.

    Czech Republic winger Cerny added Rangers' second, and doubled his account, just before the hour after combining with returning midfielder Ianis Hagi before producing a right-footed finish into the far corner.

    Hagi – who had not played a first-team game for over a year due to a contract dispute – was sent off with nine minutes left though, following a VAR review for a high challenge on Benjamin Kimpioka's standing ankle.

    Rangers still recorded a comfortable triumph to move back within five points of the league-leading Celtic, who are clear of Aberdeen on goal difference, heading into the October international break.

    Data Debrief: Defensive recovery after Lyon pain

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    Clement's men have now won three matches in a row without conceding in the competition for the first time since doing so across January and February last campaign.

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  • Kompany not concerned despite Bayern's defensive issues in Frankfurt Kompany not concerned despite Bayern's defensive issues in Frankfurt

    Vincent Kompany saw no reason for concern despite Bayern Munich conceding a late equaliser in Sunday's 3-3 draw away to Eintracht Frankfurt.

    Bayern have now failed to win any of their last three matches in all competitions after last week's top-flight draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen and their midweek Champions League loss at Aston Villa.

    Kim Min-Jae sent the visitors ahead early on, only for in-form Omar Marmoush to level before his strike partner Hugo Ekitike edged the home side into the lead.

    Goals from Dayot Upamecano and Michael Olise turned the game around, only for Marmoush to provide a last-gasp equaliser – yet Kompany did not appear too worried at the full-time whistle.

    "This was a tough game against a team that was second in the Bundesliga [before the match]," Kompany told a press conference after the points were shared in Frankfurt.

    "When I look how the team worked and ran for each other it is a positive performance.

    "We are all judged by results but my job is to see how we perform against some of the top teams in Germany and continue to improve. If we continue like this we will have a lot of wins."

    All three Eintracht goals came from quick counter-attacks with the Bayern defence caught off guard.

    "The way we approached the game I cannot say I am not proud of the team," Kompany added.

    "I know you are all going to talk about the three goals that we conceded. We always have to improve things step by step. There are things that are not perfect but I have to focus on the things we did well."

    The Bavarians now have 14 points and sit top of the table on goal difference ahead of RB Leipzig, who were 1-0 winners at Heidenheim earlier on Sunday.

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