© „Reuters“
The fourth day of the European Championship brought us unexpected results: the Slovaks held the Poles to a draw, while the Spaniards failed to break through the Swedish defensive barricades. Tuesday will mark the end of the first round of group stage, which will be concluded with the two matches of Group F, undoubtedly the group of death. Portugal, the champions of Euro 2016, did not win a single match in their group stage. However, they did not lose any matches either, and advanced to the next round as one of the best third-placed teams. Led by Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal only won the semi-final match against Wales in the main time of that tournament, yet it was enough, and this team begins Euro 2020 as the reigning European champions. Interestingly, Portugal will start the tournament by facing the Hungarians, who significantly rattled the nerves of the future European champions in the final group stage match of Euro 2016. Even more interestingly, the Hungarians finished first in that group. Ironically enough, Portugal will face a much stronger team this time. C. Ronaldo still shows solid form, and behind him we should notice a trio that most teams would envy - Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota, and Bernardo Silva. Furthermore, this team seems much more solid in defense, with Ruben Dias, the best player of the "Premier" league season, in their squad. The Hungarians should take comfort in the fact that they will play their home matches and will have huge fan support. Even so, it would be hard to imagine this team taking points away from Portugal, Germany, or France. The first round's spectacle In the second day's matches, we will witness a face-off between the world champions, the French, and the perennial favorites, the Germans. Such a match would adorn both the European and the World Cup finals, and we will get to savor this dessert already in the first round of group matches. Both teams announced anticipated returns before the tournament: Karim Benzema has returned to the French national team, while Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels have returned to the German team. In this group, teams must think not only about securing points, but also about goal difference. In addition to these teams in Group F, we have Portugal, and although theoretically all three national teams can reach the quarterfinals, there are no guarantees, so here we can expect uncompromising battles. Interestingly, since 2014, neither the French nor the Germans have lost the opening matches of major tournaments, but today one of the teams will be forced to end this streak. Who knows, perhaps both teams will have to do it. Bookmakers consider the French to be slight favorites in this pair, giving them a slightly greater than 38 percent chance of triumphing. However, the chances for the Germans are very similar - almost 35 percent. Schedule for the fifth day of matches: 19:00 Hungary - Portugal 22:00 France - Germany
