Vidhi Koli
The start of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship hosted by Germany was nothing short of eventful.
Spain might have taken the cup home, but European teams were highly esteemed by football fans globally, making this tournament both competitive and captivating in the group stages. Let’s look back at how they went.
Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland
Germany secured a 5-1 win over Scotland in the first match of the championship.
Switzerland had the lead over Germany for most of their match, until Niclas Füllkrug’s last-minute equaliser, ultimately placing them second in the group.
Hungary’s effort to stay in the championship was unsuccessful as they placed third with three points. Their losses to Switzerland and Germany had cost them and their win against Scotland was insufficient.
Germany came out on top with seven points; Scotland was last, securing only a single point. Hungary and Scotland were eliminated while Germany and Switzerland advanced.
Germany
Although Germany advanced to the round of 16 in EURO 2020, they were met with high expectations this year. The team had proven itself to be a superpower, surmounting a FIFA World Cup win in 2014 against Argentina.
In 2018, during the World Cup in Russia, Germany failed to advance to the knockout stages after losing to South Korea, finishing last of their group. Four years later, in Qatar, they had an early exit again due to Japan’s dominance in the group stages.
It is safe to say that Germany has shocked fans with its performance, not only finishing at the top of its group but also scoring the most goals out of all teams in the European Championship so far.
Group B: Spain, Croatia, Italy and Albania
Spain started with an incredible 3-0 win over Croatia and kept that momentum for all three games played. They finished first in the group with nine points and five goals, winning every match.
Albania, on the other hand, were not so lucky. Unable to obtain a win, they finished in last place with one point after drawing against Croatia.
Croatia led their deciding game against Italy after a goal from Luka Modrić but, Mattia Zaccagni’s equalising goal for Italy in the 98th minute promoted them to second place. This proved to be a significant result for Italy, ending Croatia’s run in the 2024 championship.
Group of Death
In this year’s tournament, Group B is famously referred to as the Group of Death.
Italy had defeated England in the last European Championship after the match had gone to penalties. Now, they have the title to defend.
According to the International Federation of Association Football, FIFA, Spain, Italy and Croatia are among the highest-ranking men’s national teams. Yet, Albania, the underdogs, had an exceptional qualifying campaign in which they did not lose a single game or concede a single goal.
Albania has a long way to go, but they were able to push till the very end, not making it easy for their opponents to get past them.
Croatia
Croatia arguably had one of the most disappointing performances in the group stages.
After taking second place in the 2018 World Cup and third in 2022, fans expected a better performance.
Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić carried the national team to major tournaments for years with their remarkable talent and experience.
While Croatia has notable younger players such as Joško Gvardiol and Mateo Kovačić, they must adjust to a new generation of footballers in the coming years as the older generation retires.
Group C: England, Slovenia, Denmark, and Serbia
England topped their table with a singular win against Serbia, but still earned two points throughout their other matches: 1-1 against Denmark and 0-0 against Slovenia.
Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia failed to win a single match in this stage. Serbia’s loss placed them in last, thereby eliminating them. Both Denmark and Slovenia qualified, having the same records, with Slovenia in third due to an extra yellow card issued.
England
England, the strongest team out of the group, was expected to dominate in the group stages. They managed to secure the first-place spot – struggling more than they had hoped – with only one win and two goals scored.
The team’s manager, Gareth Southgate, had made some questionable choices, resulting in poor form and disappointing performance.
Forward Anthony Gordon is one player with limited minutes on the pitch, with Southgate refusing to change his line up. His decision to limit Cole Palmer’s minutes on the field has caused an uproar from fans as well.
England, a team of high calibre, delivered an underwhelming performance, only narrowly beating their opponents.
Group D: France, Poland, Netherlands and Austria
Unable to win a single match, Poland was eliminated. France drew 1-1 against Poland and 0-0 against the Netherlands, giving Austria the advantage to top their table.
The Netherlands won against Poland, but lost to Austria, taking third place. Austria lost to France but still took first place as they won their games against the Netherlands and Poland.
Dutchman, Donyell Malen’s, own goal put Austria in the lead. The Netherlands were unable to equalise, losing 2-3 to Austria.
France, Austria and the Netherlands advanced to the Round of 16.
Group E: Belgium, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine
All teams had the same number of points: 4.
Ukraine finished last and were eliminated with a -2 goal difference. Romania won with 4 goals scored; Belgium and Slovakia went through second and third, respectively.
Group F: Turkey, Georgia, Portugal and Czechia
Both Portugal and Turkey won 2 matches and lost the other, ending with the same number of points.
Portugal had a higher goal difference than Turkey, earning them first place. Turkey came in second, Georgia in third, and Czechia last.
Turkey were able to score in the last minute, converting their game against Czechia into a win. Czechia suffered as two yellow cards – an automatic red – were issued to midfielder Antonín Barák. In the second half, another red was shown to Tomáš Chorý in stoppage time.
Czechia was eliminated with no wins; Portugal, Georgia and Turkey advanced.
Round of 16 and beyond
Switzerland went on to play Italy and Germany took on Denmark in the first two matches of the Round of 16 on Sunday, 30 June.
Austria and Turkey had some of the most surprising results in the group stages. On the other hand, England and the Netherlands had a bit of a shaky start.
The championship has seen an astounding number of own goals as well, which is alarming considering the prestige of the tournament.
Nevertheless, the tournament is the highlight of football this summer.
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Featured image courtesy of Peri Stojnic on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here.
