Day two of Euro 2024 picked up the excitement where it left off, with a historic round of games on Saturday.

Switzerland joined Germany level on points at the top of Group A with an impressive 3-1 win over Hungary before Spain cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia in their Group B opener with three first-half goals.

Italy's European Championships title defence got off to a perfect start as they bounced back from conceding the earliest goal in the tournament's history (23 seconds) by beating Albania 2-1.

While the football continued to entertain, there was also plenty of action on social media. Here's a pick of some of the best posts.

What might have been for Wimbledon

AFC Wimbledon's official X account drew plenty of attention as the admin latched onto the hype over Jamal Musiala, following the Germany international's magical display against Scotland.

Musiala grew up in England, and represented AFC Wimbledon, via the Corpus Christi Primary School, in the EFL Utilita Kids Cup.

It's clear from the highlights of that match, in which Musiala scored a hat-trick and left defenders mesmerised - a bit like he did on Friday - that he was a special talent.

Embolo back on the scene

Breel Embolo endured an injury-hit campaign for Monaco, but he is back to fitness in time to feature for Switzerland, for whom he remains a crucial player.

And after coming on as a second-half substitute, Embolo sealed the three points as the Swiss beat Hungary 3-1 in the first game of the day. 

As the official Euro 2042 X account pointed out, Embolo has now netted in successive Euros tournaments for his nation.

Birthday boy

Pascal Gross is a newcomer to Germany's squad, and came on for his major tournament debut during Friday's 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.

The Brighton midfielder then celebrated his 33rd birthday on Saturday, with Germany's official X account sharing the celebrations.

That big win over Scotland, and his Euros bow, was surely a great way to welcome in his 34th year.

UEFA turns 70

Gross was not the only one celebrating a birthday on Saturday.

Indeed, UEFA marked the 70th anniversary of its founding, which came on June 15, 1954.

"It's a story of devotion, dedication and dreams..." shared the governing bodies' official X account.

Barcelona show pride of record-breaking youngster

Spain got off to the perfect start in the so-called 'group of death' with a rampant 3-0 win over Croatia on Saturday.

But, when the team sheets came out before the game, all the headlines quickly turned to Lamine Yamal, who became the youngest-ever player to appear at the Euros at 16 years and 338 days.

After an impressive performance by the youngster, Barcelona were quick to remind fans where he came from with a post on X: "He's very good... and he's ours."

Van Dijk, Simons and De Ligt put to the test

The Netherlands are yet to open their campaign in Euro 2024, but put aside their preparation to take some time to answer questions from young fans.

Xavi Simons was quizzed on which defender scares him the most - fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk - while the captain and Matthijs de Ligt rated their chances of winning the tournament.

Final preparations

England open their campaign when they take on Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, and on Saturday, Gareth Southgate's team ran through their MD-1 training session.

All 26 players were involved in the session, with England allowing their fans to watch on live via a post on X.

Only part of the session was broadcast, however, so any Serbia spies could not garner too much information about Southgate's tactics ahead of the Group C clash.

Poland believe they have what it takes to beat the Netherlands on Sunday, even without their talisman, Robert Lewandowski.

The striker is Poland's all-time top scorer with 82 goals in his 150 appearances for the national side.

Seven of those goals have come at major tournaments (two at World Cups and five at European Championships), and he scored three goals in their qualifying campaign to help them into the tournament.

However, Lewandowski has been ruled out of the Eagles' opener after sustaining a hamstring injury in their final warm-up friendly against Turkiye on Monday.

They are also missing striker Karol Swiderski due to an ankle injury, while Arkadiusz Milik withdrew from the squad as well.

Zielinski, who will wear the captain's armband in Lewandowski's absence, remained confident Poland have the players to get a victory.

"It is a great pity Robert Lewandowski cannot help us in this match," said Zielinski.

"He is a world-class player, and we will miss him. But whether it is me or the team-mates, we will add something extra to achieve the goal, which is to win."

"The qualifications were not exactly what we would have expected. The most important thing is that we are here, and we will do whatever we can."

Lewandowski is in contention to feature in Poland's other two Group D matches, with Austria and France also lying in wait.

Probierz will manage just his third game without the 35-year-old in the side, but echoed Zielinski's optimism ahead of a stern test against the Netherlands.

