Previewing The Final Rounds Of A Wild Euro 2020
It’s a tournament that has developed a bit of notoriety in the last few decades for churning out some wildly unpredictable results, and the 2020 (no, we haven’t gone back in time, you’re still in 2021, the organisers are just that stubborn) version of the UEFA European Championship has thus far more than lived up to its reputation. We’ve seen wonder goals, upsets galore, young stars born, established stars fall, shirtless lunatics in the stands, a near tragedy on the field… and we’re somehow only at the quarter final stage. With World Cup champions (and prohibitive favourites) France bounced in the last 16, the field has been blown wide open and it truly feels as though it’s anyone’s to win going into the final three rounds. Having said that, there remains somewhat of a pecking order among the remaining teams. We’ve broke the surviving nations of Euro 2020 down into three categories: the ‘big dogs’, the ‘dark horses’ and the ‘spoilers’.
The Big Dogs
It’s been a pretty rough time to be an established powerhouse at these Euro’s so far. As mentioned before, juggernauts France were shockingly dumped out in the previous round, as were defending champions Portugal and perennial contenders Germany and the Netherlands. Looking to maintain order at the top of the international game are Italy and Spain, the two teams who played out the final of this tournament back in 2012 (which Spain came out on top, 4-0). Neither team has had it easy thus far however, as both teams were pushed to extra-time in their previous game, against Austria and Croatia, respectively. This trend of tough outings will continue in the next round, with Spain meeting Switzerland (fresh off vanquishing the highly favoured French) and Italy meeting dark horses Belgium on Saturday morning (4am and 7am starts NZT). If both can survive through, the two will then meet in a blockbuster semi-final on Wednesday, in a match that would be well worthy of a final. However, the way this tournament has gone, both teams might be lucky to get there.
The Dark Horses
Belgium and England are two big threats with two very different footballing histories. Both came in with plenty of expectations but not a lot of pleasant memories to draw from in major tournaments. We’ll start with the Belgians, who for the last decade have been everyone’s sexy dark horse contender at the majors despite having never even reached a final in that time. They’re now coming to the end of what has been a golden generation of talent (names like Hazard, de Bruyne, Lukaku are exiting their primes) and now coming off a big win of holders Portugal, this might be their best chance to finally head home with some silverware. The road is tough for them from here on out, but if they can get through the Italians on Saturday, they might become the new favourites to go all the way. Then there’s England, whose pain and suffering in international tournaments doesn’t need rehashing. They’re coming off one of their biggest wins in a generation; a demon-slaying 2-0 win over arch-nemesis Germany, and maybe never before has football been closer to “coming home” than right now. With England, it’s always best to prepare for the inevitable meltdown, but with a friendly matchup against relative minnow Ukraine on Sunday morning (7am NZT) and then potential semi-finals and finals matchups at home in Wembley Stadium, this might finally be the time for the Three Lions to break the 55-year major drought. Or, they’ll flame out in dramatic fashion. Either way, it’ll be a spectacle.
The Spoilers
On paper, it might be safe to declare any notion of Switzerland, Ukraine, Czech Republic or Denmark claiming the European Championship as a pipe dream. However, the games are played on the pitch, not on paper, so let’s not rule out any of these teams from doing the unthinkable and leaving with the glory. The Swiss, in particular, are looking dangerous and will be ride a wave of momentum after claiming the tournaments biggest scalp, stunning France in a penalty shootout after a thrilling 3-3 draw. They have Spain in their crosshairs next. Ukraine are maybe the most unlikely name left, but pulled out a gutsy win over Sweden in the previous round and will be looking to spoil the party for the suddenly optimistic English in the quarters. That leaves Denmark and Czech Republic, both of whom have lifted the trophy before (although most fans would barely remember Denmark’s win in 1992, and even fewer the Czech’s win in 1976) and face each other on Sunday (4am NZT). Both teams barely scraped through their groups, only to fire in inspired performances in the last 16 against Wales and the Netherlands, respectively. Whoever emerges from that matchup suddenly finds themselves as an unlikely semi-finalist. Then again, given UEFA Euro’s history of miraculous runs and unlikely champions, maybe we should’ve seen this all coming.
This Weekend’s Games
Switzerland vs. Spain – Saturday, 3rd July, 4am (NZT)
Belgium vs. Italy – Saturday 3rd July, 7am (NZT)
Czech Republic vs. Denmark – Sunday 4th July, 4am (NZT)
England vs. Ukraine – Sunday 4th July, 7am (NZT)
Top image: Ik ben groot