Greetings, reader!
Well, the UEFA European Championship of football is over, and as per tradition, I've ranked my 10 favorite moments from the tournament (remember, the EUROs are technically a high-stakes reality TV series, so it's not off-topic for a movie/TV blog). These were the most unforgettable moments from this year's major tournament!
10. Italy makes it out in injury time
I was actually rooting for Croatia over Italy in this group stage match, but football is rarely black and white, so I can still appreciate the heroics of the Italy squad in how they got out. In what was the final group stage match for both teams, Croatia needed a win in order to qualify for the knockout stages, while a draw would've been enough for Italy. The emotional roller coaster began when Croatia got a penalty, veteran captain Luka Modric missed it - and then Modric scored from open play less than a minute later. That's resilience right there, and things looked good for the Croatians for a while.
However, the Italians showed their own incredible resilience when a beautiful passage of play lead to an equalizing goal - at 90+8 minutes. A goal of any kind at that stage of the game is an incredible feat, let alone a goal that prevents your team from getting eliminated. A heartbreaking moment for Croatia, but a miraculous escape for Italy.
9. The Liverpool captain face-off
The group stage match between Scotland and Hungary was special for me and all fellow Liverpool fans, as the captains for both national teams play for Liverpool F.C. in their professional careers. Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai (you'll never guess which one is the Scotsman and which one is the Hungarian from their names) were class acts in that game, which was especially evident when an especially bad injury riled things up and both captains calmed the situation down and helped the medical team do their job.
The game ended in yet another dramatic injury time goal, this time at 90+10 minutes for Hungary's win - it wasn't enough for them to make it to the knockout stages, but made sure that this was one of the more memorable group stage games, especially from a Liverpool fan's perspective.
8. Netherlands' hero defense against Turkey
The quarter final between Turkey and the Netherlands was nothing short of nerve-wracking. After Samet Akaydin's goal put Turkey ahead, they seemed to lock in their path to the semifinals with a frustratingly tight and impenetrable defensive line. However, after multiple tries had failed, the Dutchmen got their equalizer with Stefan De Vrij's clinical 70th-minute header, and capitalizing on the panic this had undoubtedly caused in their opponents, they scored again just six minutes later.
The last 15 minutes of the game had me on the edge of my seat, with Turkey pressing for an equalizer with escalatingly creative and intense attacking patterns, but the Netherlands kept their cool. I appreciate how their strategy wasn't a boring 10-men-in-the-box parking of the bus, but rather an athletically respectable and semi-heroic brand of tough defending, with all of Turkey's admittedly valiant attempts being stumped by various courageous slide tackles, acrobatic interceptions and other wonder deeds by Van Dijk, De Vrij and company.
7. Austria win their group
A good major tournament needs a good underdog story or two, and EURO2024 delivered on that front. I had a hunch of something like this, as foretold in my pre-tournament post on my EURO2024 predictions, where I said that Austria would somehow make it out of the 'group of death' against all odds. But never in my wildest dreams would've I pictured them winning the group, with the opponents being Poland, France and the Netherlands.
Yet that's what coach Ralf Rangnik's rag-tag group of misfits accomplished. They held their own against France but barely lost in a bitter 1-0 defeat, starting their tournament out with zero points. However, a 3-1 victory over Poland gave them hope, and in a moment no one saw coming, they beat eventual semi-finalist Netherlands 3-2 in their final group stage game in order to secure the top spot in the tournament's undoubtedly toughest group. While their EURO campaign came to an unfortunate end in the round of 16, Austria can rest easy with the memory of the brilliant upset they pulled in Group D.
6. Georgia kicks Portugal's ass
This was a major guilty pleasure for me - I rarely wish ill on any sports team, but I've always had whatever the opposite of a 'soft spot' is for Portugal, as I'm still not over the fact that they won the EURO2016 tournament with their demonic brand of unsportsmanlike, despicable anti-football. Plus, I often like rooting for the underdog in any given game, and the small country of Georgia was certainly just that when they faced Portugal in the group stages.
Therefore, their 2-0 victory was an absolute delight, both in the sense of Georgia winning and Portugal losing. They did it with enjoyable, street-style football too, with bold long-distance shots and wild attacking patterns dominating the style of their game as opposed to Portugal's boring antics. I especially liked the goal by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who truly proved to be the Kwisatz Haderach of football in this tournament.
5. A bittersweet swan song for Southgate's England
Gareth Southgate certainly was an opinion-dividing manager for England, and will likely spark debate for years to come. I didn't always agree with his tactics, but I've got to hand it to him: after decades and decades of upsetting and downright shocking major tournament campaigns, he got the Three Lions to two European Championship finals, as well as the semi-finals of one World Cup and the quarter-finals of another. Now that he confirmed his resignation after the tournament, I have mixed feelings about his legacy: he has all the rights in the world to be proud of his accomplishments and I hope he knows that and doesn't listen to the haters, but oh man, I would've hoped to see him ending his managerial run with a trophy. The man would've deserved it, especially considering the tragic legacy of his playing career in the 90's.
