Day six at Euro 2024 brought more thrills and spills on the pitch, with Albania sealing a last-gasp draw against Croatia and Germany booking their place in the last 16 by beating Hungary.
Scotland, meanwhile, kept their hopes of progressing from Group A alive by earning a creditable 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the late kick-off.
There was also plenty going on outside the games, from the Tartan Army painting Cologne blue to Kylian Mbappe getting out on the turf two days after breaking his nose.
Here, we run through the best of Wednesday’s social media posts from around Euro 2024.
Cologne turns blue for Scotland
One noticeable theme of this tournament has been the colour and noise brought by huge contingents of travelling fans, and an estimated 100,000 Scotland supporters brought the fun to Cologne on Wednesday.
“No Scotland, no party” was ringing around Munich last week, and on Wednesday, it was Cologne’s near-800-year-old cathedral that played host to the Tartan Army.
#effzeh pic.twitter.com/R0fFFUnyEs
— 1. FC Cologne (@fckoeln_en) June 19, 2024
Those with tickets were then treated to a spirited performance as Steve Clarke’s side went ahead through Scott McTominay, and they were arguably unfortunate not to win as they finished the game strongly after Xherdan Shaqiri’s fine equaliser.
Cheesy humour from Swiss fan
One Switzerland fan, meanwhile, took culinary inspiration for his outfit at the RheinEnergieStadion.
Fortunately for him, Murat Yakin’s defence had fewer holes than the Swiss cheese he paid homage to, and they are now all-but guaranteed to make the knockout stages.
#EURO2024 | #SCOSUI pic.twitter.com/74MpyRYU7X
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 19, 2024
Hosts on the march
Germany strode into the last 16 of the tournament on Wednesday, a 2-0 victory over Hungary ensuring a top-two finish in Group A.
It’s fair to say their performances have gripped the imagination of the German public, with Wednesday’s fan march to the Stuttgart Arena a particularly impressive sight.
If Julian Nagelsmann’s team can maintain their performance levels, they may just find themselves marching to the Olympiastadion on July 14…
The German fan march in Stuttgart #EURO2024 | #GERHUN pic.twitter.com/mi6DSsgQEJ
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 19, 2024
Mbappe out on the grass
It has only been two days since France captain Mbappe broke his nose in a nasty collision with Austria’s Kevin Danso, but the forward is in no mood to rest.
He was out on the training pitch on Wednesday as Les Bleus prepare for Friday’s clash with the Netherlands, wearing strapping across his nose.
His participation in that match remains in doubt, and a protective mask will be required for him to return to competitive action, but the sight of him going through his paces will have encouraged France’s fans.
Kylian Mbappé a refoulé la pelouse durant l’entraînement de ce soir !#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/UjZITwJqP7
— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) June 19, 2024
Cruyff turn celebrates big Five-O
France’s next opponents also had something to celebrate on Wednesday, as it represented the 50th anniversary of Johan Cruyff first wheeling out his signature turn.
The Cruyff turn was born on this day in 1974, the Oranje legend having first performed the move on June 19, 1974, in a World Cup group-stage match against Sweden.
Jan Olsson, the unfortunate defender on the receiving end of the move, probably remains bamboozled half a century on.
On this day in 1974…
The Cruyff turn was born. #FIFAWorldCup
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) June 19, 2024
Gallagher in the hot seat
It was Conor Gallagher’s turn to take part in England’s diary room series on X, with the Chelsea midfielder discussing what he and his team-mates get up to on days off.
He then attempted to match a series of dogs with the Three Lions stars they belong to, posting a pretty good success rate.
The episode began, however, with Gallagher failing to prevent a Jenga set from crashing down around him. England will hope that is not a metaphor for their campaign…
It’s Conor Gallagher’s turn for the Diary Room!
Our midfielder on England’s #EURO2024 so far, downtime in camp and his love of dogs… pic.twitter.com/0CbxCoZ4wK
— England (@England) June 19, 2024
Memorable day for Gjasula
It initially looked like Wednesday would be a day to remember for all the wrong reasons for Klaus Gjasula.
Having come off the bench with Albania 1-0 up against Croatia after 72 minutes, Gjasula saw Andrej Kramaric equalise before putting through his own net, all within just four minutes.
However, the midfielder – who plays his club football in Germany with Darmstadt – was in the right place at the right time to level five minutes into stoppage time.
His post-match Instagram post summed up how much it meant to him and his team-mates.
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