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IT’S GAME ON AT THE EUROS! Gill Sherry
After so many months of frustration, when flights were grounded, restaurants were closed and concerts and sporting events were cancelled, it was good to finally have something to shout about. Regardless of your sporting preferences, there’s no denying the UEFA European Football Championships (or the ‘Euros’ as they’re affectionately known) restored that sense of excitement that had been absent for so long. Originally due to take place last year, Euro 2020 finally kicked off on 11th June 2021, with Italy beating Turkey in the opening group stage match. Twenty-four teams would compete, including the World Cup holders, France, their squad boasting big name players including Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema. But it was their neighbours, Belgium, who began the tournament as favourites, their in-form striker Romelo Lukaku and Manchester City midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, just two of the players responsible for propelling Belgium to the top of the FIFA World Rankings. Matches would be hosted by eleven different countries, with the semi-finals and final taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. Significantly, the final would be watched by a crowd of 60,000 fans, the first of its size since the global pandemic began. There were no major surprises in the group stage which saw Turkey, Russia, North Macedonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Finland and Scotland eliminated after three games. It was Scotland’s first major tournament since 1998 but they failed to register a win. That said, they did manage a goalless draw against their old rivals, England, a minor victory in the eyes of the Scottish. All other eyes, however, were on Denmark. In their opening match against Finland on 12th June, former Tottenham Hotspur favourite, Christian Eriksen, suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch, 8
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a shocking and deeply upsetting incident that overshadowed the football. Thankfully, and despite initial fears, he recovered from the trauma and is recovering well. Controversially, the decision was made to continue with the match which Finland went on to win 1-0. But while Denmark may have lost the game, they won the hearts of football fans worldwide, with many adopting the Nordic nation as their new tournament favourites. Denmark’s second group match saw them lose to Belgium but a 4-0 win over Russia in their third game resulted in a place in the last sixteen where they knocked out Wales in a 4-0 victory of their own. Italy defeated Austria on the same day and a win for Czech Republic over the Netherlands followed. Christiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, having scraped through to the last sixteen, faced Belgium in their first knock-out game. But there would be no winner’s medal for the Madeira-born striker this time, Thorgan Hazard’s 42nd minute goal enough to give victory to the Belgians. Ronaldo, however, didn’t leave entirely empty handed. His two goals against Hungary saw him become the all-time leading scorer in the history of the Euros. His goals also meant he’d scored in all nine of his major tournaments, including four World Cups. He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but you can’t deny his exceptional talent and, thanks to his five goals, he was still favourite to win the Golden Boot. Spain secured a hard-earned victory in their match against Croatia, winning 5-3 after extra time. The game between France and Switzerland also required an extra thirty minutes but, with neither side able to produce a winner, it was decided on penalties. Kylian Mbappe stepped up to take the deciding kick, an unconvincing attempt that was saved by the Swiss goalkeeper, Yann Sommer. Au revoir, France.
