Looking Back at Euro 2024
Euro 2024 wasn’t on the same spectrum as Euro 2000. Nor Euro 2004. If push comes to shove, I will even say Euro 2008 was more entertaining on the whole.
That’s not to say that the 2024 European Championship didn’t have its moments like all major international tournaments. But after the opening two rounds of group fixtures, the whole thing felt a bit… meh.
The final group games produced a grand total of just 20 goals as many teams knew exactly what they needed in order to qualify for the knockout stages, rendering some games meaningless, while others were just downright turgid affairs.
With the tournament expanding to 24 teams back in 2016, only eight teams are eliminated after the group stage, which means several pointless matches. Of course, being more inclusive has allowed for a much greater spread of participants in the tournament.
Iceland qualified for their first-ever major tournament eight years ago, while Finland followed suit five years later. Stretching even further, North Macedonia and Georgia – who would have had next to no chance of qualifying during the 16-team era between 1996 and 2012 – found themselves propelled into unknown realms, ready to surprise everyone.
Euro 2024 won’t be a tournament remembered for its unpredictability, or its endless supply of pulsating matches, but it did produce a worthy winner in Spain, who dominated the competition from start to finish, recording seven straight victories.
This article won’t be a review of the tournament per se, but rather one that will take a dive into everything from the best supporters to the greatest goal, with anything else in between.
Biggest Underachievers
Where do we start? Italy saw their defence ended by Switzerland in the last 16, delivering a woeful performance which saw them lose 2-0.
The build-up was marred by Roberto Mancini resigning, with Luciano Spalletti taking the reins in August, yet even he couldn’t orchestrate a miracle.
The Azzurri won just once – a 2-1 win over Albania – and while no one expected them to defend the trophy they won three years ago, the Italians lacked real quality.
Belgium were hardly much better. Dominic Tedesco had led the nation to six wins and two draws in qualifying, conceding just four goals in the process, but once the tournament began, it was clear they weren’t the Belgium of old.
The likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Jan Vertoghen were the remaining members of the so-called ‘golden generation’ which failed to win an international trophy.
Euro 2024 could well be the end of the line for the trio at this level.
Portugal, given the strength of their 26-man squad, plus the fact they were one of the favourites to win the tournament, were the biggest underachievers.
Roberto Martinez’s reliance on 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo was strange, despite the fact he scored ten goals in qualifying.
Throughout the tournament, the mercurial forward averaged 4.6 shots per game, yet failed to find the back of the net once.
A midfield containing players such as Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Vitinha along with a supporting cast containing Goncalo Ramos, Pedro Neto and Diogo Jota ought to have done much better than a quarter-final defeat to France.
Surprise Package
Ahead of Euro 2020, Turkey were given the dark horses tag, which did them no favours once the competition got underway. They lost all three games, scoring just once in the process, going out with a whimper.
Fast forward three years later, they were just 20 minutes from a famous win over
the Netherlands, which would have seen them progress into their first major semifinal since 2008.
Despite an impressive few weeks in Germany, the Turks did learn from their mistakes three years earlier. Combining this with the fact several youngsters such as Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz were ready to shine, they were better prepared this time around.
Therefore, this makes Georgia my surprise package for the entire tournament. Wins over Luxembourg and Greece in the playoffs meant Willy Sagnol led the Eastern European side to their first-ever major competition.
Not content with just making up the numbers, Georgia acquitted themselves well in the group stage. A 3-1 loss to Turkey in the first game flattered Montella’s side before they drew 1-1 with the Czech Republic.
With a win over Portugal the only way they could secure progress into the last- 16, Georgia delivered a sensational display, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia setting the tone with a superbly taken goal after just two minutes on the way to a 2-0 win.
Eventual champions Spain may have proved too much for them to handle in the next round, but Georgia will be back. Their spirited performances on the big stage could see the country begin a new era, which could culminate in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Most Memorable Kit
Remember the build-up to major international tournaments which were filled with fervent excitement over the kit launches? Just me?
Before the days of social media, when kits couldn’t be leaked online, everyone was always keen to see exactly what their country was going to be adorning in an upcoming tournament. This peaked in the early noughties.
