As we move forward with the knockout stages of this year’s European Championship, it’s pretty safe to say that this year’s matches have been the most entertaining to watch compared to other recent editions of the Euros -- except, of course, for England’s matches. If any of you are suffering from insomnia, “Southgate-ball” is sure to make you crash.
Now before any of you England fans start coming at me, take a look at the poor chap falling asleep during the Three Lions’ snoozefest against Slovenia. I’m just joking. Despite whatever tactic Southgate is applying that’s making the whole football world laugh and snore, he still did get his team into the Round of 16, and England still have one of the most star-studded teams.
So, let’s delve into a discussion of the teams we’re seeing in this year’s knockout stages. I’ve bored you all long enough with my England jokes.
The hosts: Germany
Being a German fan myself, I just have to start talking about Die Mannschaft. Although the performance of this team is still a far cry from the ruthless German squads we saw in the early 2010s, considering the godforsaken performances I’ve had to witness in the last 4-5 years, my benchmark for a “good” performance has gone lower than I would’ve expected. Nonetheless, Germany put up impressive displays in the group stages this year, thrashing Scotland in the tournament’s opening game and comfortably beating Hungary 2-0 after that; although the 1-1 draw against Switzerland was quite a nerve-wrecking performance, with Niklas Fulkrug swooping in last minute to salvage a draw for his country and help them finish as winners of Group A.
This brings me to my next point; why isn’t Nagelsmann starting Fulkrug over Havertz? Apart from the one penalty he scored in the opening game, Havertz hasn’t really had any impact in any of the matches at all. All of the other German forwards, such as Musiala, Wirtz, and Gundogan have had consistently higher ratings than Havertz in their matches.
My two-cents? Nagelsmann should start Fulkrug ahead of Havertz in all of Germany’s remaining games. The Dortmund marksman has made a much greater impact off the bench than Havertz has. On the other hand, youngsters Musiala and Wirtz have continued to shine for Die Mannschaft throughout this tournament, proving themselves to be pivotal to the dominance of this German team.
Among the other big names, Yamal and Nico Williams are performing up to expectations for Spain. Zaccagni scored a 98th minute equalizer for Italy against Croatia to take them to the next round. France qualified by having only one goal scored by their own players in 3 matches. And let’s not talk about the infamous “Lakaka.” As my uncle put it, he’s just a joke of a striker. Considering that Lukaku would’ve been top scorer by now if it weren’t for VAR, I don’t disagree.
A surge of underdog talent
But let’s take a look at the “smaller” teams, the performances of which have surprised us all.
Let’s start with Austria. They triumphed in a spectacular fashion against the Dutch to secure top spot in a group with teams such as France, the Netherlands, and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland. Truly remarkable!
On the other hand, European Championship debutants Georgia have proved themselves a formidable team in this summer’s edition of the tournament, with Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leading the attack. The small East European nation secured a shocking 2-0 win against Portugal in their last match of the group stages, enabling them to qualify for the RO16.
Turkey, who finished above Georgia in Group F have also put up strong performances, winning two out of their three matches and securing six out of a possible nine points. In this team is Real Madrid’s future superstar Arda Guler, who has been in hot form since the domestic season ended. In Turkey’s first match against Georgia, the 19-year-old scored a golazo from about 25-30 yards from goal, which is already a contender for goal of the tournament. The youngster, who has been praised by the great Mesut Ozil himself, broke the record for the youngest debutant to score at a Euros finals, which was previously held by the great CR7 himself.
All in all, the combination of teams and players who qualified for the knockout stages of this year’s Euros make for very interesting matchups. I’ll certainly keep an eagle eye on the outcomes of these matches. Let’s hope the Germans are finally able to win a trophy after 10 years.
Maheem Niam Ahmed is a student at Sunbeams School.
