ÖFB rollercoaster ride
Tops and flops of the European Championship: Seiwald, Rangnick and Co.
The European Football Championship in Germany will reach its dramatic climax and conclusion with the final between Spain and England (starting at 9pm). Over the course of the tournament, there have been highlights, low points and plenty to talk about. From "wunderkind" Jamal and the tragic Ronaldo to the abrupt end of Austria's fairytale - an overview of a month full of soccer magic.
In Germany, a number of teams, players and coaches impressed. Here is an overview of the highlights of the European Championship:
Spain: By far the most convincing team of the tournament. Only one of many title contenders, team boss Luis de la Fuente's side impressed with a new style of play that is more focused on winning the ball, counter-attacks and pace than Spain have ever shown before. The "Tiki-Taka", the possession soccer with which "La Roja" won three major titles from 2008 to 2012, has been replaced. The Spaniards scored 13 goals in their first six European Championship games - and were therefore slight favorites going into the final against England.
LamineYamal: Just 17 years old on the eve of the final, the exceptional FC Barcelona talent is the discovery of the tournament. The winger not only became the youngest player in European Championship history, but also the youngest goal scorer in the semi-final against France (2:1). In addition to his records, the child prodigy impressed with his carefree attitude on the big stage. Yet Yamal still had to complete his school year during the tournament. The teenager formed a remarkably dangerous attacking line-up with the dynamic Nico Williams and the fine technician Dani Olmo.
Germany: The hosts also had a lot to offer in offense. Young stars Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz, dubbed "Wusiala" by the media, made the Germans believe they could win their fourth European Championship title. From the 5:1 opening victory against Scotland onwards, there was pure euphoria. The turnaround was not achieved until 2024 under team manager Julian Nagelsmann, who had been appointed the previous year. The DFB team put Spain through their paces in the quarter-finals, but in the end a goal from Mikel Merino in the penultimate minute of extra time put an end to Germany's title dreams.
Georgia: The European Championship newcomers presented themselves as an absolute enrichment. The 3-1 defeat to Turkey was one of the most exciting games of this EURO, and they advanced to the round of 16 thanks to a sensational 2-0 win over Portugal. The Georgians' outstanding man was goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who made by far the most saves of the tournament - 29. The underdogs even took the lead against Spain in the round of 16, but in the end the eventual finalists were too strong. Mamardashvili also fought in vain against a 4-1 defeat.
Stoppage time: Many games turned in the closing stages. No fewer than 13 tournament goals before the final were scored in stoppage time of the second half. England, Germany and Turkey all scored twice, with the Three Lions striking in the knockout phase: in the round of 16, Jude Bellingham saved his team against Slovakia in extra time, while Ollie Watkins' goal against the Netherlands in the semi-final secured England's place in the final. Hungary's Kevin Csoboth scored the latest goal, making it 1-0 for the Magyars in the 100th minute against Scotland.
Rangnick's entertainer: The ÖFB team impressed in the group stage with its physical style of play based on winning the ball quickly. "There were four mega-entertaining games, mega-intensive. In contrast, there were other games where I struggled to stay awake in front of the TV," said team boss Ralf Rangnick. The Austrians' performances were also well received internationally. In the end, however, they were knocked out in the round of 16 against Turkey (1:2).
Nicolas Seiwald: Not a regular at RB Leipzig, but an indispensable member of Ralf Rangnick's ÖFB team. Austria's ever-present had played in all 15 international matches before the tournament and also worked hard over the full distance in the center of midfield in the four European Championship matches. The 23-year-old from Salzburg won the most balls for the ÖFB team during the tournament - 26 - and did not commit a single foul in 360 minutes at the European Championship.
No more complaints: The new rule that only the captains are allowed to argue with the referee at the European Championship has proved its worth. There were practically no more packs forming around the referee, even after controversial scenes, as the players would otherwise have been threatened with a yellow card and possibly a ban. National leagues are likely to follow suit soon.
Fan comeback: Three years after the 2021 European Championship, which was marked by the coronavirus pandemic, the spectators gave the tournament an important touch. The ten stadiums in Germany were almost completely full. Around 52,000 spectators per match is the highest average for a European Championship tournament since 2012. It was a colorful affair, with mostly peaceful celebrations at the venues - including large fan marches. Around 20,000 fans from Austria traveled to each of the ÖFB matches in the neighboring country.
