France's draw with the Netherlands at Euro 2024 saw N'Golo Kante extend a record run at major tournaments.

Les Bleus drew 0-0 with the Dutch in a somewhat underwhelming encounter in Leipzig on Friday.

Kante was the star performer, picking up the Player of the Match award for the second match in a row.

And the midfielder has now registered 17 appearances at major tournaments for Les Bleus, without suffering a single defeat (not including penalty shoot-outs).

The 2018 World Cup winner is four games clear of any other European player when it comes to such a streak.

Italians Simone Perrotta (13) and Fulvio Collovati (12) are second and third on the all-time list, ahead of Andre Schurlle (11), Carlos Marchena (11) and Paul Gascoigne (11).

Kante has won 12 of his 17 matches at the Euros/World Cup, playing in five draws.

France's slatemate against the Netherlands leaves them second in Group D, though the favourites are still in a strong position to progress.

St. Louis City must use this week's home clash with Atlanta United to turn things around after seven games without a victory, says defender Anthony Markanich.

St. Louis were thrashed 3-0 by the Colorado Rapids in midweek to extend their miserable run of form, with their last victory coming against the Chicago Fire back on May 12.

They have slipped to 12th in the Western Conference standings after topping the pile in their first campaign in MLS in 2023, and Markanich says they need to harness the support they receive at CITYPARK.

"I think every home game should be a win," Markanich said. "These next two games are very important."

Reflecting on their midweek defeat, head coach Bradley Carnell said: "At the moment, we can have certain things not going our way. We're not looking for excuses or for help, we have to help ourselves out of this situation. 

"I'm confident in my group that we can do that. It's not been what we were looking for and we know we can do better."

Atlanta, meanwhile, have won back-to-back matches to rise to ninth in the Eastern Conference, looking revitalised under interim head coach Rob Valentino.

Thiago Almada scored their winner against D.C. United last time out, leading Valentino to heap praise upon the 2022 World Cup winner.

"He ends up showing his quality, that's what he's there for," Valentino said of Almada.

"He works hard in training to do that, whether he's got pressure on him or not. As a staff we try to take the pressure off everyone in the group and let them go out and enjoy their football."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City – Joao Klauss

Klauss' five goals in MLS this year are more than any other St. Louis player, while only Celio Pompeu and Eduard Lowen (three apiece) have bettered his two assists among his team-mates.

Atlanta United – Thiago Almada 

Almada scored the only goal of the match from outside the box in Atlanta's win over D.C. United on Wednesday, his 12th career MLS goal from outside the area, four more than any other player since he joined the league in 2022.

MATCH PREDICTION – DRAW 

This will be the first ever meeting between St. Louis and Atlanta. The hosts are winless in four straight games on their own turf for the first time in club history.

Atlanta, meanwhile, have recorded back-to-back road wins for the first time in almost three years, since victories over the Columbus Crew and D.C. back in August 2021.

The Five Stripes had drawn four of their previous five away matches across all competitions, though, and another draw could be on the cards here.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 37%

Atlanta United – 36.6%

Draw – 26.4%

Tyler Adams believes winning a knockout match is the real measure of success for the United States at the Copa America.

The USA are the host nation of the 2024 Copa America, and they kick-start their campaign against Bolivia on Sunday.

Gregg Berhalter's team will also face Panama and Uruguay in Group C, which they are predicted to progress from in second place, according to Opta's supercomputer.

And while taking nothing for granted ahead of facing the tournament's worst-ranked team, Adams believes a true litmus test for the USA would be progressing beyond the quarter-finals.

"For me, it's getting past the quarter-final," said Adams.

"We need to – in a pressure situation – win in a knockout. That's going to measure a lot of our success."

Defender Mark McKenzie added: "When you talk about some of the most watched games, I think aside from the World Cup, you look at the Copa America.

"You talk about countries that have won multiple World Cups, in Uruguay and Argentina and Brazil.

"You have the opportunity now to step into this tournament and go head-to-head with them. Ultimately, it's usually a South American tournament and now we have the opportunity to play against them."

Carlos Zago won the Copa America with Brazil in 1999, and the Bolivia head coach is out to cause an upset at the AT&T Stadium.

"The most important thing is for us to compete," Zago said.

"We have to try to play on an equal footing with the big teams in terms of intensity and physicality."

Bournemouth midfielder Adams also made a bullish statement in regards to his own ability.

