Latest Results Euro 2024 Qualifiers | Expert Overview

The Competition, which takes place every two years, is in the qualification stage, and the recent international break was to kick off the rounds of qualification matches. The next UEFA Euro Cup will take place in 2024, which explains why the qualification games kicked off early in 2023. Rounds one and two of the games have just been concluded, so let’s look at how different top European teams performed in the first two rounds as we highlight the top teams and their overall performances. We will also briefly recap the latest matches involving the top-ranked clubs in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

How Does The UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifiers Work?

The qualifiers are supposed to be made up of 55 teams. However, Germany, the host country for the 2024 UEFA Euros, has an automatic ticket to qualify for the competition, while Russia is currently suspended. The 53 remaining countries that needed to go through the qualifiers were divided into ten groups; three groups of six teams and seven groups of five teams.

• The UEFA Euros Cup tournament comprises 24 countries, and with Germany already taking one of the spots, 53 countries have to compete for the 23 spots left.

• Out of the ten groups, group winners and first runner-up earn a qualification, filling twenty spots out of the 23 available. The qualification for the remaining three spots is done in a playoff manner, where twelve teams compete for the last three.

• Based on their performance in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League, the twelve participants in the playoffs will be chosen. Each play-off path will have four teams, three paths with twelve teams, two single-leg semi-finals, and one single-leg final.

Standout Matches Of The First Matchday Of Qualifiers

England Vs Italy (2-1)

England dominated the game against Italy. Eventually, they were match winners as the victory meant they finally defeated the Azzurris in an International competition for the first time in 62 years. Harry Kane was the hero for England, and the game showed that Italy still has a long way to go if they desire to retain their crown as European Champions.

• The first goal was scored by a surprising name Declan Rice opened the scoring for England as Harry Kane added another from the spot to become England’s record scorer and ensure England had a two-goal lead heading into the second half.

• Italy attempted a comeback in the second half as Italian Forward Mateo Retegui scored in his debut Italy appearance to give his country a chance. However, England held on to their advantage and won the crucial match despite having defender Luke Shaw sent off with a few minutes remaining in regulation.

France Vs Netherlands (4-0)

The 2018 World Cup winners showed what it meant to be arguably the best team in Europe when they played the Netherlands in the first round of the Euro 2024 qualifiers. A matchup expected to be fierce and closely competed was easily a walk in the back for the French nationals. France welcomed the Netherlands at Paris and exerted dominance as they cruised past the Dutch four goals to nil. The massive win came in French forward Kylian Mbappe’s first game as captain.

• Just two minutes into the kick-off, Griezmann scored for Les Bleus from a pass from Mbappe inside the area, giving the Dutch a disastrous start. Six minutes later, Upamecano extended the advantage.

• Mbappe scored in the 22nd minute from close range off an Aurelien Tchouameni pass to make it 3-0. At this point, the Netherlands was simply out of the game.

• Mbappe added insult to injury by scoring the fourth goal with a strong shot in a dominant France win.

Matchday Two Standout Game

Scotland Vs Spain (2-0)

Scotland stunned Spain in Matchday two as they pulled off a massive upset against La Roja. Spain is no pushover in Europe, they have once dominated massively, and although their World Cup stint was below expectations, one could not imagine them getting defeated at the hands of Scotland. The win for the Scottish was their first against Spain in 39 years. That’s simply a no-brainer, and this loss will be a wake-up call for La Roja.

• McTominay took advantage of Porro’s error to give Scotland the lead after just seven minutes of play, nearly immediately rewarding their early vigor in the game.

• Spain steadily bounced back, took possession, and put up a threat, but they could not take advantage.

• In the second half, Scotland took advantage of Tierney’s rare opportunity to advance the ball. McTominay guided the ball low shot past Kepa a second time to seal the victory and send the crowd into a frenzy.

Overall Look At The Groups 

Group A

Group A comprises Scotland, Spain, Norway, Cyprus, and Georgia. Scotland is surprisingly the group leader, with six points, as they have two wins out of two. Spain is second with three points, while Norway and Georgia have a point each. Cyprus remained without a point in the qualifiers as they lost both matches.