"There's nothing to hide, we will miss him. But other players will have to do what they can to get a result. I hope he will have other opportunities to play," he said.

"We have to change this team generationally. We will do whatever we have to do as a team to play well. We will not step back, we will progress.

"Everyone is saying we are going to lose. Everyone is writing us off. But we have a team that wants to fight for each other."

Bangladesh keep their T20 World Cup fate in their own hands after a 25-run victory over the Netherlands in St Vincent on Thursday.

Not only do Bangladesh take one step closer to the Super 8s with their emphatic victory, but they also ensure Sri Lanka are knocked out, while the Netherlands need a string of results to go in their favour.

The Tigers looked to be up against it after the Netherlands' strong start, as Liton Das made an early exit for just one run thanks to Sybrand Engelbrecht's diving catch.

However, Tanzid Hassan hit 35 off 26 balls, while Shakib Al Hasan plundered an impressive 64 not out, effectively taking control of the game.

Mahmudullah's 25 just about saw them over the line before Jaker Ali closed with 14 not out to see them to 159-5.

The Netherlands soon found their stride after losing two early wickets of their own and looked to be comfortably chasing down their target through Vikramjit Singh (26) and Engelbrecht (33).

Rishad Hossain soon intervened for Bangladesh though, finishing on 3-33 as the Flying Dutchmen lost four middle-order wickets for six runs and finished with 134-8.

Data Debrief: Bangladesh just too strong

Bangladesh narrowly missed out on a win against high-flying South Africa in their last game, but a win like this is exactly what they needed to get back on track.

Al Hasen was the standout, making a marked improvement on his three runs from the defeat to South Africa with a superb knock of 64 off 46 balls, including nine fours.

Matthijs De Ligt believes the Netherlands have every chance of claiming their first international trophy since 1988 at Euro 2024. 

De Ligt, who will be featuring in his third major tournament for the Oranje in Germany, did not feature in the final four games of their qualifying campaign through injury.

The 24-year-old endured another stop-start season with Bayern Munich, making 22 appearances in the Bundesliga and was left on the bench as the Netherlands concluded their preparations for the competition against Iceland. 

De Ligt has made 45 appearances for his country and is one of the more experienced players within Ronald Koeman's ranks heading into the tournament despite his age.

However, De Ligt is confident that the selected 26-man group has more than enough to deal with the pressures of tournament football.

"It's good that we have a lot of guys at top teams in Europe,” he said ahead of their Group D opener against Poland in Hamburg on Sunday.

“That’s very important for a tournament like this because it means we have the necessary experience playing against top players every three to four days.

"We have a lot of quality across the board. We have to take it game by game but I think we can certainly go far.”

The Netherlands have had to deal with a number of injuries leading up to the tournament, with Barcelona's Frenkie De Jong the latest to withdraw from the squad. 

While the Oranje have an array of talent within their group, De Ligt believes not having a standout player could prove to be an advantage heading into their Euro 2024 campaign. 

“It means that everyone has their nose on the same starting line and are all pulling in the same direction.

“We have a nice, good group. It's about performance. We are working well on that. We have a group that can grow closer together, on and off the field."

Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly drawing interest from Milan, Juventus and Manchester United, and will have the chance to further his stock after a late call-up for the Netherlands at Euro 2024.

Oranje boss Ronald Koeman has lost Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners, as well as midfielder Marten de Roon, in the build-up to the tournament in Germany.

Koeman criticised former club Barcelona for their handling of the injured De Jong before Koopmeiners' absence was also confirmed this week in another blow for the Netherlands.

Ajax forward Brian Brobbey is another said to be struggling for fitness, forcing the Dutch to act swiftly with reinforcements.

Zirkzee's inclusion was confirmed on Wednesday as the Netherlands added the striker to their international camp ahead of their tournament opener against Poland on Sunday.

The 23-year-old does not have a single senior cap under his belt for the Netherlands, but did score seven goals in 19 caps for the Under-21 side.

Zirkzee found the net 12 times in 37 appearances for Bologna in the 2023-24 campaign as the Serie A side qualified for next season's Champions League.

That form has reportedly drawn interest from Erik ten Hag's Man Utd, Juventus – who appointed Thiago Motta as their new head coach on Wednesday – and Milan.