"When I'm healthy and playing consistently, I'm one of the best midfielders at what I do in the world," he said, as reported by the Daily Mail.

"I'm not a politician, I don't need to persuade anyone."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

United States - Christian Pulisic

Pulisic, who will captain the Stars and Stripes at this tournament, is their chief playmaker and also a potent goal threat.

Indeed, he is coming off his best season in terms of goals scored at club level, having netted 15 times for Milan in 2023-24.

Bolivia - Carlos Lampe

Carlos Lampe (nine) is two matches away from equalling Arturo Lopez (11) for the third-most appearances among goalkeepers for Bolivia in the Copa America.

Only Eduardo Gutierrez (12) and Vicente Arraya (20) have played more matches in goal for Bolivia in the competition.

MATCH PREDICTION: UNITED STATES WIN

The USA and Bolivia have faced each other only once in the Copa America, and it was a victory for the South American team, 1-0 at Estadio Parque Artigas in Uruguay during the group stage of the 1995 edition, thanks to a goal by Marco Etcheverry.

However, the USA are backed to win this time, even though CONMEBOL teams have won eight of the last 10 matches against the Stars and Stripes in the Copa America, including the two most recent: Argentina 4-0 USA (semifinals in 2016) and Colombia 1-0 USA (third-place match in 2016).

Bolivia will seek a win against a CONCACAF opponent in the competition for the first time since the 1997 edition when they defeated Mexico 3-1 in the semi-finals of the tournament they hosted.

Expect Bolivia to go long more often than not. So far in the South American Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Bolivia (along with Paraguay) have the highest average passing distance (20.5 meters).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

USA - 58%

Bolivia - 21%

Draw - 21%

Rumba Munthali believes his Nashville SC side are in a good spot ahead of Saturday's clash with New York City, having continued their climb up the standings by beating Toronto FC 2-1 in midweek.

Sam Surridge's 90th-minute strike handed Nashville their second win in their last four MLS matches on Wednesday, and they now sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.

Interim boss Munthali has overseen a resurgence since taking over from the fired Gary Smith last month, and he is excited by the chance to keep it going against NYCFC.

"It's really good to pick up more points and move up the standings," Munthali said. 

"I thought the guys showed some heart and had a good second half and deserved to win.

"Now we just have to talk to our staff, make sure the guys are in a good place for Saturday in the space we have and hopefully again have good performances."

Nick Cushing's visitors sit six points clear of Nashville in fourth place, though they have lost ground on those above them by recording back-to-back losses.

Having gone down 3-2 at home to the Columbus Crew last week, they were beaten 2-0 at the LA Galaxy on Wednesday.

Cushing knows acclimatising to different conditions on their travels is somewhere his team can improve, saying: "We made changes, but we've got a squad that allows us to make changes.

"If you want to be a consistently winning team, a team that is successful in MLS, you have to cope with travel and time zones and all of those things, the heavy schedule too."

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Nashville SC – Sam Surridge

Surridge scored both of Nashville's goals in their midweek victory over Toronto, his third match with two or more goals in MLS.

Of Surridge's nine MLS goals, seven have arrived in the three matches where he scored more than once (one hat-trick, two braces).

New York City – Santiago Rodriguez

Rodriguez led NYCFC on Wednesday with five shot involvements (two chances created, three shots attempted), extending his team-leading shot involvements tally to 95 for the season. 

If he maintains his lead, he will have led the team for shot involvements in each of the last three seasons, joining David Villa (2015 to 2017) as the only NYCFC players to do so in three straight campaigns.

MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE SC WIN

The home team has not lost any of the four all-time meetings between these teams, with Nashville winning both of their home games and NYCFC recording a win and a draw on their own turf.

New York's 2-0 defeat to the Galaxy last time out was their fifth shutout defeat of the year, tied with the New England Revolution and Orlando City for the joint-most in MLS.

Nashville, meanwhile, have only lost one of their last seven regular-season games (three wins, three draws), and are chasing their first pair of consecutive wins since May-June 2023.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Nashville SC – 44%

New York City – 29.2%

Draw – 26.8%

Steve Cherundolo is expecting to get back to winning ways back at home against the struggling San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday.

LAFC's six-match winning streak in MLS ended in midweek, though Kei Kamara ensured they did not leave Austin FC empty-handed, salvaging a 1-1 draw.

Sitting second in the Western Conference, LAFC are flying high, though their last defeat, on May 5, did come against San Jose.

