Jan Oblak of Slovenia saves the penalty kick from Cristiano Ronaldo (Image credit: Getty Images)
Despite eventually coming out on the losing side, Oblak was in inspired form during his side’s exit to Portugal on Monday. The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper made six stops during the 120 minutes, with his stunning diving save from Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty taking the game to a shootout.
Defender: Jules Koundé, France
Jules Kounde has been strong at the back for France (Image credit: Getty Images)
France have yet to hit their attacking best this tournament but have been defensively sound during their four games in conceding just one goal. Koundé put in another impressive performance down the right flank for Les Bleus as they beat Belgium 1-0. The Barcelona defender won 75% of his duels and was equally impressive in an attacking sense, creating five chances for his team-mates.
Defender: Stefan de Vrij, Netherlands
Stefan de Vrij was a rock for the Netherlands in their win over Romania (Image credit: Getty Images)
De Vrij was a rock at the heart of the Netherlands defence against Romania as they marked their place in the quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory. He won eight of his 10 duels and also made six clearances during the 90 minutes as he helped his team register their second clean sheet of the tournament.
Defender: Merih Demiral, Turkey
Merih Demiral scored the second fastest goal in Euros history as Turkey beat Austria
The defender led his side to the quarter-finals with a brace on Tuesday evening as Turkey defeated Austria 2-1. He opened the scoring in the second minute by smashing in from close range before he doubled his side’s lead with a brilliant glancing header from Arda Güler’s inswinging corner. He also made some vital interventions at the back, with four blocks and 17 clearances.
Midfielder: Donyell Malen, Netherlands
Donyell Malen scored for the Netherlands in their win over Romania (Image credit: Getty Images)
Malen made a stunning impact from the substitutes bench against Romania after Steven Bergwijn was forced off with an injury. He doubled his side’s lead with a close-range finish before rounding off a comfortable win for Ronald Koeman’s men with a brilliant run and finish on the counter-attack. He also created two chances for his team-mates during his 45 minutes on the pitch.
Midfielder: László Bénes, Slovakia
László Bénes was at the heart of Slovakia’s attacking play (Image credit: Getty Images)
Slovakia nearly caused the upset of the tournament but cruelly missed out following Jude Bellingham’s stunning bicycle kick which spared England’s blushes. As Slovakia tried to battle back in extra time, Bénes was at the heart of their attacking play, creating two chances for his team-mates.
Midfielder: Dani Olmo, Spain
Dani Olmo provided a brilliant cameo off the bench for Spain against Georgia (Image credit: Getty Images)
Olmo provided a brilliant cameo off the bench against Georgia as he helped his side ease into the quarter-finals. He created four chances during his 38 minutes on the pitch, before rounding off the scoring with a composed finish into the bottom left corner. After winning all four of their matches, Spain are 4/1 to win Euro 2024 with BetMGM.
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Midfielder: Cody Gakpo, Netherlands
Cody Gakpo (Image credit: Getty Images)
Gakpo has been in fine form during the Netherlands’ campaign so far and he shone during his side’s 3-0 victory over Romania. He opened the scoring with a powerful strike into the bottom corner before providing the assist for Malen’s strike after a brilliant slaloming run along the byline. With three goals, the Dutchman is the current joint top scorer at Euro 2024 and is 4/1 to win the Golden Boot.
Forward: Lamine Yamal, Spain
(Image credit: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)
The 16-year-old winger has shone during his major tournament debut and played a crucial role in Spain’s win over Georgia. He was a constant threat throughout the 90 minutes, creating six chances and providing the assist for Fabian Ruiz’s second-half strike. After four hugely impressive performances, Yamal is now the favourite to be crowned young player of the tournament, priced at 5/4 with BetMGM.
Forward: Kai Havertz, Germany
Kai Havertz has been in good form for Germany (Image credit: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images)
Havertz opened the scoring from the penalty spot for tournament hosts Germany as they beat Denmark 2-0 in the opening round of 16 fixture. He caused the Danish defence problems throughout with his clever movement, with four shots on target during the match. German fans will be hoping that Havertz can fire the nation to their first major tournament win since the 2014 World Cup.
Forward: Nico Williams, Spain
Nico Williams has been a star for Spain (Image credit: Getty Images)
Yamal is joined in the forward line by his team-mate Nico Williams. The young winger has been in electric form throughout the tournament but produced his best performance to date as Spain came back from behind to defeat Georgia 4-1. He provided the assist for Rodri’s leveller with a cushioned pass to the edge of the box before notching his side’s third of the afternoon with a brilliant finish into the roof of the net.
The team is based on the following metrics:
xG: Expected goals. A metric used to measure the quality of a shot based on variables such as shot angle, distance, type of assist and type of shot
G: Goals. The number of actual goals scored
xT: Expected threat. A metric used to measure ball progression, in particular the impact of a player’s dribbles and carries in taking a team into ‘dangerous’ areas
xD: Expected defence. Used to measure how much ’threat’ a player prevented with their defensive actions
xA: Expected assists. Used to measure the pass before the shot where the pass is assigned xG value of that shot. Takes into account various factors such as type and length of pass as well as its end-point
All statistics provided by BetMGM. Visit betmgm.co.uk 18+ BeGambleAware.org
