The first matchday of the European Championship has come to an end and we have witnessed 22 goals from 12 group games, which only adds up to 1.8 goals scored per game. In a nutshell, the world has not yet seen a game with more than three goals in 90 minutes.
The last match in the first round of the fifteenth edition of the tournament highlighted Iceland’s first ever game in the European Championship against a determined Portugal side. Fernando Santos left on-form Ricardo Quaresma out of the starting line-up whereas Lars Lagerbaeck chose not to field their third all-time most capped player, Eidur Gudjohnsen.
The 2004 Euros runners-up dominated the match in terms of possession, shots at goal and pass succession but the Iceland team were more clinical in taking their chances efficiently. Portugal drew first blood on the 31st minute when Nani confidently converted Andre Gomes’ cross into the box. However, they were left speechless five minutes into the second half as Birkir Bjarnason equalized on the volley after a through ball from Johann Gudmundsson.
Here are the three players that impressed the most during the match in Saint-Etienne:
Hannes Thor Halldorsson
The 193cm-tall goalkeeper has been Iceland’s main man in between the sticks since the FIFA World Cup in 2014. He has featured in almost all of their matches (competitions and friendlies) since then and proved to the world why he deserves to wear the No.1 jersey. Hannes, who is on loan at Bodø/Glimt from Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie (N.E.C.), produced an incredible amount of saves in the match, including a header from Nani early on.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson
The ex-Ajax forward, who has scored 20 goals in 40 caps for his country, did not play a part in his side’s equalizer early in the second half, but his physical presence really troubled Pepe and Ricardo Carvalho in the heart of the Portugal defence. The 6-foot-1 striker successfully won a massive 18 aerial duels throughout the match, which helped jumpstart the attack.
Andre Gomes
The midfielder is currently on Manchester United’s radar and he deserves to be in a top club next season, especially after his out of this world performance against the Icelandics. Apart from his assist to Nani on the 31st minute of the encounter, he was literally the main spark of Portugal’s attacking threats. His runs and vision really helped Portugal to stay in the game.
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