Page 8 - Soccer360 Issue 107

‘ENGLAND’S INTERMINABLE WAITTOWIN A MAJOR TOURNAMENT GOES ON’
to find a winner late in extra time. They
then fell behind against pre-tournament favourites France, a side noted for its game management, but again came up with the answers.
Compare that with England. Expected to overwhelm opponents with their long list of attacking stars, the Three Lions scratched and scraped their way to the final with moments of individual magic salvaging largely disjointed performances and sparing them from an ignominious exit. There was credit for the character they showed to hang in there, but the luck eventually ran out in the final as Spain ran out worthy champions. Back on top of the podium for the first time since Euro 2012, Luis de la Fuente’s side were the best team at Euro 2024, and by an emphatically wide margin. Indeed, a lot of the favourites underperformed yet still made it deep
into the tournament. Aside from England’s bumpy road to the runners-up spot, France were a major letdown despite reaching
the last four, while the Netherlands and Portugal both blew hot and cold on their way to the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively. Germany were bright and the home fans had hope of a famous success, only to eventually fall short.
Many of the less fancied nations put in strong, competitive performances - with Georgia getting a special mention on
their tournament debut, but there was
a disappointing lack of knockout stage upsets with some underdogs threatening to cause a shock only to fail to get over the line. However, Euro 2024 was never short on entertainment and the right team came out on top. Here, Soccer 360 looks back on the competition’s top 20 moments.
6 SOCCER360
ABOVE:
England battled their way to the final but came up short once again
LEFT:
Gareth Southgate stepped down as England coach after their final defeat
EURO 2024 REVIEW