By David Yagudayev, Science and Technology Editor
The 2024 UEFA European Championship was a spectacular tournament filled with upsetting moments, last-minute comebacks, and exciting storylines for European countries and some of the world’s best players. For many football legends, this was their last time ever competing in the European Championship before retirement. Christiano Ronaldo, the all-time Euros top scorer, captained his sixth and final Euros this past year and sought to win the trophy for Portugal like he did back in 2016. Luka Modric, the veteran midfielder and 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, awarded to the greatest player over the course of a year, gave his all in an attempt to lead Croatia to glory as captain, just as he almost did during the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Additionally, midfielder Tony Kroos and goalkeeper Manuel Neur attempted to win a European Championship on home soil in their last-ever Euros.
The group stage matches, which feature six groups of four countries who play three matches in order to qualify for the knockout stages, were solid. They primarily featured the predictable heavyweight footballing nations, such as France, Spain, Germany, and England. As expected, all of these teams reached the knockout stages, elimination style games in which ultimately, one team moves to the next round, with the exception of an impressive Austrian side managed under Ralf Rangnick, who topped Group D in the group stage featuring France and the Netherlands.
The real fun began with the knockout stages, many of which went into extra time and even included penalty kicks, raising the pressure for all teams. One side of the bracket featured heavyweights Spain, Portugal and France, all battling out for the coveted final spot, whereas the other side included considerably ‘weaker’ teams, paving an easier road for England to the final.
Nevertheless, every game, no matter the participants’ national rankings, proved interesting and difficult for everyone. England narrowly escaped elimination against Switzerland and Slovakia. France’s top scorer was ‘Own Goal,’ (a term used to refer to when the opposing team scores on their own net), doing just enough to move past Belgium and Portugal in the round of 16, and quarterfinals respectively. Other games were historic yet disheartening for fans. I personally watched the France vs. Portugal match and witnessed Ronaldo and company suffer immensely toward the end of the game. Despite having few opportunities to score, Ronaldo was unable to uphold the reputation of the epic goal scorer that he once was, proving that the Portuguese National Team can no longer rely on him in crucial moments.
Watching Mbappe and Ronaldo battle it out on the field was remarkable, highlighting how the new generation of players is rising up as the relevance and reliability of the old one slowly fades away. It is very difficult and sad to see these legends I grew up watching, who were role models that I strived to emulate in football, such as Messi, Ronaldo and Modric, struggle to play to the standard they once used to. Portugal went on to lose the match on penalty kicks. At the end of this match, Ronaldo, taking his last ever Euro game in, hugged Pepe, his longtime teammate and friend, with the knowledge that they would most likely never ever be able to play in another European Championship again.
Spain was also a dominant and swift force throughout this tournament, with a team made up of experienced players, including Dani Carvajal, and members of the new pacy younger generation, such as Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal. At the age of 16, Lamine Yamal played in his first Euros Championship, dominating players much older and experienced than him. He was a key player in the Spanish squad creating numerous goal contributions throughout the tournament and scoring a stunning, beautiful goal against Le Blues, the French national football team.
With England beating the Netherlands in the semifinals and Spain clinically taking their chances against France, the stage for the final was set for July 14. This date, referred to as the “Superbowl of Soccer,” was stacked, with the Euros final taking place in the morning followed by the Copa America tournament final between Argentina and Colombia.
The final was an intense game for both sides. England, a runner-up in the 2020 Euros, having lost to Italy in a penalty shoot-out, needed to come together as a squad and deliver an international title to their fans, as they dreamed, “football’s coming home.” Spain hoped to end their international title losing streak and regain their dominance on the European stage as they once did when they won the Euros Championship in 2008 and 2012.
It was a cagey first half with both sides playing well. However, Spain completely dominated possession of the ball yet couldn’t push past England’s rigid defense. The game began to open up in the second half as soon as Nico Williams scored for Spain in the 47th minute. Then, when Gareth Southgate subbed in players from his strong bench, England started playing more aggressively. Cole Palmer made an immediate impact only three minutes after his substitution in the 73rd minute, equalizing the score for England with an absolutely world-class strike.
However, soon after, England went back to playing more rigidly, taking fewer risks, hoping that by creating the opportunity to counterattack, they would be able to bring the game into extra time. Spain kept pressing and dominating possession of the ball, making the game arduous for England. Eventually, Spain broke through as Mikel Oyarzabal converted an unexpected cross, making the score 2-1 Spain.
England played on in an effort to come back, but alas, it was not meant to be. La Roja had done it and England repeated its 2020 performance, finishing as runner-up. As they basked in their victory, Spain lifted the trophy, completely deserving of their win. They played against the best teams, taking down a strong German and French side on their road to the final, and dominated possession against the star-studded England side in the final game.
Following the 2024 European Championship proved a very enjoyable yet suspenseful experience. Watching from the edge of my seat and taking in all the major moments and storylines of this tournament felt incredible. Yet, this is only the beginning! The Club FIFA World Cup and FIFA World Cup are to be hosted by the United States in 2025 and 2026 respectively. Football never stops and the storylines never end, only becoming richer and more profound as the years go by.