EURO 2024 Semi-Finals: The Heroes Who Shined Brightest

In the semi-finals of a major tournament like the European Championship, players rarely get the opportunity to showcase their skills. This is because even the most attack-minded coaches try to minimize the risk of mistakes that could lead to conceding goals. Teams, especially when leading, tend to play conservatively and defensively.

In the first semi-final match of Euro 2024, the Spanish team became more defensive after taking the lead, despite having numerous opportunities to exploit France’s defensive vulnerabilities and score more than two goals.

Even the Spanish team, renowned for their attacking style, slowed down the game’s pace and focused on ball possession after netting their second goal in this match.

However, fans were treated to six goals in this year’s Euro 2024 semi-final stage, allowing us to easily identify the top five players of this stage.

5. Jules Koundé

Jules Koundé deserves high praise for his performance, despite his team’s defeat and the unfortunate own goal that resulted from a ricochet off his foot. He effectively neutralized Nico Williams, winning almost all of their duels.

Additionally, Koundé was actively involved in attacks and helped his teammates create dangerous chances. In my opinion, Jules deserves to be in the symbolic team of the tournament because he consistently showed a high level of play in every game at Euro 2024.

4. Dani Olmo

It’s incredible that despite losing one of their best players, Pedri, to injury, Spain had another top player step up: Dani Olmo.

The French team was disorganized defensively, which gave the Spanish midfielders plenty of space to attack. Olmo capitalized on this in the first half, scoring the crucial winning goal for his team.

At 26 years old, he has once again proven himself to be a top-class soccer player in Spain’s 4-2-1-3 formation. Playing alongside two wide forwards and one forward, Olmo found ample space and opportunities to shine. His exceptional dribbling ability and goal-scoring skills make him a key player for Spain. 

Had Spain maintained their attacking play, Olmo might have added more goals to his tally.

4. Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons played as a playmaker in previous matches, primarily positioning himself in the left half-space and forming a dynamic partnership with Cody Gakpo.

In the match against England, Simons played more in the right half-space, where he won the ball against Declan Rice and scored a beautiful goal against England.

During the first half-hour, when the Netherlands played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Xavi Simons had plenty of opportunities to prove himself with three attacking partners around him. However, after Memphis Depay was replaced by midfielder Joey Veerman, it became more difficult for Simons to find space.

The English were very organized in a low block in a 5-4-1 scheme and completely blocked the space between the lines, forcing Xavi Simons to move into deeper areas and pass more toward his end of the pitch.

Despite this, the Dutch player managed to create problems for the English through his dribbling ability, forcing them to commit fouls.

If Ronald Koeman had instructed Simons to shift to the left flank more often, alongside Cody Gakpo, they could have posed a greater threat to England.

2. Ollie Watkins

Ollie Watkins had only nine minutes to become the hero for the England squad. Throughout the tournament, England, under the leadership of Gareth Southgate, played with a narrow attacking style that lacked width and depth.

This approach made it easy for opponents to defend against the English forwards. Yesterday’s match was no different. 

Although England had some good moments in the first half-hour and played better than the Netherlands, it could be attributed to the tactical failings of the Netherlands, who were outnumbered in both the center of the field and on the flanks when they lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against England’s 3-2-2-3 setup.

However, when Ronald Koeman switched the Netherlands to a 4-5-1 defensive formation, England lost momentum and failed to create any chances until the end of the match. Only when Ollie Watkins came on the field did England create a breakthrough and ultimately win the game with his goal.

Upon entering the game, Ollie Watkins immediately posed a threat to the Dutch defenders and, at the first opportunity, made a great diagonal run with a fantastic shot on goal.

While Harry Kane could have played similarly, the issue is that Southgate expects Harry to drop into deeper positions rather than making runs behind the defenders.

Regardless, Watkins did his job perfectly and deserves to be considered one of the best players of the Euro 2024 semi-final stage.

1. Lamine Yamal

The semifinal match against France was not the best for Spain at Euro 2024. Luis De La Fuente’s team lost Daniel Carvajal and Robin Le Normand to suspension before the match, weakening the Spanish squad. France quickly took advantage by opening the score. However, Lamine Yamal changed the course of the match with his goal, showcasing exceptional skill.

Ironically, many journalists and fans expected goals from French players like Kylian Mbappé based on individual skill. Before the match, it was evident that France had a clear advantage in squad depth, particularly given Spain’s personnel problems.

Nevertheless, Yamal exploited the lack of cohesion in the French defense and scored a remarkable goal, becoming the youngest goal scorer in the history of the European Championship.

In the final match of Euro 2024, he will face Kieran Trippier and Marc Guéhi, and he will have the opportunity to score his fifth goal+pass action in five playoff matches. This performance could potentially earn him the title of the best young player of the tournament, as well as the best player of Euro 2024.

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