Crunch Time
- Daniel Austin-Chukwu
- Jun 29, 2024
- 4 min read
The group stages of Euro 2024 have come to an end, and we now which teams have made it to the last 16. Some of the groups produced entertaining matches, whilst others were a bit of a snoozefest. In most international tournaments, the fun starts when the knockout stages commence, so let’s hope that’s the case this time round. But for this week’s post, I’m going to discuss what happened in each of the six groups.
Group A: Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Scotland
Germany and Switzerland qualified as the top two from this group. The surprise for me was the football Germany played. I didn’t consider them contenders beforehand but seeing the way they played; they must be up there. Switzerland were no slouches either and if it wasn’t for a last-minute German equaliser, they would have topped the group. One to watch for sure in the last 16. Hungary were my dark horses, but didn’t make it out of the group despite some gutsy performances. And then there’s Scotland. One point from nine makes for grim reading, but Scottish fans will point to the penalty against Hungary that should have been. Did their play over the three games warrant a knockout spot, no, so I don’t think the Scots should feel slighted. With their home fans as the 12th man, this could be `Germany’s year.
Group B: Spain, Italy, Croatia, Albania
Despite this being the so-called “group of death”, Spain emerged with three wins from three to comfortably top the group. Similarly with Germany, the crispness and accuracy of their play should put other nations on notice. Not saying they’re the Spain of 2012, but I like what I’m seeing from the Spaniards. Italy as defending champions just made it through as well, and whilst they should never be counted out, their performances don’t inspire confidence do they. What about Croatia? They are always a team that under-promises and over-delivers, however, they did complete the opposite. That beating that they received in their opening game against Spain realty did a number on them, and they never really recovered from it. Whilst Albania were rock bottom of Group B, them getting to the Euros should be an achievement in itself.
Group C: England, Denmark, Slovenia, Serbia
This was by far the dullest group of the lot. England were so unconvincing in all their matches. The only positive for them is that they topped the group, resulting in a favourable path to the final. They’ll need to play a lot better if they have hopes of winning the big one. They will be joined by Denmark and Slovenia got the job done at top their group and their half of the draw looks favourable. The fact that both neither team managed to win a single match yet still made it through epitomises why this group was so lacking in entertainment value. The only notable moment was Christian Eriksen scoring against Slovenia, a remarkable moment for him given what he experienced at the last Euros. I haven’t mentioned Serbia, and that’s probably for the best.
Group D: France, Austria, Netherlands, Poland
Who had Austria being group winners of their Euros bingo card? I certainly didn’t. The highlight was that thrilling 3-2 against the Dutch. Let’s not underestimate that achievement given the other teams in their group. France found it hard to score in all their matches, and it felt like they were going through the motions. Now they find themselves in that killer half of the draw, but we know with France, when push comes to shove, they deliver. I saw what I expected from the Dutch in reality, flashes of brilliance but in general a lack of consistent quality. That loss against Austria really hurt them as it could have been them finishing first, instead of having to settle for third. The Poles finished bottom of Group D, which was probably expected. It’s just a shame that they didn’t make more noise, given it could be Lewandowski’s last Euros.
Group E: Romania, Belgium, Slovakia, Ukraine
For the first time in the competition’s history, all four teams finished on four points, with Ukraine being the first team ever to not progress with this many points. Congratulations to Romania for coming out on top. Belgium were the strongest team on paper, but it’s looking more and more likely that their days as genuine title contenders at major tournaments are long gone. Aside from some KDB brilliance, Belgium looked so off the pace. Slovakia were considered outsiders to advance, doing exactly that, in so setting up a tie against England. They are a team that look well-organised and hard to break down. England be wary. As mentioned earlier, Ukraine will fill hard done by to not get out of the group. In the end, it was their lack of guile and creativity that cost them.
Group F: Portugal, Türkiye, Georgia, Czechia
Ah, my favourite group. The matches were good & we saw a couple of goal of the tournament contenders in the Türkiye Georgia match. But the main reason I enjoyed this group was Georgia qualifying for the knockout stages. This was their first international tournament in their history, and they sealed their progress with a memorable 2-0 win against Portugal. Portugal had already got the job done so their defeat against the Georgians didn’t matter. Whilst I still think they’ll disappoint, they showed they have the quality to go all the way. Turkey impressed me, their young talent coupled with their experience showed in the group stages. That 3-1 win against Georgia was one of the games of the competition thus far. They could be a tricky customer in the last 16. Czechia’s performances mean they should hold their heads high, despite the single point they obtained.
This Week’s Hot Take
I’m not a fan of 16 out of the 24 teams making it to the knockouts. It causes some teams to play it safe, knowing that four points (sometimes three) is all you need. It leads to boring, pragmatic football, which no one wants. The solution is simple. Make the Euros at 32-team tournament with eight groups of four and the top two advancing. Or keep it at 16 teams and have the top two in each group make it to the last eight.
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