The best and worst of UEFA Euro 2024

The UEFA Euro 2024 final featuring Spain and England in Berlin will conclude a month-long celebration of football this Sunday.

The event has showcased numerous moments of joy and victory, as well as frustration and disappointment, highlighting both the positives and negatives of the tournament.

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THE POSITIVES Stadium atmosphere and fans: Hosting matches in regular football clubs’ stadiums that provide an incredible atmosphere makes a significant difference. From Scotland’s Tartan Army to the Netherlands’ Orange Wall, along with the jubilant Romanian and Albanian supporters, the crowds added remarkable colour and fervour.

Lamine Yamal: Although it may not have been his primary concern, the young Spaniard, who turned 17 on Saturday, had been awaiting his school exam results earlier in the tournament. His performances, including a superb goal against France, reveal a maturity beyond his years, and he set a new record as the youngest player and scorer at a Euros.

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Spain: With more wins (6), goals (13), attempts on goal (108), and attempts on target (37) than any other team in the competition, Spain stood out. While virtually every other major team struggled to display a recognisable shape or pattern of play, Spain appeared as a well-coordinated unit.

Refereeing: The quality of officiating has generally been outstanding, with most referees being unobtrusive and in harmony with the players and the essence of the game. A memorable moment for viewers has been the contemptuous “get up off the floor” hand gesture from the officials. Players quickly understood that falling too easily would not be rewarded.

Giorgi Mamardashvili: The Georgian goalkeeper made 29 saves across four games, significantly the highest in the competition so far, surpassing Dutch keeper Bart Verbruggen who had 18 saves in six matches. Mamardashvili’s standing has been significantly elevated.

Georgia: By reaching the last-16 with their daring style, debutants Georgia received substantial rewards as billionaire and former Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili pledged $10.7 million to the team following their 2-0 victory over Portugal to advance to the knockout stages.

Minnows no more: The so-called smaller football nations stood up to the major teams and delivered several upsets. Georgia, Albania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Turkey all produced impressive results.

Arda Guler: Dubbed the “Turkish Messi,” Guler demonstrated exceptional control in managing his team’s midfield, despite numerous key players being unavailable due to suspensions. His composure was astonishing for someone just 19 years old.

Injury-time: Injury-time proved advantageous for some teams, with a record-breaking 12 goals scored during this period in Euros finals. Many of these goals were crucial, securing important victories or draws, most notably Jude Bellingham’s overhead kick for England against Slovakia.

England’s penalty-takers: England evolved from a team haunted by penalties to one confidently aiming for them, successfully converting spot-kicks in their quarter-final match against Switzerland.

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The Bad

Kylian Mbappe: Mbappe himself acknowledged that his tournament was one to forget, hampered significantly by a broken nose and an uncomfortable face mask. Despite having 24 shots on goal—more than any other player—he only managed to score from a penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Is this the end of an era? Portugal kept faith with the 39-year-old Ronaldo, but he seemed a shadow of his former self, failing to score in open play.

Kai Havertz: Following Germany’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland in the group stage, a poll by newspaper Bild among 160,000 readers showed that 90% preferred Niclas Fuellkrug over Havertz. Although Havertz scored two penalties, he missed key chances as Germany exited in the quarter-finals.

Belgium: Under coach Domenico Tedesco, this was meant to be a new beginning for Belgium. However, familiar issues at major tournaments reappeared as they failed to convert dominance into goals, exiting quietly in the last-16.

Italy: The reigning champions exited the tournament with little fanfare. They barely made it to the round of 16 with a last-minute equaliser against Croatia in the 98th minute, only to be convincingly defeated by Switzerland. The unusual press conferences held by coach Luciano Spalletti added an extra layer of intrigue.

Merih Demiral, Jude Bellingham, and Mirlind Daku: When under global scrutiny, it’s wise to avoid stirring up controversy. This trio faced UEFA sanctions due to provocative goal celebrations, inappropriate gestures, and leading fans in xenophobic chants, respectively.

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Misbehaving stewards: While fan management inside and around the stadiums was generally effective, an incident where a steward was filmed assaulting a Portugal supporter as two other stewards restrained him cast a negative light on the tournament and Germany.

Cup chaos: Throughout the tournament, it became common for fans to throw plastic cups at players taking corners or goalkeepers preparing for goal kicks.

Travel difficulties: With trains being cancelled and public transport overwhelmed, chaotic scenes ensued before and after several matches. Even the teams faced disruption, as the Netherlands had their train to Dortmund for their semi-final cancelled. Deutsche Bahn received criticism from transport minister Volker Wissing for its subpar performance during the tournament.

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Cycling mishap: It ended with smiles but could have been much worse for England forward Anthony Gordon, who was left battered, bruised, and embarrassed after falling off his electric bike while attempting to take a picture with his phone. Later, two British journalists humorously presented Gordon with a bike helmet and training wheels.

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