Ian Maatsen, who reached the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund this year, is the other man brought in for the Netherlands to fill the void left by De Jong and Koopmeiners.

The Netherlands also face Austria and France in Group D at Euro 2024, where Germany open the tournament against Scotland on Friday.

Ronald Koeman says Frenkie de Jong and Barcelona are equally responsible for the Netherlands midfielder missing out on Euro 2024 through injury.

De Jong was ruled out of the tournament after failing to recover from an ankle injury sustained during Barca's Clasico defeat by Real Madrid on April 21.

The 27-year-old was named in the provisional Dutch squad, but it was confirmed he would play no part following their final warm-up match against Iceland on Monday.

Koeman initially criticised the Blaugrana's handling of De Jong's injury and, on Wednesday, said the issue "also depends on the player himself". 

However, the Netherlands head coach is keen to move forward, with the Oranje opening their Group D campaign against Poland on Sunday.

"There is little point in answering questions about topics that are no longer current," he told reporters in Wolfsburg. "We haven't talked about it since we got here."

"Of course, it also depends on the player himself. I have also spoken to Frenkie about this, but that remains between me and the player. I have a little more inside information, but I'm done with it now."

Borussia Dortmund's Ian Maatsen was called up in De Jong's place, though Koeman opted not to draft in a replacement for Teun Koopmeiners, who was also ruled out of Euro 2024 with a groin injury.

Explaining his reasons, the head coach said: "Ian was already in the pre-selection, he is a multi-functional player who has only been out of action for a week. All other options have been gone for three weeks, I don't know where they all are.

"Within these 25 remaining players, we can go in any direction. We play with three midfielders and we have five. And you can always move someone one spot back, or someone from the back one line forward.

"It will never be an excuse in this tournament, no matter what happens, not to have called up a 26th player."

Naomi Osaka will play Bianca Andreescu in the Libema Open quarter-finals after a commanding straight-sets victory over Suzan Lamens.

The four-time major winner took just 54 minutes to wrap up a 6-2 6-2 win over her Dutch opponent in t'Hertogenbosch.

Osaka looked sharp as she sought her second WTA quarter-final appearance of the season, having also reached that stage in Doha four months ago.

The Japanese hit 21 winners to 13 unforced errors, while converting four out of five break points against the world number 140.

Next up for Osaka is a showdown with 2019 US Open champion Andreescu in the last eight.

Data Debrief: Osaka storms into first grass-court quarter-final in six years

It was a dominant display by Osaka, who hit nine aces and won 15 of her 17 points on first serve (88.2 per cent).

The four-time major winner subsequently advanced to her first WTA quarter-final on grass since the 2018 Nottingham Open.

Arsenal have confirmed that Victoria Pelova has sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury while on international duty with the Netherlands. 

The 25-year-old, who scored two goals and provided seven assists during the 2023–24 Women's Super League campaign for the Gunners, is expected to undergo surgery in the coming days, but it is not the first time an Arsenal player has suffered an injury of this nature. 

England pair Beth Mead and Leah Williamson were forced to miss the 2023 Women's World Cup, with Pelova's compatriot Vivianne Miedema also missing out on the tournament in Australia because of the same issue. 

In a statement, Arsenal said: "Victoria was substituted after her knee extended in the 12th minute of the Netherlands' UEFA Women's Championship qualifier in Tampere, Finland, and subsequently underwent testing to determine the extent of the injury.

"She will undergo surgery in due course and will be sidelined for an extended period."

Pelova was one of the Gunners' most influential players during their third-place finish in the WSL, creating 30 chances from her 22 appearances, the third-highest in the squad behind Mead and Katie McCabe, as Arsenal finished third, while also winning the Women's League Cup. 

ACL injuries have become a major problem for the women’s game and in April a new three-year project researching them was launched.

Netherlands midfielder Teun Koopmeiners was expected to star for his country at Euro 2024, but instead is left rueing a "nightmare" injury that has ruled him out of the tournament.

Koopmeiners was an integral figure as Atalanta secured their first-ever European trophy this term, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa Conference League final last month.

With Ronald Koeman already missing Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong for the upcoming tournament in Germany, the Netherlands boss was dealt another blow on Tuesday.

Koopmeiners took to Instagram to confirm his absence for UEFA's 17th edition of their flagship competition after his injury in Monday's warm-up victory over Iceland.

