Whatever our hopes were for Euro 2020 they have pretty much been smashed out of the park! We’ve seen full stadiums, world-class football, some truly brilliant goals and experienced some of the highest tension imaginable.
The pre-tournament Euro 2020 betting odds backed France to win the competition, but Les Bleus crashed out at the Round of 16 stage to leave the door open for England and Italy to stride through, and they will contest the showcase final at Wembley.
At a time when the world has been in the grip of the COVID pandemic, this festival of football – along with the Copa America – has been a breath of fresh air and a symbol of hope for the future.
Finally, after four amazing weeks, Euro 2020 is coming to a close. So let’s take a look at some of the highlights and stars of the best European competition seen in decades.
Best Team: Denmark
A quarter-final victory over the Czech Republic gave Denmark’s team and fans a chance to dream and they pushed England hard in the semi-final but simply ran out of steam after an epic campaign. But that isn’t half the story.
Kasper Hjulmand’s team started as many fans’ dark horses for the tournament but then disaster struck as Christian Eriksen collapsed in the opening game against Finland and had to receive CPR on the pitch. Happily, the Inter man survived and is on the road to recovery, but the incident sent shockwaves through football and the Denmark team.
UEFA made the odd decision to continue the match after two hours and Denmark lost. But the way the team responded was truly amazing. Led by inspirational skipper Simon Kjaer, they qualified for the knockouts with a thumping win over Russia and were everyone’s second-favourite team as they hammered Wales and beat the Czech Republic to make the last four, and came very close to emulating the winners of Euro 1992.
Best Coach: Gareth Southgate
Now this is one tough choice to make because the two head coaches who will lead their teams out at the Wembley final have both been outstanding. After the Azzurri missed out on qualification for Russia 2018, Roberto Mancini picked the players and the nation up from rock bottom to lead Italy on an unbeaten run of 33 games.
But Gareth Southgate just edges it as he’s led England to the nation’s first Euro final and first major final since the glorious triumph of the 1966 World Cup. His team is playing energetic, exciting football and Southgate is managing a talented group of players brilliantly as they stand on the brink of glory.
Best Newcomer: Manuel Locatelli
23-year-old Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli was the standout player as Italy swept through the group stages and, while Mancini has rotated his squad at times, he has been influential throughout the tournament. He has the perfect balance of steel and style as he glides around the middle of the park with authority, breaking up play and picking the perfect pass.
Locatelli missed his penalty in Italy’s successful semi-final shoot-out with Spain, but he’ll recover from that and is sure to be an Azzurri star for years to come, in what could be a long-awaited golden era for the Italians. He is the Neroverdi’s prize asset and his club will do well to keep hold of Locatelli as the top sides in European football have been awoken to his undoubted talent.
Surprise package: Patrick Schick
Bayer Leverkusen fans saw a gradual improvement in the Czech striker in his first season at the club, following his transfer from Roma, and he had a return of nine goals in 29 games. But he exploded into life at Euro 2020 with five strikes for his country and is in contention for the Golden Boot.
Schick scored the goal of the tournament, from fully 50 yards, when he caught the keeper off his line in the Czech Republic’s victory over Scotland. Take a look at the Euro 2020 highlights, again (unless you’re Scottish!), the strike has to be seen to be believed and Leverkusen fans will look forward to seeing their man continue his form next season.
Biggest miss: Kylian Mbappe
SBOTOP tournament favourites France were seemingly coasting through to the semi-finals of Euro 2020 after a Karim Benzema brace and a Paul Pogba strike put them in charge of their Round of 16 clash with Switzerland.
But 3-1 up with 10 minutes remaining it all went horribly wrong for Les Bleus. First, Haris Seferovic pulled a goal back and then, on 90 minutes, Mario Gavranovic fired home from the edge of the penalty area to take the game to extra time and ultimately penalties.
All nine players had scored when Mbappe stepped up to take the tenth penalty and the PSG man saw his spot-kick brilliantly saved by Swiss stopper Yann Sommer.
So that’s it for now folks. All that’s left is for the big question to be answered…who will be the Euro 2020 champions? Whether it’s England or Italy who end up champions, for fans around Europe and the world, this tournament has been a cracker!
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