THE CHAMPIONS BLOG: UEFA EURO EDITION #3

 THE CHAMPIONS BLOG: UEFA EURO EDITION (THE EURO BLOG)

The final round of group matches has come and gone just like that. Over the last four days, we were treated to intense moments, unexpected upsets, and brilliant displays of skill in the UEFA EURO Championship. The tournament has again shown us why it is one of the most thrilling and unpredictable football events. Whether it's the underdog victories or the stellar performances of the top teams, the EURO Championship never fails to keep fans on the edge of their seats. This is the Champions Blog: UEFA EURO Edition.

Day 10: 

Switzerland vs Germany (Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt)

Scotland vs Hungary (MHPArena, Stuttgart)

The final group of games started in Group A, with all teams aiming for a place in the Round of 16. The hosts and Switzerland faced off in Frankfurt while the bottom two teams, Scotland and Hungary faced off in Stuttgart. Germany had already qualified for the knockout phase after winning against Hungary, but to finish top of Group A, they had to avoid defeat against Switzerland, who would top the group if Germany failed to grab a point. On the other side of the table, Scotland and Hungary knew that defeat would see them leave Germany. Hungary couldn't finish in the top 2, but can still qualify for the knockout round as one of the four best 3rd placed teams. Switzerland could still win the group if they were to get the better of Germany, while Scotland could qualify if they avoided defeat against Hungary. Anything else would see them eliminated. Regarding games, Germany looked to open the scoring within the 16th minute, with Robert Andrich finding the back of the net from a thunder strike from out of the box. However, after a VAR check, the goal was disallowed after it was revealed that Jamal Musiala fouled Michel Aebischer, in the penalty area in the build-up of the goal. Switzerland's turn to attack came soon after Germany's disallowed goal, and they even scored in the 28th minute when Dan Ndoye scored a fantastic first-time finish, half-volleying the ball into the back of Neuer's net. Switzerland continued to dominate possession, but couldn't find the net again, meaning that the Swiss would go into the half, holding onto a slim 1-0 lead. As things stood, Switzerland would finish the group as winners. In the second half, Germany looked like a whole different team, as their attacking numbers started to increase gradually. They came close to scoring many times, but they couldn't find their goal, just yet. Switzerland also had a fair number of attacks, but they couldn't beat the fantastic saves of Manuel Neuer. In the 92nd minute, Germany managed to rescue themselves a point, in the dying embers. Nicklas Fuulkrug's towering header proved the better of Yann Sommer, sealing first place for Germany and a single point. However, that wouldn't be all the drama of the day. Meanwhile in Stuttgart, Scotland and Hungary were battling out for the best third-placed team. Scotland has an advantage, after grabbing a point from their draw against Switzerland, meaning a win would be enough to seal them third place and possibly qualification for the next round. However, after 10 minutes of stoppage time, Scottish hearts were broken, as youngster, Kevin Csoboth, scored his first goal for Hungary, netting a first-time finish past Angus Gunn, scoring the latest goal in European Championship history, This meant Scotland was sent packing while Hungary's hopes of making the last 16, are significantly boosted.

Pictures Above: German forward, Nicklas Fuulkrug, celebrating scoring a last-minute equalizer against Switzerland. Hungary players celebrating after they scored their last-minute winner against Scotland.

Day 11: 

Albania vs Spain (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf)

Croatia vs Italy (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig)

Group B started the following day with all four nations competing for their campaigns. Spain has already qualified for the last 16 after defeating Italy last week in Gelsenkirchen but can remain perfect if they were to get the better of Albania in Dusseldorf. Meanwhile, Italy and Croatia faced off against each other in Leipzig, battling for second place in the group, as Spain had already sealed the top spot. Both teams kicked off at the exact same time. Spain didn't take long to find the back of the net in their match against Albania. Ferran Torres hit home a tidy finish, which hit the post before going into the back of Thomas Starkosha's net. Albania attacked with menace following their conceded goal and came close to scoring right before halftime, but Unai Simon proved the better of the Albanians, meaning that Spain would end the half with a 1-0 lead. Meanwhile in Leipzig, 10 minutes into the second half, Davide Frattesi had a hand to the ball when Andrej Kramaric was taking a shot. After a VAR check, Danny Makkelie awarded a penalty for Croatia, much to the joy of their fans and the players on the pitch. Croatia's captain, Luka Modric stepped up to take the penalty, but his effort was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who kept the scores at 0-0. However, shortly after, Modric managed to find the back of the net after rebounding a shot from Bruno Petkovic. This goal gave Croatia a deserving 1-0, and as things stood, they would finish second. Italy wouldn't give up easily, and they came close so many times, but couldn't find an equalizer, yet. In the 98th minute, in the dying embers of the game, Mattia Zaccagni scored a beautiful goal with 40 seconds remaining, meaning that Italy would finish the group in second. Croatia would end the group in third, with two points, meaning qualification for the last 16 seemed less likely to happen. Spain and Italy have progressed from the group as the top two, while Albanian hearts are broken as this marks the end of their EURO 2024 campaign. 

