As part of LastWordOnSports’ Euro 2016 coverage, we are covering Arsenal players’ performances in France. The ten Arsenal players seeking Euros glory are:
- France: Oliver Giroud, Laurent Koscielny
- Switzerland: Granit Xhaka
- England: Jack Wilshere
- Wales: Aaron Ramsey
- Germany: Mesut Özil
- Poland: Wojciech Szczesny
- Czech Republic: Petr Cech, Tomas Rosicky
- Spain: Hector Bellerin
ARSENAL AT EURO 2016:
Group A: Giroud and Koscielny Advance to Knock Out Stages
Oliver Giroud and Laurent Koscielny enjoyed a hard-fought 2-0 win over Albania courtesy of late goals from Antonie Griezmann and Dimitri Payet. Giroud failed to score back to back Euros goals after several of his chances went wide, forcing Didier Deschamps to substitute him for eventual goalscorer Griezmann. Koscielny, meanwhile, helped keep a clean sheet against an imposing Albania side.
Granit Xhaka featured in a 1-1 draw with Romania with an industrious performance; at the base of midfield, he produced the most passes, created chances and recovered the ball more than other player on the pitch. Despite the draw, Switzerland find themselves in a strong position for knockout qualification.
Group B: Wilshere Enjoys Last Minute Success At Ramsey’s Expense
In what almost turned into an Arsenal civil war, England beat Wales 2-1 thanks to goals from Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge. Aaron Ramsey featured for the full 90 minutes with the most ball touches and covered the largest amount of ground for Wales. Jack Wilshere was an unused subsistute against Wales and may start against Slovakia.
Group C: Özil’s Germany Flatters To Deceive Against Poland
In a game that promised so much, both sides failed to make a vital breakthrough and improve their respective qualification prospects. Mesut Özil had a quiet 90 minutes in Germany’s midfield despite forcing a save from former Arsenal goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski. Wojciech Sczcesny was absent from the game due to a back injury.
Group D: Rosicky and Cech Hang On While Bellerin’s Spain Progress
A game marred by Croatian fan trouble saw the Czechs fight back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against an energetic Croatian outfit. Poor Czech defending meant experienced Petr Cech was regularly in action and he prevented a Croatian onslaught. Tomas Rosicky sparked his side’s comeback with his delightful outside of boot curling pass finding Milan Skoda’s head. The 35-year-old unfortunately picked up a leg injury in the remaining minutes and is doubtful to play against Turkey.
Hector Bellerin was an unused substitute in Spain’s 3-0 win over Turkey.
