waroffutbol

  Only a few finals can be considered the most thrilling finals in EURO history. EURO 2024 is coming to an end as the tournament sees two finalists square off in Berlin for the trophy. Spain is the clear favourite, as they managed to eliminate the host Germany and one of the pre-tournament favourites, France, with a 2-1 win each. Rodri and Co. have been the most convincing team so far, as they have won all games in the competition without a single draw or even going through penalties to ease past their opponents. Meanwhile, England is the unlikely finalist due to their unconvincing form on the way to the summit. Yet, Gareth Southgate’s men managed to defy the odds and advance to the EURO final consecutively. The fans would expect their encounter to be exciting or even thrilling with more than just one goal, and both sides did score instead of a one-sided victory or, worse, dull and goalless. These finals might be setting the perfect example of what the best final should be. H...

  A number of games in the UEFA EURO semifinals ended in goals galore. EURO 2024 is already in the last four. Unfortunately, plenty of games in the tournament have not produced a lot of goals in one game. Some even ended in stalemates. What’s worse, some elite teams have not displayed promising goalscoring prowess. France and England have been considered the worst. The Blues have been relying on penalties and their own goal to find the back of the net, while the Three Lions are slightly better. Yet, their offence has not demonstrated the quality of their stars on the front line, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Although they have scored twice each so far, England fans are expecting more from them. Considering their unconvincing performance, it is rather unlikely to see a goal galore in the semifinals. What matters more is to progress and not concede. The shootout seems to have become a preferable option to break the tie. However, there is still hope for a change of tide, just li...

  Several games in UEFA EURO history could be considered early finals since they were staged too early. EURO 2024 has reached the quarterfinals. Two of the four games, Spain vs. Germany and Portugal vs. France, might be held too early. The former clash should ideally take place at the summit, as both teams have been the top two sides with the most convincing form throughout the competition. Both encounters are also a repeat of the finals in the past, the 2008 and 2016 editions, respectively. EURO has never been a stranger to early finals. In fact, between 1980 and 2012 editions, in which the contestants were still limited to eight and 16 in the final round, such classic clashes between top nations or favourites had been inevitable. However, the term ‘early final’ is probably more suitable for the meetings between the favourites or teams with best form taking place in the earlier stage of the knockout round. Here are the matches in EURO history touted for the early finals. Ge...

  A number of top scorers in EURO history were not exactly favourites to win Golden Boot awards. The Golden Boot Award, or the accolade for top scorer, is one of the most prestigious individual awards in any competition, at both the club and international stage. Such is no different in EURO. As one of the major international tournaments, winning such an award is remarkable, especially for strikers. In the tournament’s history, several underrated players managed to be the top scorers. One of whom was not even a frontman but a central midfielder. Here are those unlikely names who won UEFA EURO’s Golden Boot awards.  Klaus Allofs (1980) The underrated top scorer had already emerged in the first edition with tournament format, replacing the final four, EURO 1980. The Golden Boot winner was the unlikely Klaus Allofs. He was still 24 years old and playing for the Bundesliga's non-elite side, Fortuna Dusseldorf, which only finished 10 th in the standings that season. Aloffs ...

  A number of goalless games in EURO deserve better credit as they mark the top form of both goalkeepers. Goalless games are probably considered the dullest part of football. In every tournament or competition, there is bound to be one or more. Naturally, such matches never attract fans, as most would see how both sides missed shots on goals or spurned chances. However, the stalemate could also demonstrate how goalkeepers from both sides were in top form and almost equally denied the shots to keep the clean sheets. In short, some goalless games are not about the duels of forwards but the contests of the defenders on both ends of the backline, but the goalkeepers’ show. In EURO 2024, three games have resulted in a stalemate. Two of which are in the final games of Group C, when both clashes saw no goals at all. Yet, both England vs. Slovenia and Denmark vs. Serbia are not regarded as the best goalless games since both goalies’ saves were not dominant. Such matches are rare. Here ...

  A number of top goal scorers in Europe became scoreless while playing in the UEFA EURO. Scoring goals is an incredible achievement for every footballer, especially in major competitions, either at the club or international level. For forwards, this is their main task, besides providing assists, opening the space in the final third, or going deep in the second line to help win the ball from the opposition sides. However, plenty of top goal scorers turn blunt in front of the goal when they compete in top-level international tournaments. France’s current star, Kylian Mbappe, is the most recent example. The top scorer in the 2022 FIFA World Cup as well as the Ligue 1 Golden Boot winner in the past few seasons has been unable to find the back of the net in EURO. He has been scoreless since the 2020 edition and has yet to open his account in Germany 2024 , despite helping Les Blues snatch a narrow 1-0 win over Austria at the opener. Mbappe is actually not the only name falling in...

Some goalkeepers from the clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League final standings in 2023/24 still make the cut in EURO 2024. The Premier League has been the elite domestic league in the world for years. When players, especially goalkeepers, manage to seal the spot in the line-up and continue to be the first choice in the EPL club, then they certainly deserve a place in the national team’s final squad for a major tournament like EURO 2024. Such does not only apply to the shot stoppers from the Premier League top teams but also to the ones playing for the mid- or lower-table sides. The England national team is one of them. They still count on Jordan Pickford between the sticks, despite having Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale and Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson. Pickford has been the key player in The Three Lions since the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His experience in major tournaments and mentality in the big game deserve special credit, despite only playing for the minnow, Everton. The Tof...

  In EURO history, the pre-tournament favourites have had less of an advantage than the dark horses. Being pre-tournament favourites in major competitions can boost team confidence. However, it can also be burdensome . In EURO, the pre-tournament favorites do not always guarantee silverware in the end. In fact, this continental championship is frequently not in favour of the favorites. The underdog status may even be advantageous, as they face less pressure from the media and fans . Throughout the tournament history, the favorites only thrived and clinched the silverware in four editions, 1960, 1972, 1984 and 2012. In those editions, USSR, West Germany, France and Spain managed to live up to their fans and pundits expectations in the final round, whereas the other 11 editions have always produced unlikely champions , either from secondary or tertiary favourites or from dark horses. This can be strong evidence that betting on the favourite is still a risky business. Nothing is ...