“This has been a European Championship with no football innovation and where fear has dictated”
This was the verdict from Sky Sports pundit Guillem Balague on a tournament that had threatened to excite us, perhaps fell flat but still gave us unexpected twists along the way.
It was the first European tournament with 24 teams, an increase of 8 teams from the previous editions. There were many firsts – Albania’s first appearance in a major tournament along with England’s conqueror’s Iceland. Portugal won their first major international trophy and Wales defied the odds to go the furthest in a tournament than they have ever gone before.
Yet despite all of these wonderful firsts, there has been a sense that this was not the spectacle that we know the European Championships can be. The contrast in styles between previous winners Spain and new champions Portugal could not be greater and would resonate with Balague’s claim that the football played lacked innovation.
Some big names within the game, such as Theirry Henry and Mats Hummels, said this was partly down to the precedent set in the group stages. With the chance to qualify in third place on offer to the teams, it meant that 3 draws or one victory would likely secure qualification to the knockout stage.
This enabled the lesser known nations, without superstars to play a more defensive style, meaning that strangely winning wasn’t everything. Indeed eventual winners Portugal profited from qualifying 3rd in their group, failing to win a single group match.
This according to the experts stunted quality and the big names from shining.
But whilst this doesn’t exactly bode well for the tournament’s future (UEFA have announced the new format will be retained for the 2020 tournament), we should celebrate the achievements of the ‘smaller’ nations. The home nations profited hugely from the expanded tournament, with Northern Ireland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland all joining England not only in going to France, but commencing through to the knockout phase.
It was over 14 years ago that a home nation other than England were in a major competition. That of course was the Republic of Ireland who again made it through to the knockout stages, this time the World Cup.
The brave Icelandic story will forever remain part of this tournaments legacy. Although humiliating, few English fans would begrudge their deserved victory over a floundering England.
A Robson-Kanu inspired Wales’ win over Belgium may well have been one of the games of the tournament – although hardly a shock as they had taken 4 points of the Belgians during qualifying. The official goal of the tournament was from another unlikely source – Hungary and West Brom’s Zoltan Gera’s strike against Portugal in the 3-3 draw during the final group game.
Even the winning goal in the final came not from Ronaldo, Nani, Griezmann or France’s 100 million man Pogba, but instead the unlikely Eder. His unflattering record with Swansea (15 goalless appearances) would have led to raised eyebrows when he came on as a substitute in the 79th minute.
It was hardly the goal or goalscorer that many around Europe expected. In fact with Ronaldo’s eyes swelling up with tears (and a moth) after 25 minutes due to injury, few would have even thought Portugal could come close to winning. What unfolded may have been dull but even then the ending was extraordinary.
These are the moments that football cherishes more though. The unpredictable. The underdog winning when they really shouldn’t. These will always be supported and admired by the neutral. It is why we watch the great game with such excitement and anticipation in the hope that we see the unlikely happen.
Some of these players from teams like Albania, Iceland and even Northern Ireland will cherish the memories of this tournament. The opportunity to play in big stadiums and share the field with the best players in the game would have been an experience of a lifetime for some. To see them enjoy and sometimes flourish on the big stage reminds us that the game is all about having fun.
They may not have stylish players that we are used to seeing on our screens. They simply make the most and best of what they’ve got.
It has now become accepted around England and Europe that many club teams will go to the big teams and simply ‘park the bus’. We no longer scowl at this or ridicule it. Instead we admire the tenacity in defence, the bravery to stop the unstoppable big boys.
So lets not dismiss this tournament as poor and boring. In a year where Leicester virtually defied everything other than gravity to win the Premier league title, hope has grown in the game that David can still beat Goliath. This won’t happen in every game. Maybe not even every year. But in an age where money has shaped the game like the devil shapes hell, the prospect of the underdog toppling the superpower is still alive.
This longer tournament has given every team a chance to succeed in their own way and that’s why we should embrace this new format. After all, the onus is for once on the big boys to find a solution to their opposition and until they do we can keep on enjoying the unexpected twists and turns.
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