Pictures Above: Italy players, Mattia Zaccagni and Federico Chiesa celebrate scoring their last-minute equalizer against Croatia. Spain player, Ferran Torres celebrates after scoring the winner between Spain and Albania.

Day 12: 

France vs Poland (Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund)

Netherlands vs Austria (Olympiadstadion, Berlin)

Serbia vs Denmark (Allianz Arena, Munich)

England vs Slovenia (RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne)

In Dortmund, France took on Poland. Both teams' captains, Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski have returned to the starting XI after picking up injuries during and before the tournament. France has managed to gain the top spot in Group D, after grabbing 4 points out of a possible 6, topping the group on goal difference. Poland is already eliminated from the competition, after picking up defeats in both their matches, meaning here in Dortmund, Polska was just playing for pride. However, after many great chances, mostly by France with some chances from Poland, neither team could find a breakthrough, and take control of this game. Poland's best chance of the half came in the match's opening stages when Piotr Zielinski took a first-time strike from a poor France clearance. His shot was strong, but so was Mike Maignan, who managed to confidently save Zielinski's shot. France's best chance of the game came in the closing stages of the half when Kylian Mbappe almost broke the deadlock twice, but both his efforts were saved by Lukasz Skorupski. In the second half, 10 minutes into the second half, Ousmane Dembele was fouled inside the penalty area, and as a result, France was given a penalty. French captain, Kylian Mbappe, stepped up to take the penalty, and confidently slotted the ball past Skorupski, scoring his first-ever goal at the European Championship. Poland's big break finally came in the 74th minute, when Karol Swiderski was fouled inside the penalty area by Dayot Upamecano. After a VAR decision, Poland was awarded a penalty, giving Poland a chance to obtain their first points of EURO 2024. Robert Lewandowski stepped up to take the penalty, but he missed the initial penalty. However, the penalty had to be retaken after Mike Maignan was off his line. Lewandowski turned in his second attempt, equalizing the game for Poland. Lewandowski has now scored at four different EUROs. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has done more at 5 EUROs. Neither time could find a winning goal after Poland's equalizer and France would end the group with 5 points. 

Later on in the day, England faced off against Slovenia in Cologne. Slovenia are looking to seal a place in the knockout phase of a major tournament for the first time in their history. England has already sealed a place in the knockout phase, but they can seal the top spot in Group C if they avoid defeat in Cologne. The first half saw England dominate possession, but they haven't managed to make the most out of it and produce any game-changing opportunities. England looked as though they got the lead in the 21st minute, as Bukayo Saka tapped the ball into an open net, but, the assistant referee raised his flag, declaring that the goal was offside. Slovenia hasn't had much of the ball throughout the first half and managed to produce very few counter-attacking opportunities, causing the first half to end with very minimal talking points. The second half didn't have much to offer as well. England attacked and kept possession, but, their star-stalked front line failed to deliver a consistent performance, while Slovenia could only defend. In the end, Slovenia managed to hold onto a 0-0 draw and grabbed their third draw and third point of EURO 2024. In the end, it was enough to take Slovenia into the Round of 16 of a major tournament for the first time in their history, as they qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. England limped over this match, but, they still managed to qualify for the last 16 as group winners, and will face the best third-placed team in either Group D, E, or F, in Gelsenkirchen. 

Elsewhere, Austria played the Netherlands in Berlin. Austria's campaign was up and running last time, as they defeated Poland, 3-1 in the same stadium, while the Netherlands have managed to chart 4 points after a win against Poland and a draw against France. Austria stunned everyone in the Olympiadstadion by taking the lead within six minutes, thanks to a very unfortunate own goal by Donyell Malen. Netherlands equalized early on in the second half, thanks to Cody Gakpo, but Austria equalized 10 minutes later through Romano Schmid. The Netherlands eventually found their second equalizer as Memphis Depay finally netted his first goal of the tournament, but Marcel Sabitzer gave Austria the lead for the third time in the day, sealing a famous 3-2 victory for Ralf Rangnick's men. This win meant Austria topped the group, while France finished second. The Netherlands still managed to qualify for the last 16 as one of the best third-placed teams. After the Berlin encounter, Denmark played Serbia in Munich. Both teams have made a slow start to the tournament, with a combined total of 3 points and 3 goals scored between them. They were looking to potentially grab their first wins here in Munich. However, neither team managed to register themselves on the scoresheet, but another goalless draw was registered in Group C. This draw means Denmark and Slovenia are the first teams to draw all three group games since Portugal in EURO 2016. 

Pictures Above: French captain, Kylian Mbappe, scoring his penalty against Poland (top left). Danish forward, Andreas Skov Olsen has the ball dispossessed by Strahinja Pavlovic (top right). Austrian players celebrating with their fans after scoring a goal vs Netherlands (bottom left). England captain, Harry Kane dribbles the ball past Slovenian defender, Jaka Bijol (bottom right).