After two road matches on the bounce, Cherundolo is happy to be heading back to BMO Stadium.

"With a little more composure and connecting on a few more passes, you can get the three points," said Cherundolo.

"I still think we're in a good way, and we didn't get three points [against Austin] but we'll take it and carry this home to try and win on Saturday.

"San Jose have the ability to score goals, which they've shown, but also concede. It's going to be a tough task, but we're at home and our expectations are always great at home."

The Earthquakes sit bottom of the table, having won just three of their matches all season.

They have failed to win any of their last six, including a 2-1 defeat to Portland Timbers in midweek, and Luchi Gonzalez urged his team to keep up their fight.

"It's going to hurt because we had the game [against Portland] in our hands until we didn't," Gonzalez said. "It's about control.

"We control the next moment, and we're never going to give up. I'm not going to ever give up. These guys won't give up. We're going to learn and keep trying to figure this out. That's what we can control."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Los Angeles FC – Kei Kamara

Kamara scored his first goal of the season in the 90th minute of LAFC's 1-1 draw with Austin FC on Wednesday. It was the 150th goal of his MLS career (regular season and playoffs), the third player to reach that mark after Chris Wondolowski (173) and Landon Donovan (150).

San Jose Earthquakes – Paul Marie

Marie scored his second goal of the season with an outside-the-box finish against Portland Timbers.

Marie has scored in five straight seasons for San Jose, but 2024 is the first in which he has scored more than once.

MATCH PREDICTION: LOS ANGELES FC WIN

After San Jose lost each of their first six matches against Los Angeles in all competitions, they lost only three of the last 11 (W7 D1), including a 3-1 win on May 4. Still, LAFC have won seven of their nine all-time home matches against the 'Quakes (D1 L1).

Dating back to last season, Los Angeles are unbeaten in their last 13 home games in all competitions with 11 wins and two draws. LAFC have kept a clean sheet in each of their last four competitive matches at home – it is the longest such streak in the team's history.

Meanwhile, the Earthquakes have lost 13 of their 18 regular-season games in 2024 (W3 D2), including each of their last three. Dating back to last season, San Jose have conceded in 24 straight regular-season matches, one shy of their team record of 25 (in both 1999 & spanning 2017-18).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Los Angeles FC – 67.9%

Draw – 17.8%

San Jose Earthquakes – 14.4%

England are "desperate" to win Euro 2024, but Declan Rice feels the Three Lions "put too much pressure on ourselves".

Gareth Southgate and his team have faced plenty of scrutiny in the media following unconvincing displays in their matches so far.

England beat Serbia 1-0 in their Group C opener before drawing 1-1 with Denmark on Thursday.

While they sit in pole position to progress as group winners ahead of facing Slovenia, England – particularly in attack – do not look up to the standard of some of the other teams to have impressed so far at the tournament.

But Rice believes adding extra pressure does not help.

He said: "We are all so desperate to win, to be leaders, to go out there and give people memories for lifetimes and sometimes I maybe feel like we put too much pressure on ourselves where we could just go out there and let it just take care of ourselves.

"We know we can be better in and out of possession and there is lots to improve on, which is a positive in a way.

"I think there is probably more pressure now from the outside just because of the seasons some of our players have had.

"If you look at the goals that our front four have scored this year, it’s over 100 between them. Of course, there is expectation because they are the best players in the world. And that goes for everyone throughout the team.

"There's going to be that pressure. This is England [at] a major tournament. But this is our job and this is what we have to deal with."

England's questionable displays have seen them drop from being Euro 2024 favourites, at least according to Opta's supercomputer, to the third-most likely team to win the tournament, behind France and hosts Germany.

England round out their Group C campaign against Slovenia on Tuesday.

Chicago Fire Frank Klopas is pleased with the impact his attacking players have been working together this season and is looking forward to seeing how they fare against Orlando City.

The Fire are level on points with their hosts heading into the game on Saturday but sit above them due to their superior goal difference.

Chicago are currently on a four-match unbeaten streak, winning each of their last two matches, with Klopas praising his players for finding their attacking groove in recent weeks.

"Going to Orlando, especially in this heat, we have to be good on the ball, it's so important, and we've worked hard on that," Klopas said. "The team is in a good moment, and they're also working extremely hard and that's very important to me.

"We've been dangerous in games when we work as a unit and quickly transition.

"It's been a big focus of ours from the beginning of the season to get more opportunities, and we've done a much better job with that, and we're showing our ability to finish chances."