Group B

Group B has France as group leaders with six points; Netherlands and Greece are tied for second place with three points each; meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland and Gibraltar are without a point.

Group C

England tops Group C with two wins out of two games, Italy and North Macedonia are tied for second place; meanwhile, Ukraine and Malta are yet to claim a point in the qualifiers.

Group D

Croatia and Wales are joint leaders of Group D with four points apiece, Turkey is third with three points, while Armenia and Latvia lost their opening and only game, so they are still looking for their first point in the qualifiers.

Group E

The Czech Republic is the bonafide leader of Group E. Poland is second with three points; meanwhile, Moldova is in third place, with the Faroe Islands following up closely in fourth place. Albania is the only country without a point in the group.

Group F

Austria is the surprise leader of Group F as they won both games they’ve played so far. Belgium and Sweden follow in second place with three points each, while Estonia and Azerbaijan remain last placed without a point.

Group G

Serbia leads Group G with six points; meanwhile, Hungary and Montenegro are tied for second place on points. Lithuania and Bulgaria are last placed in the group with zero points.

Group H

Slovenia are group leaders in a competitive Group H. Denmark, Kazakhstan, Finland, and Northern Ireland all have three points each. At the same time, San Marino is the only country without a point in the group.

Group I

Switzerland and Romania are joint leaders in Group I with six points. Kosovo is third with three points, while Andora and Israel have a point each. Belarus is sixth as the only team without a point in the group.

Group J

Portugal has a chokehold over Group J. Besides being Group leaders with six points, they have the highest goal difference in the qualifiers, scoring ten without conceding any. Slovakia is second placed, while Bosnia and Herzegovina are jointly third in points with Iceland. Luxemburg is fifth with one point, while Lichtenstein is last with zero points.

Euro Qualifiers 2024 Top Scorers

5 Goals: Rasmus Højlund (Denmark)

4 Goals: Scott McTominay (Scotland)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)

3 Goals: Aron Gunnarsson (Iceland)

Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

Renato Steffen (Switzerland)

Dušan Vlahović (Serbia)

The qualifying tour is in full swing, so it’s time to bet on your favorite team. But above all, make sure you choose a reliable bookmaker. Free Betting Reviews together with Cyber.bet offers not only high odds for Euro 2024 matches, but also an excellent €10 free bet bonus.

What We Have Learnt So Far From The Games Played?

France Is The Real Deal

With notable players like former Skipper Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Blaise Matuidi, Steve Mandada, and one-time Ballon D’or winner Karim Benzema retiring from the French National team, one would expect the team to require some time to rebuild.

However, that’s not the case; the French are back where they left it since the 2022 World Cup finals and have now won two games in the qualifiers. A statement win against the Netherlands on matchday one has shown that France is a legit contender for the Euro 2024 Cup.

Spain Is In Trouble

Hopefully, Spain has gotten a wake-up call with the defeat at the hands of the Scot. After a three-nil win against a Norway side without Erling Haaland, La Roja deservedly the losers in the game against Scotland. The Scot completely outplayed them, and if they do not look to address their inconsistencies, they will not go far in the tournament if they eventually qualify.

The loss at the hands of Scotland ended the three-time European champion Spain’s 19-match winning streak in qualifiers.

Italy Will Have A Problem Retaining The Title

The Azzurris are reigning UEFA Euro Cup champions, and their performance against England has shown that they still have a long way to go if they aim to achieve a similar feat in 2022’s. Although they won in the second matchday against Malta, their performance is not convincing enough to signify a return to form.

Despite being the reigning European champion, Italy has failed to qualify for the last two World Cups. Missing out on qualification for the UEFA Euro Cup in Germany would be disastrous for them.

The above article is curated to give you expert insight into the two match days in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers. This will provide you with a broad knowledge of the actions you missed out on when the games were played, and it will also aid your decision-making when placing bets in the next round of qualifiers games. Follow FBR for more international football tournaments overview and recaps.