Belgium reached the playoffs without success and Ronaldo failed. What is happening at the European Championship?
Mikhail Rozhdestvensky June 27, 2024, 01:40 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
So many exciting events on the last day of the group stage!
The group stage of Euro 2024 is now over. The final day was, as expected, eventful. We talk about the main events in the traditional compendium.
The day before was also fun:
Poland prepared France and three other teams in the playoffs. What is happening at the European Championship?
Slovakia and Romania drew comfortably. Everyone is happy
These teams needed a tie to qualify for the playoffs. You won’t believe it, but that’s how they played it! Although I must say that the match itself was quite competitive. Ondrej Duda put the Slovaks ahead in the 24th minute and the comeback goal came 13 minutes later. And he came in a strange, if not scandalous, way. Many did not understand why the Romanians received a penalty. Be that as it may, Razvan Marin tied the score 1:1.
And in the second half there were no goals. Result: Romania is sensationally first, Slovakia third. Both are in the round of 16. These teams couldn’t have dreamed of a better situation.
Analysis of a strange penalty:
“The referee’s decision was wrong from the beginning.” The refereeing scandal deprived Ukraine of the playoffs
Belgium settled
Belgium played Ukraine, and it was the same crazy Group E. Well, you remember: four teams with three points before the last round. Both needed points to guarantee access to the playoffs. And here the situation was ruined by a parallel party. Due to the tie between Slovakia and Romania, the Ukrainians had to fight for victory to avoid being left out of the round of 16.
Therefore, the joy that reigned after the final whistle in the other game was nowhere near here. Ukraine failed to score and was eliminated from the European Championship, while Belgium finished second and secured a not very pleasant situation for the playoffs. Now we will have to play against France, so there is a good chance of leaving the tournament after the next match.
Romelu Lukaku does not score again
Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images
Czech Republic and Türkiye practically repeated the fire of Euro 2008
The fate of the playoff ticket was also decided here. Turkey were initially unconcerned about a place in the round of 16, but were forced to be nervous due to the events in the parallel match (more on this later). The Czechs only needed one victory. And already halfway through the first half they had problems.
In the 20th minute, the Czech Republic was in the minority: Antonin Barak received the second yellow card. And at the beginning of the second half the goal came: Hakan Calhanoglu scored wonderfully. It seemed that everything was clear in this match, but the Czechs decided to fight until the end. A lot of yellow cards (curious, especially from the Turks), Tomas Soucek’s return goal in the 66th minute and a fiery finish. Like in Euro 2008.
Hot is not the right word:
The hottest Euro Cup match! After the whistle the fight began.
And yet, the match ended in drama. The Czech Republic never scored the second and Turkey punished its rival, who, being a minority, was forced to open up as much as possible. Cenk Tosun scored 2-1 and took the Turks to the playoffs. The Czech Republic says goodbye to the euro. After the final whistle there was also a scuffle with new cards, but this did not affect the design in any way.
The Czech Republic fought until the end, but was eliminated
Photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Georgia’s dream has come true. Ronaldo could only get angry
The Georgians, unlike the less fortunate teams, had everything in their hands. Defeat Portugal and advance to the playoffs. It is true that not everything is so simple. The Portuguese are too good in this Euro Cup: two victories, an early exit to the round of 16 and the status of one of the favorites. Furthermore, Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score at the start of the tournament, so the option arose to go out and destroy Georgia for the sake of new records.
What is the reality? It was not Ronaldo who woke up, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia! He scored in the second minute. The sequel was even more surprising. The Portuguese seemed to lack the motivation to respond to the arrogant outsider, while the Georgians continued to burn the pitch and fight for every ball.
The same blow from Khvicha
Photo: C. Cox/Getty Images
In the 57th minute, Georges Mikautadze (by the way, the top scorer of the Euro Cup) converted a penalty and made the score 2-0. And Ronaldo, who really wanted to score, was substituted in the 66th minute. The emotions are predictable: disappointment and hitting the unfortunate bottles next to the bench.
Georgia thus obtained a historic ticket for the Euro Cup playoffs. In any case, this is the team’s debut in the tournament, so it is a double success. But nothing has changed for Portugal: first place was already guaranteed. But perhaps Ronaldo will face the next rival even more motivated.
The Georgia team are heroes!
