Euro 2024: Highs & Lows of the tournament from Football Substack
Plus our predictions for the final, with just two of our 10 contributors going for England...!
I was delighted to link up with some of Substack’s finest football writers ahead of the Euro 2024 finale this weekend, looking at some of the highs and lows of the tournament, along with our final predictions.
Austin Cornilles | Butterflies
Highs: It’s fun to root for the underdog and hope they can take down a giant. For me, that team was Turkey. There were obviously a few bad apples, which created a bit of contentious commentary around the team, but I try to focus on the positives. The fans' passion, the players' effort, and the dramatic finishes made for must-see television.
My favorite match was Turkey vs. Austria in the Round of 16. A buzzing atmosphere in Leipzig was rewarded with a goal in the first minute and end-to-end football throughout. Frantic defending from Turkey in the pouring rain and a point-blank save from Mert Günok right before the final whistle added to the drama. Players lay strewn across the wet grass at the end of the match, indicating they gave it their all. The broadcasters in America made it that much more entertaining as they went wild with every shot and defensive feat.
Lows: Matchday 3 was my lowlight of the tournament. Why? Three 0-0 matches, seven draws, eight total goals in those seven draws. Compare that to Matchday 1 and Matchday 2, where there were seven draws total.
Now, I don’t mind a good draw every now and then. But the fact is that when third-place finishers have a chance to qualify for the knockout stages, we see teams try not to lose as opposed to trying to win. The format itself incentivizes boring football.
Winner: Spain
Anthony Tomas | The Full International
Highs: The four semi-finalists are the perfect embodiment of the highs and lows of this European Championship. Spain continue to be the flag bearers for teams who came to this tournament to attack and play exciting, front foot football. Not only have they rewritten the rule book on how Spanish sides are supposed to play, but they have dispelled the notion that only the most defensive teams make the final.
The Netherlands have brought the colour and fan culture that was lacking in both Qatar and the watered-down Euro 2020. Scotland, Turkey and Romania all contributed superbly to life off the pitch, too.
On it, the Dutch have grown into the tournament, adapting their style to full effect and not afraid to make changes, even joining the big-man-up-top trend by utilising Wout Weghorst. In an era of teams living and dying by a certain “style”, they have been refreshing.
Lows: On the flipside, we have France, a team who attempted to suffocate the life out of every match they played while making the baffling choice of not attempting to get the best out of the world class attackers at their disposal. How did they reach the semi-finals? By coming up against Belgium and Portugal, two of the other big-name sides with the potential to be exhilarating, but instead were as dull and lifeless as France.
England are in the same boat as the aforementioned underperformers, with only moments of late individual brilliance saving their bacon, but for me, they highlight an issue with the tournament’s format. One win and two goals in their group was rewarded with a Round of 16 match against a third-placed team, and guaranteed a quarter-final versus a runner-up.
Winner: Spain
Robert H | Inside the Technical Area
Highs: Setting aside the more problematic gender norms within the federation, Euro 2024 has shown that Spain has a management model that should be emulated by other federations. The women's side won the World Cup with an incredibly talented team, and while the men's side were a tournament favorite there were questions about how Luis de la Fuente would integrate talented youth in a veteran squad. Spain have balanced leaning on their veterans while using players like Nico Williams Jr. and Lamine Yamal as dangerous pieces. Bringing up their senior team managers from the youth ranks to ensure they know both senior team and youth players may be the winning formula for, well, winning in 2020s international soccer.
Lows: Italy's lack of leadership There was a time when embarrassing yourself in a tournament meant immediate resignation. While Italy's overachieving I guess could be considered an achievement, a lot of Italians fans left this tournament feeling worse about their side. A lot of that falls on the shoulders of Luciano Spalletti. Whether it was his questionable squad selection or his seeming inability to control the locker room, the fact that the federation is keeping him due to contract issues is questionable at best. Transitioning to international management from the club side is tough, but self-inflicted wounds speak him being the wrong person for this position. The fact that FIGC refuses to see this is a lowlight for me.
Winner: Spain (1-0!)
Emma Tobiasson | BAD FOOTBALL FAN
Highs: The tournament, while not really having a distinct top goalscorer, has delivered a lot of bewildering goals. I don’t know how many times I’ve clutched my chest, screaming “no way!” as yet another last-minute goal has been scored, turning everything we knew upside down.
There was the Mattia Zaccagni goal for Italy in the 98th minute knocking Croatia out and securing Italy’s advancement into the knockout stage. Jude Bellingham’s incredible bicycle kick in the 95th minute, mere seconds before Slovakia was bound to pull off a historic win, instead seeing England win it in extra time and advance to the quarterfinals. Türkiye’s goalkeeper Mert Gunok pulling off an incredible save to deny Austria’s Christoph Baumgartner in the quivering last seconds of the first knockout game. Florian Wirtz equalising in the 89th minute for Germany against Spain, before Mikel Merino’s 119th-minute bullet header set up Spain’s semifinal meeting with France.
