Greetings, reader!
Well, the football European Championship came to an end last week - and what a tournament it was. I have closely followed every World Cup and European Championship since 2008, and this most recent tournament is right on par with the 2010 World Cup as the most eventful and dramatic one I've witnessed. What's even more amazing is that (with a few exceptions) the tournament was eventful and dramatic in a largely positive manner - while there was sorrow especially outside the actual playtime, from disgraceful racial abuse by fans and troublesome COVID-19 numbers to Christian Eriksen's career possibly coming to an end after a horrifying cardiac arrest, most everything that happened in the actual game of football was a delight. There seemed to be less unnecessary diving, less unfair refereeing decisions, and less unsportsmanlike wasting of playtime than in many previous tournaments, not to mention the sheer glory of multiple underdog stories throughout the tournament. Who would've predicted that Ukraine, Czech Republic and Switzerland would make it to the quarter-finals, while France, Portugal and Germany would not?
Without further ado, here are my favorite moments from the 2021 European Championship tournament.
10. The first of Patrick Schick's many goals
Patrick Schick was an unlikely hero in the tournament, scoring five goals in five games and being instrumental in getting his country of Czech Republic all the way to the quarter-finals. The Bayer Leverkusen striker's goals were often quite striking (pardon the pun), especially his first of the tournament. Scored in Czech's opening match against Scotland, Schick saw an opportunity arise when the Scottish goalkeeper was poorly positioned, and fired the ball from near the halfway line. This long-range beauty found its way into Scotland's net, making for one of the tournament's most unique and memorable goals.
9. Giorgio Chiellini being a great sport
While I was wholeheartedly rooting for England and the final was heartbreaking to watch, I do have a lot of respect for Italy and was able to feel happy for their players - especially team captain Giorgio Chiellini, who once again proved to be one of the largest personalities in football. While he did slip up with one foul that earned him a strong yellow card (veering on red) in the final as he misplaced England's Bukayo Saka, Chiellini was an absolute class act throughout the tournament for all but that one moment.
Whether he was singing Italy's national anthem with unbridled passion before each game or laughing off the pre-penalty-shoot-out nervousness against Spain in the semifinal, Chiellini provided many lovable moments in the Euros. As much as I wanted England to win, a part of me just has to be happy for Chiellini and his similar-looking, equally iconic partner-in-crime Leonardo Bonucci.
8. Alvaro Morata proves the haters wrong
Spaniard Alvaro Morata's tournament didn't come to a great start, as the Juventus striker missed many goalscoring opportunities deemed 'easy' by fans who I'm sure could pull them off on the European stage themselves. After this, certain football fans gave the world a solid reminder of just why people hate football fans, as Morata was abused online and disowned by supporters, with him and his family members even receiving death threats (sometimes I wonder just what has to go wrong in a person's life for them to turn a beautiful sport into a reason to bring more fear and hatred into the world).
Anyhow, it was great to see Morata proving his haters wrong in the nail-biting round-of-16 match between Spain and Croatia. The game had gone on extra time, with both teams in a seemingly inescapable 3-3 deadlock, until Morata put Spain ahead by scoring a goal that was not only massively important, but one of the most beautiful goals of the tournament. A graceful first touch from Dani Olmo's cross, followed by a powerful strike into the upper corner of Croatia's net. This was a thoroughly deserved moment for Morata, having been dragged through the dirt by fans the way he was.
7. Belgium overcomes the reigning European champion
The result of this knockout game made me extremely happy for two reasons - Belgium beating Portugal, and Portugal losing to Belgium. Don't get me wrong - I don't often take joy in anyone's loss as that's not a healthy attitude to live by, but in this particular instance, much like watching a movie villain get defeated, I couldn't help myself. I still wasn't over Portugal's bullshit victory in the 2016 EUROs, where the team played with horrible sportsmanship and a strategy based on scoring 1 goal, followed by the rest of the game built on pathetic time wasting by any means necessary and not playing a single f**king second of actual football.
