Dani Carvajal & Cody Gakpo lead the best Dream Team Euros XI of Matchday 1
DREAM TEAM EUROS Matchday 1 contained a whopping 34 goals at an average of 2.8 per game.
Amid all the excitement, several top stars justified their popularity but there were also plenty of unexpected names among the performers.
Here’s an XI of the top Dream Team Euros point-scorers from Matchday 1.
GOALKEEPER: Unai Simon (£4m)
Spain’s custodian manufactured his return of 12 points in a rather unusual way.
Simon kept a clean sheet against Croatia in Berlin but he walked the tightrope as it was his error that led to La Roja conceding a second-half penalty.
The Athletic Bilbao keeper saved the resultant spot-kick and had his blushes spared for a second time when Bruno Petkovic’s follow-up was disallowed for encroachment.
Simon’s error should have led to his clean sheet being wiped out but his recovery meant he banked a dozen points when all was said and done.
DEFENDERS: Dani Carvajal (£4m), Erik Janza (£1.5m), Mert Mulder (£2m)
Naturally, Spain’s streetwise right-back also benefited from his side’s clean sheet and he supplemented that with two tackles, a bonus point and a goal.
Carvajal latched on to Lamine Yamal’s inviting cross to put his side 3-0 up just before half-time.
The Real Madrid defender therefore finished with 16 points, the joint-highest tally among all assets in Matchday 1.
Janza was Slovenia’s unlikely hero as it was his firm strike from outside the box that was deflected past Kasper Schmeichel to earn Matjaz Kek’s side a point against Denmark.
The industrious left-back also created a big chance and earned three bonus points for his efforts to bank 13 in total.
Muldur completes the three-man defence having scored one of the goals of the tournament so far.
Turkey’s right-back produced a sensational volley from distance to open the scoring in what proved to be a breathless encounter with Georgia in Group F.
The 25-year-old pocketed 11 points once the dust had settled in Dortmund.
MIDFIELDERS: Christian Eriksen (£3m), Fabian Ruiz (£3.5m), Jude Bellingham (£6m), Jamal Musiala (£4.5m), Michel Aebischer (£2m)
Denmark’s talisman endured an ineffectual season with Manchester United but he once again stepped up at international level in Matchday 1.
Not only did Eriksen score, he was one of just two players who earned the maximum of five bonus points, helping him return 14 overall.
This was mostly due to the fact he provided seven accurate crosses – for comparison, nobody else at the tournament has registered more than three currently.
Ruiz was the only player to both score and assist a goal in Matchday 1.
The PSG playmaker put Alvaro Morata through one-on-one for the opening goal against Croatia and then three minutes later he displayed neat footwork on the edge of the box to double Spain’s lead.
Like Eriksen, Ruiz also bagged 14 points.
England mustered just five shots against Serbia in what was a relatively uninspiring performance but, crucially, they claimed the three points thanks to Bellingham’s emphatic header.
The Real Madrid wonderkid was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch in the first half and he earned three bonus points for his contributions outside of the game’s only goal.
It feels a long time ago now but Musiala lit up the tournament’s opening fixture as he inspired Germany to a 5-1 thrashing of Scotland.
The hosts’ No10 completed the same number of successful dribbles as all the other players on the pitch combined, not to mention his rasping goal.
Many pundits tipped Hungary as potential dark horses but they succumbed to Swizterland in Group A, thanks in no small part to Aebischer.
The Bologna midfielder didn’t register any goals or assists in his first 20 caps at international level but he provided one of each in Cologne to deliver three points for Murat Yakin’s side
Bellingham, Musiala and Aebischer all earned 13 points each.
STRIKERS: Cody Gakpo (£4m), Kai Havertz (£4.5m)
Netherlands’ No11 earned more player performance marks (14), which ultimately determine bonus points, than any other player in Matchday 1.
Predominately playing from the left, Gakpo produced an impressive all-round performance, including a goal, to help the Oranje beat Poland 2-1 in what is expected to be a competitive group.
The Liverpool forward matched Carvajal’s tally of 16 points and sits joint-top of the rankings at present.
Havertz only played 63 minutes of Germany’s convincing win but he did plenty of damage in that time, providing the assist for Musiala’s goal before converting a penalty.
The Arsenal man is competing with Niclas Fullkrug (£4m) at centre-forward but his smart showing against Scotland should see him keep his place.
Havertz claimed 13 points in Matchday 1.
Bring on Matchday 2!