"What should have been a wonderful month has unfortunately turned into a nightmare," wrote Koopmeiners.

"With great disappointment and sadness, I heard the results of the tests. Unfortunately, they found I have no possibility of participating in the European Championship 2024.

"Playing for the Dutch team at a finals tournament and with such a great squad would have been a great honour.

"From now on, like the rest of the Oranje fans, I will encourage and support the team on their way to a great tournament!"

Koopmeiners, a reported target of Juventus and Liverpool, has appeared 21 times for his country as Oranje supporters grew hopes of a fearsome partnership with De Jong in midfield.

Atalanta team-mate Marten de Roon has already been ruled out through injury, leaving Koeman short on options in the middle of the pitch.

In response to the absence of the two players, Koeman has called up Borussia Dortmund loanee Ian Maatsen, who returns after initially failing to make the Netherlands' final Euro squad.

The Netherlands open their campaign against Poland on Sunday before facing France and Austria in Germany.

Robert Lewandowski has been ruled out of Poland's opening match of Euro 2024 against the Netherlands with a hamstring injury.

The skipper limped off in the 32nd minute of the Poles' final warm-up game against Turkiye on Monday, and was later seen receiving treatment on his right thigh.

Head coach Michal Probierz had hoped Lewandowski's injury was nothing too serious, but the Polish FA confirmed the Barcelona striker is not fit to face the Dutch in Hamburg on Sunday.

Karol Swiderski and Pawel Dawidowicz were also injured for the Eagles, who have already seen Arkadiusz Milik ruled out of the tournament with a knee problem, but both should be fit for their first Group D encounter.

"We examined three players who suffered injuries in the match against Turkiye," a statement from the Polish FA read.

"Dawidowicz suffered a pulled quadriceps thigh muscle. In the case of Swiderski, an examination showed an ankle sprain without significant damage. Both players should return to full training within three to four days after the treatment.

"Lewandowski suffered a rupture of the biceps femoris muscle, which will exclude him from the first match of the tournament."

Lewandowski - who has made more appearances (150) and scored more goals (82) for Poland than any other player - will hope to feature in his country's remaining Group D fixtures against Austria on June 21, and France four days later.

Naomi Osaka put her French Open disappointment behind her to advance to the next round of the Libema Open after beating Elise Mertens in straight sets. 

The 26-year-old had match point against eventual winner Iga Swiatek in the second round at Roland-Garros but failed to capitalise. However, that defeat was put to the back of her mind, winning 6-2 6-4 in the Netherlands. 

Mertens matched Osaka in the opening exchanges, but the Japanese would rally to take control and win the next three games to secure an early advantage. 

She showed signs of frustration in the second set as the Belgian threatened to take the encounter to a deciding set, but Osaka remained composed to see out the victory. 

Osaka will now face either Bernarda Pera or Suzan Lamens in the next round. 

Data Debrief: Osaka wins maiden grass encounter against Mertens

Osaka's victory saw her win 28 of her 31 first-serve points, accumulating to a 90 per cent success rate. 

The Japanese claimed her fifth victory over Mertens since their first meeting in Wuhan in 2019, but her triumph was the first encounter between the pair on a grass court. 

Ian Maatsen will join the Netherlands' Euro 2024 squad after injuries forced two midfielders out of the tournament.

He will officially replace Frenkie de Jong, who the Netherlands confirmed would miss out due to an ankle injury he suffered while playing for Barcelona in April.

In Oranje's final friendly before the tournament, a 4-0 victory over Iceland on Monday, Teun Koopmeiners pulled out of the starting line-up after sustaining a muscle injury in the warm-up.

In a post to X on Tuesday, the Netherlands said: "Teun Koopmeiners misses Euro 2024.

"The midfielder won’t be able to participate after injuring himself during the warm-up of the match against Iceland yesterday.

"We’re thinking of you, Teun."

Maatsen's absence from the initial squad raised some eyebrows after he reached the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund in 2023-24.

The 22-year-old joined the German side on loan from Chelsea in January, making 23 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing two assists.

Netherlands will begin Euro 2024 against Poland in Group C on Sunday, before facing France and Austria in their other group matches. 

Jessica Pegula eased past Aliaksandra Sasnovich in straight sets on her return from injury at the Libema Open on Tuesday.