So, yes, I felt relief when Portugal were knocked out - and by Belgium, out of all teams! Belgium has always been one of my favorite international teams (only behind England and my two home countries), and while they didn't make it as far as I would've hoped in the tournament, they still advanced to the quarter-finals quite gloriously by knocking out the champions of the previous European Championship. Good for them, man.
6. The Switzerland - France penalty shoot-out
I love a good penalty shoot-out. For a game that has gone even for 120 minutes, it is only fair to be decided in such a fashion, which also happens to make for absolutely delicious edge-of-your-seat viewing - sort of like watching a good action film that ends with an intense, well, shootout.
This particular showdown was fantastic for a number of reasons (albeit also quite heartbreaking - I feel for Kylian Mbappe, and hope that this doesn't mess with his head in the future). Almost all of the kicks went in and some of them were real beauties, the teams were evenly matched in terms of penalty kick quality, Switzerland's goalkeeper Yann Sommer became a national hero, and of course, the underdog won. I'm a big fan of France's team and players, but as they got to win the 2018 World Cup, it was inspiring to see a total underdog managing to overcome the world champions.
5. Leon Goretzka's powerful celebration
Some things are bigger than football.
The world of football (or sports in general) hasn't exactly had a history of being in the forefront when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, and taking a stand for equality. This is why it's always quite powerful when visible figures in football do take a stand, as it always involves receiving plenty of flack from conservative fans.
Not long before Germany's group stage match against Hungary played in Munich, the Hungarian government had passed quite severe anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, angering a lot of people (myself very much included). Munich authorities had requested that the Allianz Arena would be lit up in rainbow colors for the game, with it being Pride Month and all, but UEFA had denied the request. When Leon Goretzka scored his important 2-2 equalizer for Germany, he celebrated poignantly by doing a heart gesture with his hands, sending a message of love winning to the audience. This was, of course, seen as a very controversial move. Not to judge anyone's opinions, but you have to ask yourself whether you're on the right side of history if you're offended by a player signaling "love over hate".
4. The Huuhkajat make Finland proud
Before any of you glass-half-empty Finns roll your eyes and remark on how we didn't even get past the group stage - just don't. There was so much to enjoy and be proud of in Finland's European Championship debut, that watching them was easily one of the tournament's major highlights for me. First of all, let's not forget that our country has never made it to the EUROs or the World Cup before, so just the fact alone that we were there is a huge victory and something Finns had spent decades and decades praying for. Making it to the knockout stages would've almost been too much to ask for, and I'm quite optimistic that there will be time for such aspirations in future tournaments - I see EURO2020 as the beginning of a new era for Finnish football.
Furthermore, while the Huuhkajat barely missed out on qualification from the group stage onwards, they still exceeded expectations in terms of playing well. We beat Denmark (granted, it was under the strangest of circumstances, but that doesn't discredit Joel Pohjanpalo's fantastic goal, not to mention Lukas Hradecky's penalty save). We played a very even match against an impressive Russia side, with a tie instead a loss being a fracture away as Pohjanpalo was about two millimetres offside when scoring what would've been his 2nd goal of the tournament. We even gave the world class Belgian team a run for their money, holding them off for a long time before they eventually got two goals in. With the team's MVP Lukas Hradecky being (in the opinions of many football fans and analysts around the world) the best goalkeeper of the entire group stage, and everyone else also doing their best to produce quality football, the Huuhkajat got to come home with their heads held high and rightfully so.
3. Denmark make it far
Already before the tournament began and certain dramatic events hadn't transpired, I felt that the Danish team was destined for greatness. They were seventh on my list of likeliest teams to win the tournament, as I claimed that they are the clearest and most likely dark horses. In addition to betting that they would make it far, I was very much hoping for it - we Scandinavians like to stand in solidarity and root for one another especially if our own country is out of the tournament, and Denmark's squad includes many players that I've greatly enjoyed watching on a club level - Leicester City's longtime goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Chelsea FC's centre-back Andreas Christensen, and, of course, a Tottenham legend / Serie A champion / midfield maestro by the name of Christian Eriksen.
God, what a tragedy. After losing the man considered to be their best and most important individual player for the rest of the tournament, I had to admit that things didn't look good for Denmark. When they lost both of their first two games, things really didn't look good. The world of football was on their side after what they had been through, but their situation was dire.