Lows: There’s been a lot of violence surrounding this tournament. A man with a pickaxe was shot by police near a Euros fan park. There have been reports and photos showing endless and bloody fighting between fans. Supporters have been storming the pitches repeatedly, raising big questions about the security of the events, at the same time as the security present allegedly assaulted fans. Fans have instigated hateful chanting and racist messaging in the stands. On several occasions during the matches, players have been hit by various objects, including Austria’s Marcel Sabitzer getting hit in the head by a coin as he was coming out to take a corner.
UEFA have been busy sanctioning the countries involved, but this extends further than a monetary slap on the wrist. This is part of a stubbornly masculine side of football fandom, fueled by alcohol and frustrations, that needs to be addressed if the sport is not to devolve back to something akin to the hooliganism of the 80s.
Winner: Spain
John Boland from 90+2 | 90+2
Highs: The full unfiltered pure fan atmosphere! This tournament feels like it is attempting to banish any lingering traumas from Euro 2020 (2021). Crowd restrictions; travel limitations; lockdowns and closures. Having had the privilege of being in Cologne and Stuttgart for a couple of games at World Cup 2006, Germany felt like the perfect choice to reinvigorate a proper festival atmosphere.
Whether it was the Netherlands bouncing their way to the stadium pre-game; the joy that Georgia’s performance brought to their fans; the unadulterated noise that Turkiye brought to their titanic round of 16 tie against Austria; and even, amidst the chaos of England’s stumble through the tournament, the way Three Lions fans roared on their team within the game as they desperately sought to be the effective twelfth man … supporters were generally a joy throughout the tournament.
Lows: 0-0. The ultimate disappointment. We’ve had six of them so far which is the same total as Euro 2008, 2012, and 2020 combined! This feeds the wider perception that this has been a tournament of ‘moments’ rather than a series of magical matches.
Winner: Spain (1-0)
Conor Cantwell | CC Sport
Highs: Turkey 3-1 Georgia Unburdened by group stage permutations and goal differences at the beginning of Group F, Turkey and Georgia produced one of the most enjoyable games of the entire competition. This first round fixture epitomised what the majority of football is like around the world but with some top class talent sprinkled in. Both teams attempted to get from A to B as quickly as possible and and as directly as possible. Away from the sterility of the Premier League, international football gives us a glimpse of what football is like when teams don’t have months to perfect a game plan. This game was more instinctive than intricate. More chaotic than precise.
Lows: The knockouts draw. When trying to predict a tournament, it hinges on the assumption that the teams will finish in order of quality. Several groups seemed predictable and most of them played out in that way. The predestined quarter-final between Germany and Spain was such a disappointment for both sides but also for the average fan. By topping their groups, everyone would have guessed this tie was inevitable. Although it was a great game, it deserved to be the final.
While most groups played out as expected, not all did. France, Belgium and The Netherlands are this side of the coin, so to speak. France blew the chance to be on the optimal side of the draw while Belgium’s sheer lack of ambition led to their last 16 meeting with Les Bleus. The Dutch failed upwards and made a semi final, but from the fan perspective, it made one side of the draw weaker and less interesting.
It has to be noted that the fragility of some of the top teams is what made the group stage so entertaining, but it has also created the conditions for a lacklustre knockout round. England overcame the passable hurdles of Slovakia, Switzerland and the Netherlands on their way to the final. Conversely, Spain have taken a beating in all of their wins and England will likely capitalise on this.
Winner: England
Harry PW | Football, bleakly
Highs: The location. The pandemic meant that the last Euros had restricted stadium numbers and then ended with (some) England fans trashing Wembley and attacking Italian families, so atmosphere wise, there was room for improvement. The fact it was spread out across Europe didn’t help either. After 18 months of being on-and-off locked inside baking and worrying that going to the shops might kill someone’s Nan, it wasn’t the celebration we all wanted or needed. And as special as the Qatar World Cup was from a footballing perspective, numerous things, from (alleged) human rights abuses to the difficulty getting there/around, made it a weird one. But with Germany bang in the middle of the continent and home to a number of large diaspora, it has been easy for fans to attend in vast numbers. It’s felt like the first proper post-pandemic football tournament, at least for European fans, and they’ve celebrated as such.
Lows: The Ronaldo selfies. It feels harsh to label a child running up to his hero (although, note to child, pick a better hero) to ask for a selfie as a low point in the tournament, so I’ll excuse the kid that did it. The adult men that tried it, however, I will not. Get a grip, lads. Is getting a selfie with one of the world’s most embarrassing blokes (and one of the tournament’s worst players) worth getting arrested over? The general Ronaldo-fever of the entire tournament was a bummer.
With Jota or Ramos playing with Rafael Leão, Portugal should have been real contenders, instead they were consistently benched to make room for a man that is now essentially a mascot. It’s like if Arsenal kept not picking Saka so Gunnersauras could stand around on the right, yelling for through balls he’s too slow to get on the end of. Instead the story of their tournament was an ageing superstar who took more on-pitch selfies than he scored goals.
Winner: England (on penalties…!)
