The Under-21 European Championship kicked off with a bang on Wednesday evening, as Denmark overcame the Czech Republic 2-1 and 10-man Germany held Serbia to a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
The very first goal of the tournament was a golazo worth watching over and over, and our first refereeing controversy has reared its head as Christian Gunter received a second yellow card for diving to win a free-kick.
After an action-packed day, here are our takeaways from the action.
1. Denmark flash brilliance but only grind out a win
Denmark rather stuttered into life on Wednesday, taking a full 45 minutes to warm up. Meanwhile, their opponents, the Czech Republic, slid into gear within three minutes and netted the opener. Jess Thorup looked shellshocked on the bench, with aficionados at a loss to explain what was happening.
But from the first whistle in the second half, the Danes started on the front foot; Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg raised his game, and in turn Thorup's men improved. Yussuf Poulsen began bustling with intent rather than flailing, the midfield found a purpose and a pattern rather than forcing channel passes, and the full-backs found their way forward to supply crosses and add width to the play.
Particularly, the two substitutes Lasse Vigen Christensen and Pione Sisto began purring, with the latter brought on immediately after Jannik Vestergaard's equalising goal. They targeted pockets of space, introduced fluidity to Denmark's play and began passing circles around their Czech markers.
Sisto's flicked finish in the second half was enough to earn Denmark a vital opening victory, and while we were perhaps underwhelmed by a side who offer so much more on paper, it wouldn't be the first time a bigger side were slow to get going.
"In the first half, I wasn't satisfied, and I had to say a lot of things to the players at half-time," Thorup told UEFA's website after the game. "We were a little bit lucky that we weren't more than one-nil down at half-time. But in the end, we won the game, and that could be very important for the tournament."
Denmark flashed potential—no, they flashed excellence—but too often bookended those spurts with drab play. They ground out a victory, and that's all that matters to Thorup, but a better game plan must be in place for the second game and the roles in midfield must be carved out.
2. Pavel Kaderabek proves Hoffenheim shrewd
On the eve of the tournament's big kick-off, Hoffenheim confirmed the signing of Czech Republic right-back Pavel Kaderabek, as reported by Associated Press (h/t ESPN FC). He was our pick for the Lionets' star player, having just been voted Player of the Season in his native division and having already secured the senior berth.
With Vaclav Kadlec suspended for the first match and Matej Vydra's call-up to the national team blocked by Watford's owners, pre-tournament musings laid any chance of Czech happiness at his feet. A rampaging defender, he gets forward and nails deliveries in the final third—akin to the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk's Darijo Srna, perhaps.
It took Kaderabek just 35 minutes to show onlookers what they'd miss out on, and what Hoffenheim had gained. Steaming forward on the right flank, he cut inside, spied a pocket of space, surged into it and curled a left-footed effort around the 'keeper from 20 yards.
The Czechs wouldn't hold onto their lead—Denmark would eventually find their feet and begin to dominate—but anyone doubting Kaderabek will be satisfied with what they've seen. It looks like Hoffenheim have pulled yet another smart deal.
3. Are you watching, Brendan Rodgers?
One of the most baffling parts of Liverpool's late-season slumber in 2014-15 was the failure to relocate Emre Can back into midfield. He was asked to play in defence from about December and did very well while the games still meant something, but as the campaign descended into irrelevancy, it irked fans that Can wasn't given a go where he feels more natural.
Horst Hrubesch saw fit to select him in midfield, though, and bar a shaky first 10 minutes as he mentally got to grips with another new role, he excelled. In fact, it's arguable he was the best German on the pitch by a distance over the course of the game.
Can scored the equaliser with a lovely chopped effort from 18 yards after putting his marker on his backside, turning slickly to create space for a shot. He proceeded to gallop forward in typical Emre Can fashion to try and push his team toward a winner, and some of his barnstorming runs were Die Mannschaft's best second-half moments.
Liverpool have to reshape and recalibrate after the loss of a figure such as Steven Gerrard, and it's clear Can should be a central piece in the 2015-16 XI—in midfield.
4. Horst Hrubesch gets it wrong
Bar the decision to play Emre Can in midfield, Hrubesch got quite a lot wrong in Germany's opener, and they were a touch fortunate to escape with a point. It shows that, even when a side is suffering from an embarrassment of riches rather than a paucity of choices, that coaches can still fluff their lines.
Credit to Serbia for a good, tactical game and several key performances—Filip Djuricic, Milos Jojic, Goran Causic and Filip Stojkovic in particular were excellent—but Germany, one of the strongest sides in the tournament, looked a shadow of what they could.
The issues started at the back, with Robin Knoche carrying his late-season Wolfsburg stumble into the tournament; he looked erratic and irritable at the back. Moritz Leitner was a mistake corrected at half-time by Hrubsech, as the Borussia Dortmund man failed to impose himself upon the game.
The biggest problem was Philipp Hofmann up front, who failed to hoover up the longer balls, struggled to find space and couldn't use his strength against the Serbian centre-backs. He was withdrawn only after Christian Gunter's red card, when in reality he was a clear weakness from about the 15th minute.
The good news? Hrubesch fixed things. Joshua Kimmich came on at half-time to hold the fort and allow Can to fly forward, while Leonardo Bittencourt wowed the crowd with a short cameo, creating chances and speeding past defenders.
The murky waters of the German squad, so stacked with talent an XI was impossible to pick, cleared noticeably on Wednesday night.
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