Orlando are in 14th but will leapfrog their opponents with a win. However, they will need to snap a five-match winless streak in order to do that.

Head coach Oscar Pareja was once again left to lament late lapses of concentration in their 2-2 draw with Charlotte FC and is hoping to improve that against the Fire.

"It has happened in recent games where we dominate possession that we concede late goals," the head coach said.

"I think our vigilance is getting better, but [against Charlotte] we lost two duels, and they found a way to hurt us. We need to get better about controlling possession."

PLAYER TO WATCH

Orlando City – Facundo Torres

Torres, who scored Orlando's equalizer on Wednesday against Charlotte, has scored four goals in five career MLS matches against the Fire, tied for his most against any opponent (also four vs the New York Red Bulls).

Chicago Fire – Hugo Cuypers

Cuypers has recorded a goal contribution in each of his last four appearances for the Fire, the first player to do so for the club since Robert Beric in 2020 (five straight).

Chicago has posted a record of W3 D3 L1 in matches in which Cuypers has been involved in a goal this season and W1 D3 L7 when he has not.

MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY WIN

Orlando are unbeaten in six straight matches against the Fire (W4 D2), though Chicago did manage a home draw when the sides met on May 29. The Lions have just one longer regular-season unbeaten run against a single opponent, going eight straight without defeat vs. Toronto FC from 2019-23.

However, Orlando have lost four of their last five home matches, including each of the last two. They had suffered just one defeat in their previous 16 regular-season home matches (W9 D6) before this run.

Meanwhile, Chicago have recorded back-to-back wins after winning just two of their first 16 matches this season (D6 L8). The Fire have netted six times over the two wins after scoring six total goals in their previous 11 games.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Orlando City – 54%

Draw – 23.6%

Chicago Fire – 22.4%

Ricardo Gareca is not concerned about Chile's chances of making it out of Group A at the Copa America despite their opening draw with Peru.

Friday's clash in Arlington finished 0-0 as the teams mustered just five shots on target and an accumulative expected goals tally of just 1.76 between them, but there were 37 fouls – Chile committing 19 and Peru 18.

Gareca pointed to the aggressive nature of the game as a reason for Chile's lack of rhythm against the nation he coached in the last four editions of the Copa America, though he did not look to make excuses.

"We were not able to create many plays and execute them. We were under a lot of pressure and sometimes we were not accurate in our passes," said Gareca, who is the fourth coach to participate in five consecutive editions of the Copa America, after Guillermo Stabile, Luis Tirado and Oscar Tabarez.

"I'm not concerned. I think this will be useful for us to analyse our game to improve our game.

"We of course hoped to win the match. But I think it's very important that we're able to take a point and we still have two matches ahead of us."

This was the first 0-0 draw in a match between Chile and Peru since 1989, when they faced each other in a friendly, with the teams having met 34 times between the scoreless draws. In fact, it was the first draw between these teams since 2004 (1-1 in a friendly), with 14 Chilean victories and six Peruvian victories since then.

Chile fielded the oldest starting line-up in the Copa America this century (31 years and 168 days), while Peru's starting eleven was the third oldest in the same period (30 years and 363 days).

"It was a very strategic and tactical game," said Peru coach Jorge Fossati.

"We knew that if we gave some leeway to the opponent, if we let them run and made them feel comfortable, it was giving them a tool or a weapon that could really hurt us.

"We were aggressive but I don't think one team was more aggressive than the other. It was an even and fair game."

Group A also includes tournament favourites Argentina, who kick-started their campaign with a 2-0 win over Canada.

John Herdman says Toronto FC need to make big changes amid a five-match winless streak, promising to banish their old ways ahead of Saturday's visit to the New York Red Bulls.

Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Nashville SC was the third time in five games that Toronto have dropped a match due to goals in the 90th minute or later. 

They have slipped to seventh in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind the Red Bulls and only four clear of the Philadelphia Union, who are outside the playoff spots. 

Reflecting on Toronto's latest disappointing result, Herdman said: "I was proud of about 60 minutes but that last 30 again, it just feels like old TFC is back.

"We just wobble, we look unsure, we look timid. We look like we can score. But when we look like we can score we look like they're going to score the either way very quickly, and that's a challenge.

"I can point fingers at the players but the staff have got to take a big responsibility as well. We're making those changes."

The Red Bulls, meanwhile, are flying high in third place, having fought back from two goals down in a 2-2 draw with CF Montreal in midweek.

