Curtains are down after the first act of European drama playing out in the German theatre and the audiences have witnessed every emotion playing out. From elation to heartbreak, from scare to survival, the group stage of Euro 2024 delivered more than what fans expected from a continental tournament.
After a delayed tournament with reduced and controlled crowds owing to the pandemic and a World Cup held in West Asia, Europe has come alive to celebrate international football in its backyard with no distancing and disruptions, and the exuberance brimmed in the stands for each match.
Mattia Zaccagni (C) of Italy celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the UEFA EURO 2024 group stage football match between Croatia and Italy. The match ended 1-1 tie.
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What played out in Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena sums up the emotions that were on display throughout. Croatia, needing nothing less than a victory to go through to the knockouts was leading Italy since the 55th minute of the game when its veteran talisman made amends for a missed penalty to become the oldest goalscorer in the history of the tournament.
But Italy took the game back with the last kick of the game, silencing the Croats waiting for the final whistle to storm the pitch. And when their joy turned to tears, the defending champion let out a sigh of relief having come back from the brink of elimination to see another day.
“Football is cruel,” Modric said after the loss. “That’s part and parcel of football. Sometimes it brings a lot of happiness, but sometimes it makes you very sad as well.”
Meanwhile Georgia had another story to tell.
Arriving at the tournament with no expectations and celebrating its entry itself as a historic moment, the team managed by Frenchman Willy Sagnol has conjured up a miracle.
“The only responsibility we had was to make the Georgian nation proud of their players. And I think we’ve done it the best way, “ Sagnol said.
Given the same requirements as Croatia to make the grade in its first ever major tournament, Georgia had a real Goliath in front in the form of former champion Portugal and the mighty Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line. But Georgia had its slingshot loaded and struck in the second minute of the game through Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. And its grit proved more than enough to fend of Portugal’s relentless attacks and won the game with a comfortable 2-0 scoreline to book a place in the round of 16.
“When you’re the small team, you know you have nothing to lose,” Sagnol said after qualification. “The only thing we said before the competition is whatever happened, we don’t want any regrets after the competition, the regret of maybe not having played our football or maybe not having enjoyed the competition as much as we should have done.”
“So, you have no weight on your shoulders. It’s difficult when you’re France, when you’re England, when you’re Spain, when you’re Portugal, because you’re under pressure, because people expect you to win.”
While every tournament has its own dark horses, looked over during discussions and predictions only to go farther than anyone could have imagined, Germany has been a tournament of Davids so far. Though no major Goliaths other than Croatia fell in the group stage, the heavyweights and favourites had their task cut out. The underdogs made it clear from the first matchday that every group was a group of death, and no one should expect a cakewalk.
There is a visible shift in gameplay and mentality of La Roja, who have moved on from their tiki taka era, whose loss of steam was evident from the way the team played for majority of the last decade.
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But as every team struggled at one point or the other, from hosts Germany on the hunt for a sommermarchen (summer fairytale) to give a perfect farewell to their beloved Toni Kroos, who came back from retirement to provide much needed anchor to the team, to the star-studded France seeking to re-establish dominance and England looking to bring football home but nearly stumbled along the way from lack of chemistry and incompatible tactics, one team stood tall and brought back memories of its scary prime.
Spain became the first team to lock in its position in the knockout roster and was the only team to win all three matches in its group: the group B pundits had declared it the group of death. And what makes it more appreciable is the fact that it did it without conceding a goal, again the only team to do so.
There is a visible shift in gameplay and mentality of La Roja, who have moved on from their tiki taka era, whose loss of steam was evident from the way the team played for majority of the last decade.
Gone are the days when the team prioritised possession over offensive manoeuvrers, and the current crop of players under the guidance of former national youth team coach Luis de la Fuente are making use of young guns Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal in the wings to thrust forward at every chance possible.
As with every tournament, such dominance is by no means a measure to predict the trajectory of the team, but the Spanish armada has spread its sails, full wind behind and looking formidable. Yet, de la Fuente is trying his best not to get the performances make them lose focus. “It doesn’t cost anything to dream, but we need to keep our feet on the ground,” he said after the conclusion of the group stage.
With Spain, Germany, France and Portugal on a collision course after being slotted into the same side of the knockout roster, the tournament is far and wide open.
With stunning goals, end-to-end gameplay and new records, the tournament still has a long way to go before a champion is crowned, and judging by the way the group stage has gone, the second act has the potential to make this German summer indeed a fairytale for football fans around the world.