Andrew Gillan | From Ballycastle Road to the Bernabéu
Highs: As someone who is based in Spain, I have to say that their performances have been the highlight. I didn’t expect too much going into the tournament, they were stacked in midfield but there were question marks over the defence and whether they could score enough goals. However, since arriving in Germany, they’ve been pretty much immaculate, bar the period of retreating into themselves in the quarter-final that ultimately allowed the hosts to take the game into extra time. Out in the streets, I’m witnessing much more enthusiasm for this team than in recent tournaments and it’s significant that, considering I live in Madrid, by far the most popular names on the back of shirts are Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. These two have been the leading lights of this dynamic new-look Spain.
Lows: How most of the pre-tournament favourites have been the exact opposite of Spain, stodgy and uninspiring. Holders Italy were in the midst of a transition, Belgium were trapped between a fading golden generation and new players who are not quite at that level yet, France saw their attacking talents shackled by a conservative manager, Portugal saw theirs sacrificed to help boost Cristiano Ronaldo’s insatiable push for records and England have blundered their way through, relying on moments of individual genius.
Winner: Spain
Liam Scahill | The Ligue1 Essential
Highs: The English media's smear campaign against their beloved manager has created a flawed narrative about the entire tournament. Slovenia's qualification for the knockout stages is a phenomenal achievement, especially considering their population is smaller than Birmingham's. This nation forged its independence from former Yugoslavia through resolute determination. Its strong character helped secure freedom ahead of neighbouring countries. Slovenia, with 2.1 million inhabitants, outperformed Ukraine, which was once considered the tournament's dark horse. I’ve also loved the slow emergence of 21-year-old Bradley Barcola.
Lows: Many people have said a lot of dreadful things about the attacking football at the tournament. The sheer volume of their comments has been overwhelming. Have we, as the football community, become like spoiled children? American author Ransom Riggs once said “I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.” Riggs summarises my feelings far better than I can articulate, on too many occasions the football watcher in the modern era choses to block out the very brightness that shines the light of contentment.
Winners: Spain
Josh Williams | Distance Covered
Highs: So I'm the kinda guy who appreciates a good process. I'm not tribal at all, so if you play good football and make good decisions on and off the pitch, I'll probably want you to do well. Given that, it should come as no surprise that I've been delighted to watch Spain over the past month. They just get it, don't they? I'm generally not the biggest fan of international football, but Spain have performed like a club side for the most part. Every player on the same wavelength and singing from the same hymn sheet. The Spanish have always controlled the middle of the park, but this time around, we're witnessing that dynamic coupled with two proper tricksters on the flanks in right-footed Nico Williams and left-footed Yamine Lamal. The pair have added penetration and width by stretching the pitch, allowing the likes of Rodri to dictate with more space than ever in the centre. They have genuinely looked like one of the best international sides I've ever seen, not necessarily in terms of individuals, but certainly based on their unity as a team.
Lows: First, England. Gareth Southgate's men have been painful to watch, the complete opposite of Spain. The tactical harmony in the group has been awful. Southgate has been fielding a back four full of right-footed defenders, two wide forwards who are both lefties and like to receive the ball to feet in Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, and a striker who can’t run in behind in Harry Kane. The English recipe doesn't taste very nice, because nobody is complementing each other. Williams and Yamal are benefiting Rodri for the Spanish, for example, but Southgate's men are all standing on each other's toes. In addition to the architectural mess created by Southgate, Cristiano Ronaldo has been another massive low, even though watching him has been pretty funny at times. He's performed like a caricature of himself. The Zoolander face before every free-kick, the trademark glance towards the heavens after every missed shot. He even cried in the middle of a knockout clash because Jan Oblak saved his penalty. Ronaldo is 39 now, but he still yearns for that spotlight. He craves it. It fuels him, which explains why he assumed control over every dead-ball situation for Portugal, even though he's scored just one free-kick from a total of 60 attempts across every major tournament in his international career. He doesn't run, doesn't defend and doesn't even score anymore, but he still expects to play every single minute of action. Roberto Martínez had better options on the bench, but did the Portugal boss dare to substitute his once-great prima donna, even for the good of his team? No chance.
Winners: I'm English, but if there's any justice in the world, Spain. Vamos!
Kevin Coleman | Game Over, Ball Burst
Highs: Those 2pm games in the first and second round are one of my retaining memories of the tournament. When you really should be working, nothing beats an excuse to keep an eye on the television as chaos unfolds in the early game, and these games delivered with aplomb. It’s no surprise that as soon as the early kick offs finished the tournament took a bit of a nose dive, as the ‘better’ teams came through, which has generally meant more restricted and hard-to-watch games.
Lows: The big teams have, by and large, been hugely disappointing in this one. France were really poor despite getting to the final four, England have been awful to watch yet are in this weekend’s final, and the likes of Italy, Belgium and Portugal especially, for various reasons, all failed to live up to their potential. Spain have been excellent and are deservingly in the final, but this entire tournament has been made fun by the ‘minnows’ punching above their weight.
Winner: Spain (in extra time)
The Dutch were really good at up back and thruing