The American pulled out of the French Open due to back and neck injuries that have kept her out since April but made her return with a 6-2, 6-2 win in just 58 minutes.

Sasnovich matched Pegula in the opening four games, with both players trading points, but the world number five soon gained her foothold to cruise through the rest of the first set.

Pegula remained in control in the second, despite Sasnovich's late attempt at a comeback, but the Belarusian could not do enough to stop the top seed from advancing.

Pegula will now face Aleksandra Krunic or Jessika Ponchet in the next round. 

Data Debrief: Pegula puts injury worries behind her

Pegula last played in America's Billie Jean King Cup victory in April, but she showed no signs of rustiness on her return to the court.

She showed no signs of rustiness though, hitting nine winners and just six unforced errors on her way to sealing her victory. 

Frenkie de Jong says he is "disappointed" after being ruled out of Euro 2024 with an ankle injury.

Following the Netherlands' 4-0 thrashing of Iceland on Monday, it was confirmed in a social media post that the midfielder would not recover in time to play in the tournament.

De Jong has not played since Barcelona's Clasico defeat to Real Madrid on April 21, though still got a place in Koeman’s final 26-man squad despite his injury.

He has emerged as a fixture in the Netherlands' midfield since making his senior international debut in 2018, earning 54 caps and scoring two goals.

Following his withdrawal, De Jong said on Instagram: "I'm sad and disappointed that I won't make it to the European Championship.

"We've been doing a lot of it the past few weeks, but my ankle needs more time, unfortunately.

"It's a dream and greatest honour to represent our country in a final tournament. Wearing the orange shirt, singing the Wilhelmus and feeling the support of the entire country.

"But now I will, like the entire orange legion, cheer for our team from the sidelines. Let's go, boys."

In his post-match press conference, Koeman hit out at Barcelona for the way they handled De Jong's injury, saying they were "left with nothing" after his former club took a risk with the player.

In a later interview on Dutch television, he admitted he knew about the withdrawal hours before kick-off and informed the rest of the squad before their game against Iceland.

"Tests have shown that he cannot yet do what he should be able to do. He gets a reaction from his ankle every time after training," Koeman said.

"Then you have to conclude that he will not be 100 per cent fit for the next three weeks. I already thought that playing against Poland [in the Group D opener] would be difficult."

The Netherlands also suffered an injury scare during the game as Teun Koopmeiners suffered a thigh injury in the warm-up, forcing him to withdraw from the starting line-up.

They face Poland in their Group D opener in Hamburg on Sunday, before taking on France and Austria in their other group matches.

Frenkie de Jong has been ruled out of Euro 2024 after failing to recover from an ankle injury.

De Jong has emerged as a fixture in the Netherlands' midfield since making his senior international debut in 2018, winning 54 caps and scoring two goals.

However, he has not played since sustaining an ankle injury during Barcelona's Clasico defeat to Real Madrid on April 21.

Oranje boss Ronald Koeman revealed De Jong had taken part in non-contact training on Sunday, but acknowledged he was unlikely to feature against Poland in their Group D opener later this week.

Koeman also said De Jong's place in the squad would be reconsidered if it looked like he would be unable to play during the group stage, and it has now been confirmed that he will miss the tournament.

In a post to X shortly after they routed Iceland 4-0 in their final pre-tournament friendly, the Netherlands said: "Frenkie de Jong won't participate at Euro 2024.

"We are with you, Frenkie."

Speaking in his post-match press conference on Monday, Koeman hit out at his former club for their handling of De Jong's injury.

"He has a history of ankle injuries," Koeman said. "Barcelona took a risk with him and now we are left with nothing."

De Jong made 30 appearances across all competitions as the Blaugrana endured a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, finishing well adrift of Madrid at the top of LaLiga and exiting the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain in the last eight.

He was likely to start in a three-man midfield at the Euros, with his absence potentially meaning Tijjani Reijnders will team up with Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman.

The Netherlands also saw Teun Koopmeiners suffer a thigh injury in the warm-up ahead of Monday's match, causing him to withdraw from the starting lineup.

The Oranje go to Hamburg to face Poland in their Group D opener on Sunday before facing France in a heavyweight clash and taking on Ralf Rangnick's in-form Austria team.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.