Then, they beat Russia with a major goal difference and became the first team in EURO history to make it out of the group stage with just three points. Then, they beat Wales 4-0 in a knockout match that had been speculated to be an even battle between two equally talented sides. And then, they beat fellow underdogs Czech Republic to make it all the way to the semi-finals - an amazing feat for any team, let alone an underdog side who were playing without their biggest star.
2. Football damn near comes home
This item is a bittersweet one to rank, as there are many negative aspects to it - not only the fact that the cursed England team lost out once again despite coming so close, but more importantly because because a whole bunch of fucking assholes reacted to the loss by racially abusing the English stars who missed their penalties - players like Marcus Rashford who has an M.B.E. for his heroic charity work helping starving children, Jadon Sancho who was a huge fan favorite until he missed the penalty and thus became the racially motivated scapegoat, and Bukayo Saka who had the guts to take the decisive penalty shot with the whole world watching at the age of nineteen years. Seeing this abuse take place made me sick to my stomach - thankfully everyone from England's coach and players to the royal family and Boris Johnson (you know you've fucked up when you're the racist in comparison to Boris) have taken strong stands on this, as well as every real football fan who cares about the sport and isn't a racist piece of shit.
With that off my chest, I just want to commend the Three Lions for playing incredible football and making it so far against all odds. The team played well together and had each others' backs, providing incredible moments from their 4-0 triumph over Ukraine and their semi-final comeback against Denmark to the moment that made me scream with delight - goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who isn't considered to be a master of the penalty-saving arts, keeping the game going by saving a penalty by Italy's Jorginho, who is most likely among the top 3 penalty takers in the world right now. While England didn't quite win the tournament, and it is painful to think about how close they came, there is a lot of pride to take in the team's achievements. Just think what we'll be capable of in the coming years, with the Mount-Foden-Rice-Saka generation having more experience under their belts.
Also, if I didn't make myself clear enough, I just really want to wish a massive "Fuck you" to every single person who participated in racially abusing England's stars.
1. Denmark's medical staff saves Christian Eriksen's life
Calling this the best moment of the tournament feels paradoxical, as it was easily the most shocking and horrifying moment I have ever witnessed when watching the game. Calling this the best moment feels a bit wrong, considering that Eriksen might tragically never play again. But none of that erases the fact that a human life was saved in this moment, and nothing in football can ever top that.
When Eriksen collapsed and suffered what we later learned to be a cardiac arrest, a series of intense and quite incredible events transpired. Team captain Simon Kjaer rushed over to his teammate and gave him the correct initial CPR. As the medical team rushed onto the field, the pressure must have felt insurmountable as the whole world was watching and nothing of this sort had transpired on such a grand stage before, yet they did their job with the utmost professionalism and efficiency. The Danish players, who must have been in quite the traumatic state of mind themselves, bravely formed a human wall around Eriksen, as a means of shielding the shocking scenery from the cameras. The fans at the stadium showed solidarity, all in agreement that what was going on was bigger than football - I choked up when I noticed the fans chanting Eriksen's name, especially when I later found out that it was the Finnish fans shouting "CHRISTIAN" and the Danish fans replying with "ERIKSEN".
I'm hoping for Eriksen to have the best possible recovery, and if he ends up never playing professionally again, we can all look back on just what a legacy he's leaving behind. His career has been massive, from accolades like winning Danish Footballer Of The Year a record five times, playing an instrumental role in taking Tottenham to the Champions League final for the first time in the club's history, and winning the Italian Championship with Inter Milan, all the way to unforgettable individual moments like scoring a goal for Tottenham in the first ten seconds of a match or scoring the winning free-kick goal in the 97th minute of last season's intense Milan derby. Whether or not he plays again, the most important thing is that he's alive, and this is thanks to the impeccable emergency response of Denmark's medical staff and Simon Kjaer.
Thank you for reading! Tune in tomorrow for this week's official post: my ranking of the Fast & Furious movies, including the newly released F9 (2021).
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