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From /apa, July 14, 2024, 07:52 a.m.
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN (AFP)
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Photo: ODD ANDERSEN (AFP)
The highs and lows of EURO2024 and what else was talked regarding.
The Tops
Spain: By far the most convincing team of the tournament. Entering as just one of many title contenders, the team of team manager Luis de la Fuente impressed with a new style of play that is more focused on winning the ball, counterattacks and speed than anyone has ever seen from Spain. The “Tiki-Taka”, the possession football that “La Roja” used to win three major titles from 2008 to 2012, has been replaced. The Spaniards scored 13 goals in the first six European Championship games – and thus went into the final once morest England as slight favorites.
Lamine Yamal: Having just turned 17 on the day before the final, FC Barcelona’s exceptional talent was the discovery of the tournament. The winger not only became the youngest player in European Championship history, but also the youngest goalscorer in the semi-final once morest France (2:1). In addition to his records, the child prodigy impressed with his carefree attitude on the big stage. Yamal had to finish school during the tournament. The teenager formed a remarkably dangerous offensive line with the dynamic Nico Williams and the skilled technician Dani Olmo.
Image: GEPA pictures/ Bildbyran/ Mathias Bergeld
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Image: GEPA pictures/ Bildbyran/ Mathias Bergeld
Deutschland: The hosts also had a lot to offer in attack. Young stars Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, dubbed “Wusiala” by the media, made the Germans believe they might win their fourth European Championship title. After the 5-1 opening victory once morest Scotland, there was pure euphoria. The turnaround was only achieved in 2024 under team boss Julian Nagelsmann, who was appointed last year. The DFB team challenged Spain in the quarter-finals, but in the end a goal by Mikel Merino in the penultimate minute of extra time tore Germany out of their title dreams.
Georgia: The newcomer to the European Championship proved to be an absolute asset. The 1:3 defeat once morest Turkey was one of the most exciting matches of this EURO, and the team advanced to the round of 16 thanks to a sensational 2:0 win over Portugal. The outstanding man for Georgia was goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made by far the most saves of the tournament, namely 29. In the round of 16, the underdog even took the lead once morest Spain, but in the end the eventual finalists were too strong. Mamardashvili also fought in vain to prevent the 1:4 defeat.
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Who will be European champion? A comparison of the two final teams:
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Playback time: Many matches turned around in the final phase. No fewer than 13 tournament goals before the final were scored in stoppage time in the second half. England, Germany and Turkey managed two goals, with the “Three Lions” each striking in the knockout phase: In the round of 16, Jude Bellingham saved his team once morest Slovakia in extra time, and in the semi-final, Ollie Watkins secured England’s place in the final with his goal once morest the Netherlands. The latest to score was Hungarian Kevin Csoboth, who scored the 1-0 goal for the Magyars once morest Scotland in the 100th minute.
Rangnicks Entertainer: The ÖFB team impressed in the group phase with its physical style of play based on quickly winning the ball. “There were four mega-entertaining games, mega-intense. In contrast, there were other games where I had trouble staying awake in front of the TV,” said team manager Ralf Rangnick. The Austrians’ performances were also well received internationally. In the end, however, they were eliminated in the round of 16 once morest Turkey (1:2).
Image: APA/Ronny Hartmann
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Image: APA/Ronny Hartmann
Nicolas Seiwald: Not a regular player at RB Leipzig, but an indispensable part of Ralf Rangnick’s ÖFB team. Austria’s long-standing player played all 15 international matches before the tournament and also played the full distance in the center of midfield in the four European Championship matches. The 23-year-old from Salzburg won the ball the most times in the ÖFB team, 26 in fact – and did not commit a single foul in 360 minutes of European Championship play.
Complaining is no longer: The new rule that only the captains are allowed to discuss things with the referee at the European Championships has proven to be a success. There were practically no mobs around the referee even following controversial scenes, as the players would otherwise have been given a yellow card and possibly banned. National leagues will soon follow suit.
Fan-Comeback: Three years following the 2021 European Championship, which was marked by the corona pandemic, the spectators gave the tournament an important touch back. The ten stadiums in football country Germany were almost completely full. Around 52,000 spectators per game is the highest average at a European Championship tournament since 2012. It was a colorful affair, with celebrations at the venues mostly peaceful – including large fan marches. Around 20,000 fans traveled from Austria to each of the ÖFB games in the neighboring country.