The dark side of the EURO
But where there is sunshine, there is also shade. The past few weeks were not only characterized by highlights. An overview of the flops of the European Championship!
Sluggish heavyweights: Even teams with highly talented individualists were not far away from ball shuffling. Some of the knockout matches were more about excitement than footballing finesse. World Cup runners-up France did manage to scrape their way into the semi-finals, but it was only there that they scored their first goal from play. Two of France's four goals in the tournament were own goals. Belgium, the eternal secret favorites, were only successful in one of four games. Portugal also failed to live up to expectations with former star Cristiano Ronaldo in the center of the attack.
Italy: The "Squadra Azzurra" only made it to the round of 16 as defending champions thanks to a goal in the 98th minute, where they had no chance at all against Switzerland. The 2021 European Championship crown seems like an unusual upturn in a phase of stubborn depression. Italy did not even qualify for the last two World Cups, and in the two world tournaments before that, they were eliminated after the group stage.
Croatia: World Cup runners-up in 2018, third in 2022 - but at EURO 2024 they had to say goodbye after the group stage. Late goals against Albania and Italy sealed their early exit. The fact that Luka Modric became the oldest goalscorer in European Championship history against the Italians at the age of 38 years and 289 days, replacing Ivica Vastic, was no consolation for the Croatian.
Goal scorers: For the first time since the increase to 24 teams, three goals could be enough for the European Championship top scorer crown. Star strikers such as France's Kylian Mbappe, who suffered a broken nose in the opening game against Austria (1:0), and Poland's Robert Lewandowski only scored from the penalty spot, but not from play. Cristiano Ronaldo came away empty-handed - as did Belgium's Romelu Lukaku, who had three goals disallowed by the VAR.
Nationalism/racism: In Austria's fan sector, a banner with the obviously far-right slogan "Defend Europe" was briefly seen in the group match against Poland, with supporters chanting "Foreigners out" before the round of 16 exit against Turkey. The wolf salute made the rounds among the Turks. Albania attacker Mirlind Daku was banned for two matches for chanting battle cries against North Macedonia on a megaphone. English team players had to put up with monkey noises, and there were accusations from the Serbian side after allegedly hostile chants from Croatian and Albanian fans. This major soccer event also showed that sport can be misused as a stage for displaying nationalistic tendencies.
Flitzer: Cristiano Ronaldo was the most popular "selfie" victim of fans rushing onto the pitch. UEFA, as the organizer, was unable to get the security risk under control until the very end. Alvaro Morata escaped with a scare after the final when a security guard collided with Spain's captain while trying to intercept the streaker.
Public transport: Deutsche Bahn's image as an unreliable means of transportation was confirmed. Trains did not run at all, were very late or were simply withdrawn halfway through the journey. Particularly symbolic: the Dutch national team had to switch to air travel due to a track closure, delaying their arrival at the hotel by around four hours. Air traffic was also unreliable, with flights being canceled or postponed to the next day without any reason being given. Some fans therefore missed their matches.
These issues also provided a topic of conversation
Austria's performance: By winning the group ahead of France and the Netherlands, the ÖFB team had the country dreaming of historic heroics. However, team boss Ralf Rangnick's team did not live up to the role of secret favorites that some international media and experts had ascribed to them. A bitter 2:1 defeat against Turkey meant that they were eliminated in the round of 16, just like three years ago under Franco Foda. What remains is the certainty that more would have been possible in the supposedly easier of the two halves of the tournament.
Political side effects: Once again, it became clear that sport and politics are inseparable. France's team players, especially Mbappe before the Austria match, made fiery appeals against the threat of a shift to the right in the French elections. ÖFB striker Michael Gregoritsch called for a distancing from right-wing ideas and team boss Rangnick warned that "we have to be very, very vigilant on the right". The Turk Merih Demiral celebrated his second goal against the ÖFB team with the wolf salute, which is banned in Austria and considered to be right-wing extremist. The result was a two-match ban for the defender and diplomatic tensions between Germany and Turkey.
Mode: 24 participating teams mean more matches and therefore money since the 2016 European Championship, but once again made for confusing arithmetic games and difficult tournament planning. The fact that four out of six third-placed teams progressed to the round of 16 kept some teams on tenterhooks for a particularly long time. Hungary, for example, waited three days after their final group match against Scotland (1:0) only to have to return home after Georgia's sensational 2:0 win over Portugal.
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