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 Kicks Off the Euros; Xhaka Brothers Face Off
For France, Oliver Giroud headed past Ciprian Tătăruşanu to score France’s opening goal in their 2-1 victory over Romania.
At the heart of the French defence, Laurent Koscielny played alongside Adil Rami for 90 minutes and showed a lack of chemistry with the Sevilla defender – the possibility of Eliaquim Mangala coming into the side to face Albania should not be ruled out.
Arsenal’s new Swiss signing Granit Xhaka quietly impressed in their 1-0 win over Albania with his passing range and work rate. Granit made history after playing against his brother Taulant, the first time brothers played on opposing sides in the competition.
Group B: Ramsey Sets Up Historic Welsh Win
Jack Wilshere appeared as a substitute in England’s 1-1 draw against Russia in the 78th minute after replacing captain Wayne Rooney. The substitute had a lively cameo appearance in England’s midfield with various threatening through balls and dribbling runs.
In Wales‘ 2-1 win over Slovakia, Aaron Ramsey had a mixed performance against Slovakia. The Welsh number 10 failed to stop Robert Mak in the build up for Duda’s goal before redeeming himself with a slick through ball for Hal Robson-Kanu’s winner. Ramsey was substituted for Fulham’s Jazz Richards in the 88th minute.
Group C: Özil Assists and Szczesny Has A Quiet Game
Mesut Özil played the full 90 minutes against Ukraine and quietly pulled the strings in midfield. The playmaker set up Bastian Schweinsteiger’s late goal, which sealed a 2-0 win for Germany.
Polish number one Wojciech Szczesny had a quiet game against Northern Ireland as they failed to threaten consistently for ninety minutes. Szczesny, rumoured to be set to rejoin Roma on loan for another season, kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Northern Ireland in Group C.
Group D: Veterans Rosicky and Cech Lose To European Champions
During Czech Republic’s 1-0 loss against Spain, Tomas Rosicky played 88 minutes and became the oldest player to represent Czech Republic in a major international tournament. Meanwhile, Petr Cech played in his fifth international tournament and played the full 90 minutes for Czech Republic. The 34-year-old pulled off some impressive saves to keep his side in the game against the reigning European champions.
Hector Bellerin was an unused substitute in the game. Spain won 1-0 through Gerard Pique’s late winner and put Spain in second place in Group D.
Main Photo Credit: Clive Rose (Getty)