The simple, but effective, Nike template for the 2002 World Cup, which saw Brazil, Mexico, Portugal and Croatia all showcasing the look in Japan and South Korea, was a wonderful design.
Even the adidas templates from both Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, featuring the likes of France, Germany and Spain, proved to be fairly popular while looking sublime at the same time.
This year, however, there weren’t many kits which stood out, with manufacturers going for simplicity rather than bold, with the Scotland and England jerseys lacking that something extra.
Even Croatia, whose checkered shirts are so often one of the finest at any major international tournament, lacked that oomph this year, which was a real shame.
For me, the finest kit of the 2024 edition goes to Belgium and their stunning away effort, which is a nod to Herge’s famous literary creation, Tintin.
A light blue shirt with a white collar, brown shorts and white socks, it really did look the part when the Belgians took on Ukraine in the final group stage match against Ukraine.
It’s just a pity they were not as adventurous as the intrepid reporter during the dull 0-0 draw.
Best Fans
It has to be Scotland. Forgive my obvious bias here but the way Munich was filled with tens of thousands of exuberant Scots in the days leading up to the opening game of the tournament against Germany was genuinely heartwarming.
Regardless of the result (which we won’t go into) over 100,000 supporters made the journey to the host nation in order to see Scotland play in just their second major international tournament this century.
It was the same old story on the pitch, a draw that gave the nation hope in the second game being sandwiched by two excruciating defeats that saw Scotland finish bottom of their group. Yet another case of glorious failure.
A special mention goes out to the Dutch fans, who seemed to light up every match. Ahead of the semifinal clash against England, thousands walked through the streets of Dortmund, dancing and singing until their hearts were content.
Greatest Goal
Lamine Yamal, remember the name. The teenager started Euro 2024 as a 16- year-old bursting with prodigious talent ready to make his mark in Germany before ending it four weeks later as the young player of the tournament and the scorer of arguably the best goal.
That came in the 2-1 semi-final win over France. Randal Kolo Muani had given the French the lead after just nine minutes, but Yamal etched his name into the history books ten minutes later. Picking up the ball around 30 yards out from the French goal, Yamal took several touches before unleashing a ridiculous swerving shot which defied everyone, including Mike Maignan in goal to become the youngest-ever scorer in the history of the European Championships.
He wouldn’t turn 17 until four days after the game, but the Barcelona starlet had already made his breakthrough prior to his stunning effort in the semifinal. The goal confirmed that Yamal is here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Best Moment
As a Scotsman, it would be easy to say that seeing England concede a late winner to Spain, losing the final in the process, is my best moment of the entire competition.
It is, of course, but for the sake of transparency, let’s explore a few other defining moments of the competition.
Jude Bellingham’s superb bicycle kick against Slovakia to secure England a late equaliser and prevent them from exiting at the last-16 stage was special. Proving to be the catalyst which saw them eventually reach the final after a torrid group stage.
Albania scoring the quickest-ever European Championship goal against Italy was certainly unexpected, while Germany’s 5-1 rout over Scotland in the opening game gave the host nation plenty of confidence that perhaps they could forget the previous six years by going on a deep run at a major international tournament.
Georgia’s win over Portugal takes the top spot for me, however, mainly due to how much they were written off before the tournament started.
One point after two games didn’t tell the full story, especially considering they took the lead in both games, but taking all three points against a Portuguese side who won all ten qualifiers would take a monumental effort.
Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze secured a spot in the knockout stage against all odds.
Was Euro 2024 the Last Normal International Tournament?
Euro 2024 may not have been the most entertaining tournament, especially when the knockout round began, yet it still had moments which will be remembered for a long time.
From 2026, the landscape of both the World Cup and European Championships will look unrecognisable. 48 teams will now participate at the next World Cup, across three countries and numerous time zones, while the 2028 European Championship will be held throughout the UK & Ireland.
The immediate aftermath of Euro 2024 may not have people rushing to watch the highlights or even discussing it among friends in the pub. As the global footballing circus evolves it could turn out to be the last ‘normal’ major international tournaments before FIFA and UEFA totally ruin the sport.
All Words by Ross Kilvington