Head coach Sandro Schwarz said after that match: "Especially in the second half it was a great mentality, and there was great energy from the whole team. 

"I'm not frustrated because I want us to play the way I like, to be dominant. If you want to be successful, you have to learn that you don't lose your energy and stay at the highest level.

"That is important for us, not to lose our principles."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New York Red Bulls – Dante Vanzeir

Vanzeir's seven assists are more than any other Red Bulls player has managed in MLS this season, while only Emil Forsberg (29) and John Tolkin (27) have bettered his 19 chances created for the team.

Toronto FC – Federico Bernardeschi

Bernardeschi has been involved in 12 goals in his last seven MLS matches dating back to late April (seven goals, five assists). 

Only Sebastian Giovinco (14 between July and August 2016) has recorded more goal contributions in a span of seven matches in Toronto's MLS history.

MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK RED BULLS WIN

Toronto have only won one of their last 29 regular-season away matches dating back to late 2022, though they have taken a point from their last two road trips.

The Red Bulls, meanwhile, are unbeaten in 11 home matches in all competitions dating back to the end of last season (seven wins, four draws), their longest home unbeaten streak since a 16-match stretch in 2016.

They have also won their last six home games against Toronto by an aggregate score of 13-1.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New York Red Bulls – 63.6%

Toronto FC – 17%

Draw – 19.4%

We are now a full week into Euro 2024, and the tournament continues to serve up plenty of entertainment – sometimes in the places fans least expect.

While there was nothing to separate the Netherlands and France in a dour goalless draw on Friday, Austria put on a show in Group D's other match, eliminating Poland with a 3-1 win.

Earlier on, there were emotional scenes as Ukraine claimed their first major tournament win since Euro 2020, fighting back to beat Slovakia 2-1 in Group C.

There was also plenty more happening away from the pitch, and we run through the best of the day's content here, in our social media round-up.

Tears of joy for Ukraine 

Ukraine's first game at the tournament fell flat as they were thrashed 3-0 by Romania, and they were staring at an early exit when they went 1-0 down to Slovakia on Friday.

However, second-half goals from Mykola Shaparenko and Roman Yaremchuk turned the game on its head, throwing up the prospect of all four Group E teams entering the final matchday on three points.

It was an understandably emotional occasion for Ukraine and for winning goalscorer Yaremchuk, who was pictured in tears at the full-time whistle. 

Heartbreak for Tierney

From ecstasy to agony. Friday began with the news that Scotland full-back Kieran Tierney would miss the remainder of the tournament with the hamstring injury he sustained against Switzerland earlier this week.

Taking to Instagram, Tierney said he was "heartbroken" after it was confirmed he would return to Arsenal for tests.

Scotland will be hoping to give him something to cheer on Sunday, when a victory over Hungary would likely book a last-16 place. 

Leipzig turns Oranje

There is nothing quite like the sight of the Netherlands' fans turning a host city orange, and that is precisely what happened ahead of their meeting with France. 

Bouncing in tandem at the team's fan zone, these supporters certainly brought the party to Leipzig.

Some might even have regretted leaving for the Red Bull Arena, after sitting through the tournament's first goalless draw.

The masked crusader

After he suffered a broken nose during France's opening game against Austria, Kylian Mbappe's condition has been a hot topic of debate.

On Thursday, he was seen going through his paces in a tricolour protective mask sure to impress French patriots.

However, with UEFA regulations stipulating that any mask he wears competitively must be all one colour, he unveiled a new, sleek look on Friday.

He did not get off the bench against the Netherlands, but France's masked crusader will be itching to return to the field against Poland on matchday three.

Scenes to savour for Austria

A huge contingent of Austrian fans made the short trip to Berlin to witness another highly impressive display from Ralf Rangnick's team on Friday.

This one was capped with three points, too, as second-half goals from Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic handed them a deserved 3-1 win over Poland.

Arnautovic appeared overcome with emotion when he was substituted late on, and he was later seen directing the celebrations as Austria underlined their status as potential dark horses. 

Ronald Koeman and Virgil van Dijk believe Xavi Simon's disallowed goal should have stood after the Netherlands' goalless draw with France on Friday.

The midfielder thought he had given his side the lead in the 69th minute after latching onto Memphis Depay's saved shot and picking out the bottom corner.

However, a lengthy VAR check saw the goal ruled out as Denzel Dumfries was judged to be blocking Mike Maignan from getting to it.

