Page 27 - Soccer360 Issue 104

QUALIFYING SURPRISES
WITH THE GROUP PHASE OF EURO 2024 QUALIFYING DRAWING TO A CLOSE, FEARGAL BRENNAN PICKS OUT SOME OF THE MORE UNLIKELY CONTENDERS FOR A PLACE AT NEXT SUMMER’S TOURNAMENT.
Albania qualified for just their second ever major tournament.
Despite most of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign following its expected pattern of results and group winners, there have been a few surprises along the way since the start of 2023, with a number of unfancied sides rising
to the top. While some groups contained more than one heavyweight as for example, the Republic of Ireland found themselves seriously up against it when paired with France and the Netherlands in Group B, others were rather more evenly matched in terms of quality. And of those sides to emerge having not been among the top seeds when the draw was made, Albania have arguably made the greatest impression.
Taking advantage of a Poland side in transition, Albania made it to Euro 2024 with the help of an outstanding home record, not conceding a single goal in their four matches. They may even surprise people in Germany next summer too, for this is a stronger Albania side than the one knocked out in the group stage in Euro 2016 at their first ever major tournament. They have some names that will register with European football fans, with Kristjan Asllani a rising Serie A talent at Internazionale, and Armando Broja seeing his progress increase at Chelsea under Mauricio Pochettino.
Elsewhere, Slovenia have been in the international footballing wilderness since Landon Donovan’s famous goal for the United States saw them eliminated from the 2010 World Cup, but a sudden resurgence has seen them reach a first Euros since their major tournament debut back in
2000. Along with world class goalkeeper Jan Oblak, they also have one
of Europe’s most exciting young strikers in their ranks in the shape of RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.
Meanwhile, little was expected of a Romania side supposedly lacking star quality, but they used all their resilience to emerge from a group containing top seeds Switzerland along with tricky opponents Israel and Kosovo. For years now, the most notable strength of this Romania side has been their defence, and that was crucial again in this qualifying campaign. They do not have the stars of their glory years, but there is a nod to the old days within their squad, with the legendary Gheorghe Hagi’s son Ianis the key player for Edward Iordănescu’s team.
Even some sides who haven’t made it to Euro 2024 have defied expectations. Traditional minnows Moldova and Luxembourg both enjoyed their best ever performance in qualifying, with the latter going into the play-offs. The same goes for Kazakhstan, who are suddenly a force to be reckoned with.
This only goes to show that shocks and surprises are always a huge part of major tournament qualification, and the March play-offs will offer another chance for a last-gasp push for Germany, for the best third-placed teams and those who excelled in the UEFA Nations League.
German national soccer team goalkeeper Manuel Neuer poses with the official match ball of the UEFA Euro 2024 during a special event in Berlin, Germany
The path to Euro 2024 has stepped up at
the end of 2023 with the majority of places at the finals now confirmed ahead of the play-offs in March. The qualification process has generally followed the expected script for the bulk of Europe’s big hitters with the potential for scares along the way having been reduced across the board, but elsewhere, the team with the easiest route of all has been beset with problems.
Hosts Germany were granted an automatic place
at the tournament as the standard UEFA reward
for welcoming Europe’s premier international competition to the nation for the first time
since West Germany staged it back in 1988. And naturally, they would expect to be among the favourites to lift the trophy at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, which is staging the final on July 14. However, their road to what they hope will be a triumphant Euro 2024 has been filled with bizarre blockades and issues on and off the pitch, with Germany’s long-standing and universally renowned reputation for meticulous preparation and readiness taking a hit.
A dramatic group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup mirrored their woeful performance in Russia four years before and created an unprecedented poor record on the world stage for the four time winners. Coach Hansi Flick survived the national inquest
into his future at the start of the year, with the wild story of Manuel Neuer breaking his leg on a post- tournament skiing holiday potentially distracting some attention away from his manager’s struggles in Qatar.
With Flick determined to change the narrative surrounding the potential crumbling of his squad, on the back of no major tournament positivity since winning the 2014 World Cup, his team embarked on a mammoth run of friendlies in 2023 with the idea of regaining some momentum. Automatic qualification robbed Flick and his players of competitive action after their World
Cup disaster, and despite his attempts to intensify friendlies, they struggled, and lost three in a row over the summer, up against Poland, Colombia,
and Japan. These may not have been competitive matches, yet the manner of these defeats was
EURO 2024
DATES TO KNOW
GROUP STAGE
June 14 - June 26
REST DAYS
June 27 - 28
ROUND OF 16
June 29 - July 2
REST DAYS
July 3 - 4
QUARTER FINALS July 5 - 6
REST DAYS
July 7 - 8
SEMI FINALS
July 9 - 10
REST DAYS
July 11 - 13
FINALS
July 14
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