Die Flops
Sluggish heavyweights: Even teams with highly talented individuals were not far from passing the ball. Some knockout matches were more regarding excitement than footballing finesse. Vice World Champion France managed to make it to the semi-finals, but only scored its first goal from open play there. Two of France’s four goals in the tournament were own goals. Belgium, the eternal dark horse, was only successful in one of four matches. Portugal also failed to live up to expectations with veteran Cristiano Ronaldo in the center of the attack.
Italy: The “Squadra Azzurra” only managed to make it to the round of 16 as defending champions thanks to a goal in the 98th minute, where they had no chance once morest Switzerland. The 2021 European Championship crown seems like an unusual upward swing in a phase of stubborn lows. Italy did not even qualify for the last two World Cups, and in the two World Cups before that they were eliminated following the group stage.
Croatia: Second place at the 2018 World Cup, third place at the 2022 World Cup – but at EURO 2024 it was time to say goodbye following the group stage. Late goals once morest Albania and Italy sealed the early exit. The fact that Luka Modric became the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history once morest the Italians at the age of 38 years and 289 days, replacing Ivica Vastic, was no consolation for the Croatian.
goal scorer: For the first time since the expansion to 24 teams, three goals might be enough to win the European Championship top scorer crown. Star strikers such as France’s Kylian Mbappe, who suffered a broken nose in the opening match once morest Austria (1:0), or Poland’s Robert Lewandowski only scored from the penalty spot, not from open play. Cristiano Ronaldo came away empty-handed – as did Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, who had three goals disallowed by the VAR.
Image: (APA/AFP/FRANCK FIFE)
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Image: (APA/AFP/FRANCK FIFE)
Nationalism/Racism: In Austria’s fan sector, a banner with the obviously right-wing extremist slogan “Defend Europe” was briefly seen during the group match once morest Poland. Before the round of 16 defeat once morest Turkey, supporters chanted “Foreigners out”. The Turks were making the wolf salute. Albania’s attacker Mirlind Daku was banned for two games because he had shouted battle cries once morest North Macedonia using a megaphone. English team players had to put up with monkey noises, and there were accusations from the Serbian side following allegedly hostile chants from Croatian and Albanian fans. This major football event also showed that sport can be abused as a stage for displaying nationalist tendencies.
Speedster: Cristiano Ronaldo was the most popular “selfie” victim of fans storming onto the pitch. UEFA, as the organizer, was unable to get the security risk under control until the very end. Alvaro Morata escaped with a fright following reaching the final when a security guard collided with Spain’s captain while trying to intercept the streaker.
Image: APA/Tribouillard
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Image: APA/Tribouillard
Public transport: The image of Deutsche Bahn as an unreliable means of transport was confirmed. Trains did not run at all, were very late or were simply withdrawn halfway through. Particularly symbolic: the Dutch national team had to take a plane because of a line closure, and their arrival at the hotel was delayed by around four hours. Air traffic was also unreliable, with flights being cancelled or postponed to the next day without any reason being given. Some fans therefore missed their games.
What people were talking regarding
Austria’s performance: By winning the group ahead of France and the Netherlands, the ÖFB team let the country dream of historic heroics. However, the team headed by Ralf Rangnick did not live up to the role of dark horse favorite that some international media and experts had attributed to them. With a bitter 1:2 defeat once morest Turkey, they were eliminated in the round of 16, just like three years ago under Franco Foda. It remains certain that more would have been possible in the supposedly easier of the two halves of the tournament tree.
Image: APA/AFP/ADRIAN DENNIS
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Image: APA/AFP/ADRIAN DENNIS
Political side effects: Once once more it became clear that sport and politics cannot be separated. France’s team players, especially Mbappe before the Austria match, made passionate appeals once morest an impending shift to the right in the French elections. ÖFB striker Michael Gregoritsch called for distancing themselves from right-wing ideology and team manager Rangnick warned that one must “be very, very vigilant with one’s right eye”. The Turk Merih Demiral celebrated his second goal once morest the ÖFB team with the wolf salute, which is banned in Austria and considered to be right-wing extremist. The result was a two-game ban for the defender and diplomatic tensions between Germany and Turkey.
Modus: 24 participating teams mean more games and therefore more money than the 2016 European Championship, but once once more led to confusing calculations and difficult tournament planning. The fact that four of the six third-placed teams made it to the round of 16 kept some teams waiting for a particularly long time. The Hungarians, for example, waited three days following their last group match once morest Scotland (1-0), only to have to return home following Georgia’s sensational victory once morest Portugal (2-0).