Day 13:

Slovakia vs Romania (Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt)

Ukraine vs Belgium (MHPArena, Stuttgart)

Georgia vs Portugal (Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen)

Czech Republic vs Turkey (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)

 The next day, the final matches of the group stages were played, with a tight situation in Group E and a chance for knockout football for three teams in Group F. The first matches of the day were hosted in Frankfurt (Slovakia and Romania) and Stuttgart (Ukraine and Belgium). It was tight in Group E, with all four teams obtaining three points in their two games, making it very tight in the group, with only goal difference being the key separation between them. Both games kicked off at the exact same time. In the 24th minute in Frankfurt, Slovakia took the lead thanks to a simple header by Ondrej Duda, swung in beautifully by Juraj Kucka. Not too long later, in the same game, Ianis Hagi was fouled inside the penalty area in the 34th minute. It was originally a free-kick but after a VAR decision, the referee awarded a penalty to Romania. Rasvan Marin was able to answer the call for Romania and scored his penalty with full confidence. This goal equalized the game for Romania and kept things tight in Group E. Meanwhile, in Stuttgart, Belgium's game was very slow, and they couldn't find the target or come close either. Ukraine had the same game as Belgium, with the scores tied at 0-0. As things stood, Romania and Belgium would advance as the top two while Slovakia would finish third and still qualify, leaving Ukraine's competition in danger. Neither team would find a goal in the second half in both matches, meaning the standings remained the same as it was in half-time. This meant that Romania advanced to the knockout phases of the EUROs for the first time since 2000, while Slovakia reached the knockouts for the first time since 2016. This is the first time in EURO history in which all four teams in the group have the same amount of points, while as for Ukraine, they're the first team to finish with four points and still get eliminated from the competition in the group stage. 

Later on that day, Group F kicked off in Gelsenkirchen and Hamburg, with all three bottom teams able to qualify for the last 16. Portugal has already qualified for the last 16, after winning twice. Meanwhile, Turkey, Georgia, and the Czech Republic could qualify for the last 16 if defeat is avoided. Both games kicked off at the same time with all to play for in both venues. In Gelsenkirchen, Georgia found the lead inside 2 minutes, when their starman, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, put the ball into the back of Diogo Costa's net, after a clinical Georgian attack. Meanwhile in Hamburg, in the 20th minute of that game, Antonin Barak made an accidental foul, which resulted in a second yellow card for the right midfielder, meaning he was sent off, and the Czech Republic was down to 10 men. It was the first red card shown at EURO 2024 since Ryan Porteous was sent off for Scotland in the tournament's opening game against Germany. Both halves would end at the same time with Portugal a goal down to Georgia and Czech Republic a man down to Turkey. In the second half, Turkey managed to pounce ahead within 5 minutes, as their captain, Hakan Calhanoglu, netted a fantastic, first-time finish that drilled its way into the back of the Czech Republic net. A few minutes after the goal by Calhanoglu, in Gelsenkirchen, Georgia was given a penalty after a foul in the penalty area was recognized by VAR. Georges Mikautdze stepped up and scored his third goal of the EUROs, giving Georgia a comforting 2-0 lead against the Portuguese, and possibly their first win at the European Championship. Meanwhile, in Hamburg, 15 minutes after Calhanoglu's opener, the Czechs were able to find an equalizer thanks to a simple strike from Thomas Soucek, after Mert Gunok failed to smother the ball in his hands from a long header out. The captain made it 1-1 and it was game on in Hamburg. In the 94th minute in Hamburg, it looked as though the teams would share points, but a stunning strike from Turkey's Cenk Tosun declared a win for Turkey, breaking the hearts of all Czech Republic fans. Both matches ended soon after, and the results were a 2-0 win for Georgia and a 2-1 win for Turkey. This meant that Turkey qualified as group runners-up while Georgia also qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. Unfortunately, this means that the Czech Republic will finish last in Group F, wrapping up a miserable tournament for them.

Pictures Above: Belgium forward, Romelu Lukaku attempting a shot against Ukraine goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin (top left). Georgian forward, Georges Mikautdze celebrates after scoring a penalty against Portugal (top right). Romanian players celebrate with their fans after making the Round of 16 (bottom left). Turkey forward, Cenk Tosun running and celebrating after netting the winner against the Czech Republic. 

24 teams have now dissolved into 16 teams. The 16 teams left in the titanic clash of a tournament are now one step closer to becoming the best country in Europe. The group stages have held some of the best matches in the history of the competition, as new classics were created in Germany, from the host's big win against Scotland in Munich on opening day to the last-gasp drama and stunning victory in Hamburg and Gelsenkirchen. The Champions Blog will return soon for the Round of 16 of EURO 2024.