Euro 2024: 4 Observations After First Group Stage Games, Are Germany New Favourites?

• Euro 2024 is a week old, and all 24 teams have played their opening matches, and so far, it has been delightful
• Most of the big teams won their matches, while the so-called underdogs brought entertainment and intrigue to their matches
• England, Spain's Lamine Yamal, Romelu Lukaku, Slovakia, and Albania grabbed the headlines in the first 12 games of the tournament

All 24 teams at Euro 2024 have played their first matches, and most have been incredible.

Smaller teams have held their own against the big boys, while some favourites have not performed well in their first matches.

Hosts Germany were the most convincing team in the first round, winning 5-1 over Scotland, while favourites France were rattled by a resilient Austria.

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Turkey, Romania, Spain, Italy, and Slovakia are teams that have caught the eye with their results and performances in the first game.

Underdogs like Albania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic, despite some of them losing, brought the zeal.

Here are four observations from the first games.

Euro 2024's 4 observations from first games

England will be fine

The Three Lions secured a 1-0 win over Serbia, but their performance irked many of their fans. By now, everyone should know Gareth Southgate's team are not entertainers; they want to progress. At Euro 2020, they won matches with tiny margins and reached the final, per ESPN.

Serbia barely threatened them, and in almost every tournament under Southgate, the 1966 world champions got away with it.

They attempted five shots against Serbia, and their top players, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden, were unimpressive. They should do enough against Denmark and Slovenia to progress.

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Germany are overwhelming favourites

The host nation were brilliant in the opening game against Scotland. They scored five goals against a team that played almost half of the match with 10 men. The young duo of Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala were incredible, while Toni Kroos showed why he was brought back.

Despite a difficult few years, Germany is again looking like a top team under Julian Nagelsmann. No team topped their performance in the first round.

Lamine Yamal is incredible

Spain registered a comfortable 3-0 win over Croatia in their first game, a surprising result considering Croatia's experience and quality. Unai Simon made important saves, but the Barcelona youngster caught the eye. He tormented Croatia's defenders all game and was responsible for some of Spain's goals. The 16-year-old will surely be the first name on Luis de la Fuente's teamsheet for the rest of the tournament.

Lukaku can't catch a break

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The Belgium veteran had a match to forget against Slovakia. VAR cancelled his two goals, and the Red Devils suffered a painful 1-0 loss. Despite that, the Italy-based striker missed several golden opportunities early in the game. The former Manchester United striker is the country's all-time top scorer, but some of his worst moments have come on the biggest stages.

Belgium were expected to go through their group seamlessly, but now it looks like they will have to do it the hard way. Lukaku could redeem himself with world-class performances in the remaining two group stage games.

Ronaldo makes Euros history

Sports Brief earlier reported on Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo making history in their match against the Czech Republic.

The Al-Nassr veteran became the first player to compete in six European Championships, having played in every edition since 2004.