Home of football statistics and historyQualifying for next summer’s European Championships in Germany got underway on March 23rd, and there are already a plethora of talking points in the world of international football. It has been barely three months since that scintillating 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, which saw Kylian Mbappé score a scintillating hat trick but eventually lose out to a destiny-fulfilling Lionel Messi. The world of football has since moved on from that wonderful evening in Lusail however, and as is the case in all walks of life, the show goes on.
Didier Deschamps’ gamble
France manager Didier Deschamps will go down in history as one of the most successful managers in the history of French football. He has led his country to the final of Euro 2016 as well as back-to-back World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, winning one of them. However, he has decided to take a gamble on his most recent choice of captain.
Deschamps decided to hand the French captain’s armband to the jewel in his crown, Kylian Mbappé. The Paris Saint-Germain hitman has become somewhat notorious for being a disruptive force in the dressing room at the Parc De Princes in recent years. However, if you are someone that enjoys playing bitcoin casino games online with websites such as Ignition, you will know that you can occasionally hit it big when gambling and that is exactly what Deschamps has done.
His captain provided an assist as well as two goals in a 4-0 drubbing against the Netherlands at the Stade de France, providing that he is certainly up to the task of leading his country into the future. The French have been made the early favorites for success at Euro 2024, and on this showing, it’s clear to see why.
England bounce back
Another team that is amongst the front runners for glory next summer in England. The Three Lions took a step backward in Qatar when they were dumped out in the quarterfinals by the French courtesy of Harry Kane’s late missed a penalty. England’s captain laid that ghost to rest by netting from the penalty spot in a 2-1 win over Italy in Naples, the country’s first victory on Italian soil since 1961. Next summer promises to be an incredible spectacle, as the Euros always are, and in honor of that, here are two of the best European Championships in recent history.
Euro 2008 – Spain ended their 44-year wait
The build-up to Euro 2008 was a strange one. England had been dumped out in qualifying after a shocking 3-2 loss to Croatia at Wembley, with the Croats and Russia progressing to the finals at their expense. And once the tournament got underway, things got even stranger.
The Netherlands dazzled in the group stages, thumping the most recent World Cup finalists – namely Italy and France – by scores of 3-0 and 4-1 respectively. The ever-successful Germans finished second in their group after suffering a shock defeat to a Croatia side at the beginning of what would turn out to be a golden generation. And Turkey netted two goals in the final three minutes against the Czech Republic to secure qualification to the knockout stages against all odds.
In the knockout stages, the Dutch had become the favorites after their scintillating form in Group C. However, in the quarterfinals, they were dumped out by Russia, who were managed by Dutchman Guus Hiddink. Two goals in four minutes in extra time from Dmitri Torbinski and the brilliant Andrei Arshavin were enough to send the Sbornaya through to the semifinals for the first time since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In the final four, they would meet a young and talented Spain side that had quietly gone about their business. Las Rojas had a talented young squad comprising Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Iniesta, as well as a strike force of David Villa and Fernando Torres. The Spanish would comfortably defeat the Russians by three goals to nil before a Torres goal in the final against Germany in Vienna gave them their first international trophy in 44 years.
Euro 2020 – Italy stun England at Wembley
England may well have beaten Italy in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, but it was the Azzurri that picked up the biggest victory of all. They defeated England in the final of Euro 2020 – which was postponed to the summer of 2021 due to global events – at the home of English football, Wembley.
Heading into the tournament, the Italians were unfancied. However, they dispatched two of the tournament’s favorites Belgium and Spain en route to the Wembley showpiece. England had had a simpler route to the final, with a 2-0 victory over Germany in the second round being the highlight of their run.
The Three Lions were heavily favored for victory on home turf and duly took the lead inside three minutes thanks to Luke Shaw’s early goal. In true English fashion, however, the hosts began to sit back and attempt to soak up pressure. The Italians took full advantage and scrambled home a scrappy equalizer through Leonardo Bonucci. The teams couldn’t be separated throughout extra time, which meant that all that remained was the daunted penalty shootout. Gianluigi Donnarumma would save from Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, while Marcus Rashford struck the post, leaving the Italians to celebrate an unlikely victory.
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