The Oranje were not happy with the decision at the time, and their ire continued into post-match, with a frustrated Koeman adamant they should have come away with all three points.

"I think the position of Dumfries is offside, that's true, but he isn't disturbing the goalkeeper and when that happens, then it's a legal goal," Koeman said.

"You need five minutes to check it because it's so difficult? I don't understand. He's not disturbing the goalkeeper. I think the goal should have stood.

"I asked the referee, and he said it was offside, but I saw the clip about the offside. And after that, I have my opinion about the legal goal, but that was in the dressing room."

A win would have ensured the Netherlands a place in the last 16 with a game to spare.

Although four points are likely to see them through, it will go down to their final match against Austria on Tuesday to decide where they finish in the table.

While Van Dijk echoed his manager's frustrations over the VAR decision, he remained optimistic about the result.

"In my opinion, Xavi Simons' goal that was disallowed was a valid goal," said Van Dijk. "But one point is a bonus, we have to be that realistic.

"We are playing against France, so I don't think it is strange that you have difficulty in some phase of the match. The fighting spirit we have shown is very positive.

"Now we are on four points, and we continue towards Tuesday against Austria. We tried to remain compact at the back and still hurt France on the counter.

"We almost succeeded a few times, but we didn't play it out well. We don't lose, and we still have everything in our own hands."

Didier Deschamps bemoaned France's lack of a clinical edge as they played out a 0-0 draw with the Netherlands on Friday.

Les Bleus, without talisman Kylian Mbappe due to a broken nose he suffered against Austria in their opener, struggled in front of goal, managing only three shots on target out of their 15.

Xavi Simons thought he had broken the deadlock in the 69th minute, only to have it chalked off due to Denzel Dumfries impeding Mike Maignan from an offside position.

After a wasteful performance in the final third, Deschamps was not willing to speculate if the situation would have been different if Mbappe played.

"The only regret is the efficiency," Deschamps told M6. "It was a match with great intensity, a Dutch team more cautious than usual.

"Compared to the opponent, we had no less 36 hours less recovery. We responded on an athletic level despite everything we did everything we had to do to recover as much as possible but hey..."

"Kylian, it's Kylian, we're not going to compare him to the others.

"[Bradley] Barcola has qualities, that's why he's there, he does good things in training. But he's never been with us. In a match like that, it's never easy to put it at the end to make the difference, but the team was rather well-balanced, we were able to create danger and defend well."

France could have sealed their place in the round of 16 with a win in Leipzig, though they will likely qualify anyway after moving onto four points with this draw.

Antoine Griezmann had the most shots for France (five), including two big chances, and he admitted that the side needed to work on their finishing ahead of their final match against Poland on Tuesday.

"I have two 'opportunities' where it stays in my feet. It's a real shame," Griezmann told beIN Sports.

"That's what we're missing in the two matches, we have to work on it. Defensively, we were good. Tactically, we were good. We're missing that little goal; it's going to happen."

Friday's action at Euro 2024 was headlined by a heavyweight Group D clash which did not quite live up to its billing, as France and the Netherlands played out a goalless draw.

While France misfired in the absence of Kylian Mbappe, who was an unused substitute after breaking his nose in Les Bleus' opener, it was VAR that frustrated the Dutch as Xavi Simons saw a potential winner chalked off for an offside call against Denzel Dumfries.  

Fortunately, there was plenty of entertainment to be had in the day's early games, as Ukraine fought back to beat Slovakia 2-1 and Austria dumped Poland out of the tournament with a 3-1 success in Berlin.

Here, we run through all the best Opta stats to emerge from the day's matches.

Slovakia 1-2 Ukraine: Shaparenko follows in Shevchenko's footsteps

The first game of the day was an emotional one for Ukraine, as they fought back from 1-0 down to clinch a 2-1 victory over Slovakia and blow Group E wide open.

Ivan Schranz's goal had put Slovakia on course for a second win in two games, as he became just the second player to net multiple goals at Euro 2024 after Germany's Jamal Musiala.

He is also just the second Slovakian player to score more than one goal at a major tournament, after Robert Vittek struck four times at the 2010 World Cup.

It was, in many ways, a case of experience versus youth in this match, as 37-year-olds Peter Pekarík and Juraj Kucka both made their 12th major tournament appearances for Slovakia (World Cup/Euros), overtaking Marek Hamsik (11) for the most in the nation's history.