Still, while a trophy wasn't written in the stars this time, the Three Lions got to leave with their heads held high, coming in second place after three consecutive comeback victories in the knockout stage. It's easy to be pessimistic and say that it's extra-bitter to lose two consecutive finals, but I try to see the glass as half-full and appreciate the fact that England made it to two consecutive finals! While the final was inevitably bittersweet for us fans of English football, there's no escaping the fact that Spain deserved to win and I can't help but be happy for their players. The English team should be proud of how far they came, and I hope they'll find that alongside the inescapable bitterness of losing out on yet another trophy. Hey, maybe it'll come home in two years, with the World Cup being on the 60-year anniversary of their previous major tournament win...
4. Spain v Germany: the de facto final?
No major drama or emotional investment, just a f**king good game of proper football. I probably shouldn't be subscribing to the 'this was the true final' talking point as it does downplay England's EURO campaign, but at the same time, I do see the point. It hurts to admit as an England fan, but in many ways, these were the tournament's two best teams, and it was a shame that they faced each other already in the quarter-finals. Especially with another QF being Portugal vs France, two teams that did very little to deserve a spot in the semifinals. I kind of agree with whoever it was on the internet who said that we should just agree that Portugal and France both drop out and the semifinal is a repeat of Spain v Germany.
Anyhow, like I said, this was an awesome game of football. Brilliant attacking patterns, intense defending, beautiful passing, clever tactics and passionate team play from both sides, eventually culminating in a tight but admittedly deserved win by the eventual champions.
3. Yamal's semifinal wonder goal
There are a few solid contenders for goal of the tournament, as well as for the player of the tournament, but in both discussions, the 17-year-old Lamine Yamal has to be at least mentioned. The Barcelona wonderkid grabbed the world's attention with these Euros, with his brilliant dribbling cutting past any given defense lines while his sharp-precision passing earned him more assists than any other player in the tournament.
While finishing isn't the young winger's most impressive attribute, he proved to be quite the goalscorer as well at a crucial moment, with his magnificent out-of-the-box screamer equalizing the scoreline in the semi-final between Spain and France. I can't believe this dude is eight years younger than me.
2. Bellingham madness
As a romantic and an idealist, I don't like to admit it - but I had given up. Even though it was only the round of 16, and the opponent was no scarier than Slovakia, and England was only one goal down, I had still given up. It simply seemed like such an off-day for the whole squad, as they weren't getting anything done, and Slovakia's defense was thwarting all attempts of offensive play with ease. As the clock ran out, I felt less and less hope, and having seen many heartbreaking England eliminations over the years, I already accepted the scenario that the Three Lions would drop out in their first knockout game.
Then, 21-year-old Jude Bellingham scores an overhead kick at 90+5 minutes.
Suddenly, the score is 1-1, the game goes to overtime, and England ends up living to fight another day. I just can't get over the fact that it was that player, at that time in the match, with that kind of goal - it simply felt too good to be true. It was like something out of the over-dramatic joke predictions I make to my friends before watching a Liverpool game. Football has always been a magical sport, but very rarely is it this magical.
1. England beats Switzerland on penalties
Another England knockout game, another case of dramatically coming back from behind - only this time, the game went on to a penalty shoot-out. As any England fan will know, there is very little difference between going to the penalties and getting on the plane home. This time it felt extra-loaded, as the trauma of the last EUROs were there - not only did England lose the final on penalties, but the three players who missed their penalties all happened to be Black, and many 'fans' (read: disgraces to the sport and to humanity itself) reacted with horrendous racial abuse.
Out of those three players, who had the immense courage to take a penalty in a European Championship final for their country and who don't owe their country anything after what they went through, only one was in England's squad for EURO2024: Bukayo Saka. He was the main reason why I was begging for the game not to go to penalties, as I dreaded what might happen: as one of the best penalty takers in the world right now, the manager and team would naturally want him to take one, but it would be the most understandable thing in the world if he refused. And if he didn't refuse, what if the pressure were to get to him or the keeper were to make an amazing save, and the same thing would happen again?
After two penalties for both teams, Saka stepped up, and I was sweating like crazy just watching it on TV. I tried to comprehend the sheer guts required to voluntarily be in that situation again, but I of course no one but Saka himself can imagine the pressure of that moment. I'm not sure if I've ever been that nervous watching football - and as the penalty went in, I immediately felt tears swelling in my eyes. Two penalties later, to make the situation even more emotionally powerful, Liverpool defender (and one of my all-time favorite players) Trent Alexander-Arnold steps up to take the decisive penalty, and scores it to ensure England's spot in the semifinals.
It's a frustrating trend that the racist section of sport fans see players of color as praise-worthy national heroes and proud representatives of the country whenever they succeed, and as blame-worthy immigrants and foreigners when they fail. When England didn't win EURO2021, they blamed the three Black players and, indirectly but with clear and cruel intention, Black people. And those racists have absolutely no f**king right to celebrate England's 2nd-place finish in EURO2024: Jude Bellingham scored the last-minute equalizer against Slovakia to keep England in the tournament, Ollie Watkins scored the winning goal against the Netherlands to put England into the final, and four of the five successful penalty takers in the quarter-final were Black as well. England owes its EURO2024 success to Black players, which should really be in every news story about their campaign (and for the 'why do you have to make everything about race' crowd, I wouldn't be all up in arms about this if it wasn't for the actual making-everything-about-race people, a.k.a. the racists who abused Saka and company, making this into an issue).
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the episodes in the new Star Wars spin-off series, The Acolyte.
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