Group E of Euro 2024 came to a unique conclusion on Wednesday evening, as all four teams in the group finished their group stage campaign with four points.
As a result, Ukraine have become the first team in the history of the competition to finish fourth in a European Championship group with four points in a heartbreaking exit for Serhiy Rebrov’s side.
Underdogs Romania topped the group on goals scored, above the third-best ranked team in the world, Belgium, in second.
Slovakia have qualified for the Round of 16 for only the second time in their history after finishing third and impressing in the group stage, particularly in their 1-0 win over Belgium in the opening fixture, which was one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far.
Ukraine harshly miss out on the Round of 16 due to their inferior goal difference, despite picking up more points than some teams who have qualified from other groups.
Matchday One
The group kicked off with Slovakia causing an upset over Belgium, stunning the favourites to win the group opener in Frankfurt.
Slavia Prague forward Ivan Schranz netted the only goal of the game, his first of two goals scored in the tournament so far, in what was a fantastic performance from the Slovaks.
The game saw two Romelu Lukaku strikes disallowed by VAR, including a dramatic late equaliser ruled out for a handball in the build-up. It was a chaotic opening encounter, which saw Slovakia pick up a crucial three points as they proved they will be a tough side to beat in this tournament.
In the other opening fixture of the group, Romania also pulled off a shock win, recording their first victory at a European Championship in 24 years with an emphatic 3-0 win over Ukraine.
Captain Nicolae Stanicu, Razvan Marin and Denis Dragus were all on the scoresheet for the Tricolours, giving them their first Euros win since Ionel Ganea’s penalty saw them beat England 3-2 in the group stage of Euro 2000.
Despite sitting 24 places below Ukraine in the FIFA world rankings, Romania were able to pick up a convincing win, which put them in a strong position to progress from the group from the get-go.
Matchday Two
After a disappointing start against Romania, Ukraine were hoping to bounce back in their second fixture, and this is exactly what they did. A 2-1 win over Slovakia kept Round of 16 qualification in reach for Ukraine, despite a below-par performance in the opening fixture.
Schranz continued his goal-scoring form netting the opening goal for Slovakia, but second-half goals from Mykola Shaparenko and Roman Yaremchuck sealed an important win for Ukraine.
Belgium were another team who managed to bounce back on matchday two, securing a 2-0 victory over Romania.
Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans gave the Red Devils the lead inside two minutes before star man Kevin De Bruyne sealed the win with a late strike in an excellent attacking display from Belgium.
It was the perfect response to a disappointing opening fixture for Domenico Tedesco’s team, which left the group wide open heading into matchday three, with all four teams level on three points.
Matchday Three
Romania and Slovakia both secured their spot in the last 16 with an entertaining 1-1 draw in Frankfurt.
Slovakia took the lead inside 25 minutes courtesy of midfielder Ondrej Duda but were unable to keep hold of their lead for a second consecutive match, conceding to a thunderous Razvan Marin penalty before half-time.
A goalless draw in Stuttgart saw Belgium progress while Ukraine crashed out of the competition. Ukraine managed to limit Belgium to few chances but also lacked attacking impetus themselves until late on in the game.
Reflections
Overall, the group was fiercely contested and did not go the way many fans might have expected, with Romania and Slovakia defying expectations by putting in some excellent performances to reach the Round of 16.
The teams have been two of the dark horses of the group stage, and it is a remarkable achievement for both sides to reach the knockout stages.
Aside from the Romania game, Belgium have failed to impress. The world rankings have them as one of the best national teams in the world, however, they have struggled against sides who are weaker on paper.
Their main issue has been a lack of consistency. Belgium showed glimpses of the level they are capable of reaching against Romania but failed to perform to the same standard against Slovakia and Ukraine.
In both of these fixtures, they lacked attacking threat, which is something they will need to correct if they are to progress to the latter stages of the competition.
Ukraine, who were competing in their first major tournament since Russia’s invasion, may feel hard done by as they miss out on the Round of 16, having racked up a greater points tally than some of the teams who have qualified in other groups.
The Ukrainians were excellent in the second half against Slovakia and held their own against Belgium and will therefore be gutted to exit the competition at the group stage.
Round of 16 Fixtures
Slovakia will be the first team from Group E to compete in the Round of 16, as they take on England on Sunday at 5PM.
The Slovaks will be hoping to pull off another victory against the odds as they take on an England side who, despite topping their group, have failed to impress in the tournament so far, having only scored two goals in the group stage.
As a result of finishing second in their group, Belgium face the mammoth task of playing France, who are one of the favourites to win the tournament, in the Round of 16.
The match will be played at 5PM on Monday, and there is no doubt that Belgium will need to see massive improvements if they are to come out on top in such a tough game. That being said, the French are yet to score from open play at the tournament, their two goals so far being an Austria own goal and a Kylian Mbappe penalty.
Finally, group winners Romania will take on the Netherlands at 5PM on Tuesday, as they look to start the knockout rounds in the same way they started the group stages – with a resounding win.
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