Match round two of Euro 2024 will go down as the week in which the tournament really kicked into gear.
This past week we were treated to heavyweight clashes (Spain vs Italy), mass meltdowns over performances (England fans) and some genuinely world class performances from some of the best footballers in Europe (Bernardo Silva).
In this article we’re going to focus on the latter – the best players of match round two of Euro 2024.
Yes, Marc Cucurella.
Yes, the Marc Cucurella that plays for Chelsea.
It turns out that he’s a completely different, brilliant, footballer when he wears a Spain jersey.
Cucurella pocketed Federico Chiesa with ease in Spain’s win over Italy – which was not something we were expecting to write.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg renewed his rivalry with Declan Rice this past week, and it’s more than fair to say that he bested the Arsenal midfielder.
Hojbjerg put in his best performance in a very, very, very long time against England, providing a cool head on the ball and an aggressive edge off of it too.
The Carmelo Anthony celebration, the pink number ten jersey, the deadliness in front of goal. Jamal Musiala oozed aura in Germany’s second game of the tournament.
In scoring he also became the youngest player to ever score in his first two European Championship games as well. Nice one.
Bernardo Silva scored his first ever international tournament goal in the win over Turkey.
That’s a pretty remarkable stat.
The Man City superstar was at his best in the 3-0 win, drifting infield to cause havoc throughout the 90 minutes.
Fabian Ruiz gave a number eight masterclass against Italy at Signal Iduna Park.
His ability to consistently find space to receive the ball then keep it (completing 95% of his passes) is something that every single team at Euro 2024 would kill to have in the heart of their midfield.
Fun fact: Austria are very good and that’s in large part thanks to Christoph Baumgartner.
The RB Leipzig man was at his dynamic best on the right of Austria’s attack, netting a crucial goal in the second half and generally causing with his clever use of the ball when in possession.
There’s a world in which Ryan Porteous’ rather disgusting tackle on Ilkay Gundogan in the first game ended the midfielder’s tournament early.
Thankfully, that is not the world we live in.
In the world we live in, Gundogan is fully fit and at the peak of his powers. The midfielder netted an important goal in the win over Hungary, and is relishing playing in an attacking midfield role under Julian Nagelsmann right now.
If we could describe Nico Williams’ performance against Italy in one word, it’d be ‘electric’.
Williams was electric on the left flank for Spain.
The 21-year-old roasted Giovanni Di Lorenzo on countless occasions, and his drop of the shoulder and driled cross into the heart of the penalty area ultimately led to the winning goal.
Expect every top club in Europe to be after his signature soon.
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