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Opinion

Euro 2020: When football came back to life and the fans won the tipping

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Expert
12th July, 2021
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As the dust settles on yet another tournament that reflected the power and majesty of the world game, there is much to savour.

From the opening moment when Italy trounced Turkey 3-0 in Rome, they loomed a likely contender. A significant home ground advantage and the best squad it had been able to send into combat in recent times saw England earn its rightful place in the final throes.

Denmark rode a wave of emotion all the way to the semi-finals, with thoughts of Christian Eriksen fuelling their charge.

There were also wonderful moments produced by Switzerland, Ukraine, Spain and Czech Republic on their charges towards the quarter-finals. The officiating was generally superb, VAR took something of a back seat and the world began to look just that little bit like it used to with football providing the catalyst for such feelings.

In the most untraditional of formats with teams criss-crossing Europe and multiple nations sharing hosting duties, Euro 2020 will forever be stamped with the COVID-19 asterisk.

Played in the wrong calendar year in front of limited crowds and with health concerns somewhat moderating the usual fervour into which fans are whipped, the tournament still managed to produce the spectacular, the dramatic and a finale fuelled with immeasurable passion.

In the end, the steely determination of Italy managed to blunt the flair and exuberance of an English team seeking to heal 55 years of hurt.

To some, the final will always be remembered for the wrong reasons, with Gareth Southgate’s decision making called into question and the penalty shootout selections that saw some of the best young English players err in the most crucial moment of their careers to date.

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The social media pile on was and will continue to be sickening for the coach and the players involved, yet England will heal and quite possibly make one heck of a splash in Qatar in 2022. The squad is deep, talented and united, something not all countries can claim about their national team.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

I would hope most reflect more wholly on the event, share the Italian celebrations and remember that their absence from the previous World Cup somehow triggered what has now become an astonishing run of unbeaten success over the last three years.

No doubt it was sheer hard work and determination that did so and every bit of credit and affirmation awarded Roberto Mancini and his team is well deserved.

Once again, it was the mighty voice of the crowd that took the Roar’s tipping title. Texi Smith looked a likely winner yet stumbled late and I’ll happily accept a creditable third, as Mike Tuckerman and Pablo Bateson lick their wounds and plan for another campaign.

With normal patterns of sleep returning to football fans’ homes in Australia for the short term, I asked our panel of experts to reflect on the tournament and their tipping.

Mike Tuckerman
What I loved?

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Having fans back inside stadiums. It inspires the players and makes for a vastly superior viewing spectacle.

What I hated?

The unfair travel schedule on a select number of teams. In the end even UEFA acknowledged it was ridiculous.

What I won’t forget?

England bottling another key game. Try as they might to be rid of the stigma, they remain the nerviest of international teams.

How I felt?

Surprisingly relieved at the sight of big-time international football. COVID has changed the world, but it felt like a semblance of normality had returned.

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Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate (Photo by Han Yan/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Texi Smith
As someone who has both scored and missed penalties in a shoot-out situation, I can empathise with all the players who missed theirs in the final. It did top off a tournament that was on a knife-edge right to the end.

Euro 2020 will be remembered fondly, especially for the 11pm kick offs in Australia during the group stages. The first Brekkie Wrap on Optus had technical issues which brought back World Cup memories and worried faces.

We saw Scotland record the most famous result in their history, a 0-0 at Wembley, to secure last place in their group.

We gasped at a Patrik Schick worldie that sent the Czechs on their way, Wales coming from nowhere to make the round of 16, Ukraine and Switzerland hitting form to make the quarter finals and Denmark scoring for fun while romping into the semis.

All the while the big guns kept chipping away in the background. I feel for Finland who recorded a massive result in their first game only to miss out and it was a shame to once again not see Belgium fulfil their enormous potential.

I will advocate for a return to a single country hosting the tournament and I was disappointed to see my beloved Martin Dubravka crumble in the Slovakia goal against Spain.

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But this was a wonderful month of top quality entertainment. The refereeing was excellent, blatant dives went unrewarded (maybe one exception), the advantage was played more often than not and the pettiness of the goalkeeper’s foot on the line didn’t raise its ugly head.

The brevity of the VAR checks were also a big improvement. The football flowed and although there was a distinct lack of quality from free kicks, we still got a barrage of goals.

As always, after a major tournament comes an empty feeling where we cling on to the past and look forward into the distance for the next football fix. Luckily the Olympics are just around the corner and both the men’s and women’s tournaments feature Australia.

Pablo Bateson
When football came home to Rome.

It was wonderful to see such high quality football, games across the tournament with ‘real’ fans in the stadiums and I hope the further spread of COVID-19 is very limited. Not much to hate about Euro 2021 (whoops, 2020!), other than VAR still being in full operation.

The contrast between the potentially tragic events around the cardiac arrest of Christian Eriksen and the subsequent bounce-back by Denmark has left an indelible and wonderful memory. Their run through to the semi-final was probably the most remarkable team performance of the competition.

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I was disappointed for La Roja not being able to do quite enough once they had got into such a great position to reach the final and seal another Euro title.

(Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

England had the conditions to suit and seemed to have developed the right momentum to break their major tournament hoodoo since their last success 55 years ago.

However they were thwarted by the Azzurri, under the mastermind guidance of Roberto Mancini, who held their nerve in a tight final in which they were the better side.

So we’ll look forward to Qatar 2022 and whether either of the new champions (Argentina and Italy) of their respective confederations can follow-up by earning the ultimate prize.

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