Ukraine, meanwhile, named a starting lineup with an average age of just 25 years and 259 days – the youngest at this year's tournament so far and the first to come in under the 26 mark.

Youthful exuberance won the day as Ukraine came on strong in the second half, Mykola Shaparenko levelling after 54 minutes.

He became the first Dynamo Kyiv player to score at the Euros since the legendary Andriy Shevchenko did so on home soil at the 2012 tournament.

Roman Yaremchuk then came off the bench to decide the contest with a composed touch and finish in the 80th minute, becoming just the second Ukrainian substitute to net at a major tournament, after Artem Dovbyk did so against Sweden at Euro 2020.

It was also Yaremchuk's third major tournament goal, with only Shevchenko (four) boasting more for Ukraine.

Poland 1-3 Austria: Veteran Arnautovic on the spot

Austria won plenty of plaudits for their display against France on matchday one, but it did not translate into points.

That was not the case on Friday, though, as second-half goals from Christoph Baumgartner and Marko Arnautovic downed Poland, who had seen Krzysztof Piatek cancel out Gernot Trauner's early opener.

Trauner's ninth-minute header, his first competitive goal for Austria, made him just the second player to score on his first Euros start for the country, after Stefan Lainer versus North Macedonia three years ago.

It was also the fastest goal Austria have scored at the Euros, and their earliest in any tournament match since they netted twice in the first four minutes versus Czechoslovakia at the 1954 World Cup.

Ralf Rangnick's high-pressing side could not hold their lead until the interval, though, as Piatek levelled, becoming the seventh Poland player to net at the Euros and the fifth to do so on his competition debut, after Robert Lewandowski (2012), Arkadiusz Milik (2016), Karol Linetty (2020) and Adam Buksa (2024).

Lewandowski was later introduced from the bench after missing Poland's opener due to injury, as the striker (35 years, 305 days) became his nation's oldest player to feature at the Euros. That record lasted all of 15 minutes, with fellow substitute Kamil Grosicki coming on at the age of 36 years and 13 days.

A double salvo from Austria would later hand them a deserved victory, with Baumgartner and Arnautovic becoming the first players to net more than once for them at the Euros, having both scored at the 2020 edition.

Arnautovic's goal, a composed finish from the penalty spot after Marcel Sabitzer was fouled by Wojciech Szczesny, made him Austria's second-oldest goalscorer at a major tournament after Ivica Vastic (38 years, 257 days), who also netted a penalty against Poland in 2008.

Netherlands 0-0 France: Long wait for goalless draw over

Poland later became the first team to be officially eliminated from Euro 2024, courtesy of a goalless draw between the Netherlands and France in Leipzig.

Much of the pre-match talk centred on whether Mbappe would play after suffering a broken nose in Les Blues' 1-0 win over Austria on Monday. He had been fitted with a protective mask ahead of kick-off, yet was relegated to the bench, where he stayed throughout. 

France struggled in attack without their talisman, with Antoine Griezmann guilty of spurning several good chances. 

Griezmann did gain a slice of history, though, as his 32nd major tournament appearance equalled Lilian Thuram's record for the most by any outfield France player.

The Atletico Madrid man has also started each of France's last 11 games at the Euros, with Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (18) and Germany's Toni Kroos (13) the only outfielders currently on longer such streaks for their nation.

France's failure to find the breakthrough means they have failed to win any of their last seven games when Mbappe has not been in their starting lineup, drawing five and losing two such matches since the start of June 2022.

In fact, it was the Netherlands who went closest to victory as Simons saw a potential winner controversially chalked off in the second half, ensuring we got the first goalless draw of this year's tournament.

In fact, the result ended a run of 50 European Championship games without a 0-0 draw dating back to the group stages at the delayed 2020 tournament, when there was nothing to separate England and Scotland.

Xavi Simons saw a potential winner controversially disallowed as the spoils were shared in a 0-0 draw between the Netherlands and France in Group D at Euro 2024.

A VAR check led to the Dutchman's 69th-minute strike being chalked off for offside, stopping the Oranje from booking their place in the round of 16 with a game to spare.

Antoine Griezmann squandered a host of chances for France, who struggled in front of goal with Kylian Mbappe relegated to the bench due to a broken nose.

Both sides move onto four points, and after Austria's win over Poland earlier on Friday, it is all to play for between the top three on the final matchday, with Poland the first team to be officially eliminated from the tournament. 

The Netherlands came flying out of the blocks, with Jeremie Frimpong forcing a fingertip save from Mike Maignan with less than a minute on the clock.

France soon found their footing though, with Griezmann, wearing the armband in Mbappe's absence, failing to scramble it in from six yards after Adrien Rabiot's lay-off before he drilled another effort just wide of the post.

Maignan was required again when Cody Gakpo cut inside from left before whipping a firm shot across goal, as the goalkeeper got a strong hand to it.

Just before the half-hour mark, Marcus Thuram looked set to break the deadlock after beating the offside trap, but one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he sliced his effort over the crossbar.

After a slow start to the second half, France rallied on the hour mark, with Aurelien Tchouameni flashing a header over before Griezmann saw another glorious opportunity smothered by Bart Verbruggen at his near post.

Against the run of play, Simons thought he had given the Netherlands the lead by picking out the bottom-right corner after latching onto the rebound of Memphis Depay's saved shot, but Denzel Dumfries, in an offside position, was judged to be impeding the goalkeeper and the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check.

Toothless France struggle without their talisman

All the pre-match talk centred on whether Mbappe would be fit to play after suffering a broken nose against Austria.

The answer: he was not. Instead, he started on the bench, with Marcus Thuram tasked with playing as the main forward in his absence.

Griezmann provided their foremost threat though, appearing in his 11th consecutive game at the Euros for France – Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (18) and Germany's Toni Kroos (13) are the only outfielders on longer such streaks for their nations.

It was a record-equalling appearance for the stand-in captain too, his 32nd at major tournaments, the most for a French outfielder along with Lilian Thuram.

However, the forward had four of France's five first-half shots, finishing with five overall, but failed to lead Les Bleus to a statement victory.

Still, France's wait for a win without Mbappe in their starting lineup goes on, as they have failed to come out on top in any of their last seven such matches (four draws, three defeats).

Netherlands smother Les Bleus

After losing both meetings in qualifying for Euro 2024 by an aggregate score of 6-1, the Netherlands were likely not too happy to come up against Les Bleus once more.

However, in the absence of Mbappe, who has scored six goals in five matches against the Dutch, the Netherlands were able to hold firm.

At the Euros, the Oranje have now avoided defeat in all three of their group-stage meetings with France (2000, 2008, 2024).

Defensively, they stood strong. Despite France having 13 shots, only three were on target as they created 1.4 expected goals (xG).

Virgil van Dijk led by example, making the most clearances (seven) of anybody on the pitch as the Netherlands protected their clean sheet.

Roberto Martinez has no doubts about Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to play 90 minutes every few days at Euro 2024, as Portugal prepare to face Turkiye in their second game.

Portugal opened their Group F campaign with a nervy 2-1 win over Czechia on Tuesday, with Francisco Conceicao coming off the bench to net a 92nd-minute winner.

Ronaldo – the all-time leading scorer at the Euros with 14 goals – played all 90 minutes in the Selecao's opening match, becoming the first player to feature at six different editions of the tournament (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024).

He endured a frustrating outing, failing to score from five shots worth 0.73 expected goals (xG) including missing one big chance, as defined by Opta.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has seen his place in the Portugal lineup debated since he was surprisingly dropped by Fernando Santos at the 2022 World Cup.

Martinez, however, feels the 39-year-old is more than capable of playing a full part, saying: "How many games did Cristiano play last season?

"There is no other player who has been at six European Championships. He brings experience, he offers us chances to score and opens up spaces. 

"We analyse the data and can see what he does. He's in the team because he deserves it. He can play every four days."

Some in the Portuguese media have questioned whether Martinez should field another striker alongside Ronaldo, but the former Belgium boss wants his team to attack as a collective. 

"He was the striker with the most shots on target, he was disciplined, he worked hard. He's an area player, he opens up spaces," Martinez said.

"The important thing for us is to arrive in the area. We are not a direct team. We want to get into the final third with six or seven players. We don't need another player close to Cristiano, we need six or seven."

Turkiye could call upon huge support at their opening match in Dortmund, as they overcame Georgia 3-1 in one of the games of the tournament to date. 

Martinez predicts a hostile reception for his team on Sunday, saying: "We expect the stadium to be loud. Turkey had a lot of support in the stands. 

"We also need to be ourselves, controlling the tempo and bringing width because that is what we do best. 

"Turkey showed they can defend but their focus is always to attack. They are aggressive, they have character and attitude. There are no secrets."