With a pan-European approach, this European Football Championship should not be a Euro tournament like any other from the outset. Then Corona came along and created special conditions. What remains of this EM.
A for age: Giorgo Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, the two central defenders of the new European champions Italy, will have a total of 70 years. Experience wins titles, you can only say, can’t you, Mr. Löw ?! The here temporarily sorted out Hummels and Müller are almost still young hops against the two.
B wie Battle of Britain: The oldest international match in the world, England versus Scotland, was once again part of a major tournament. It ended goalless like 149 years ago. There was little of Battle to be seen on the Wembley lawn; it was England’s toughest kick. On the other hand, it was really going on in Leicester Square. At least 2500 new corona infections are attributed to the Scottish invasion of central London.
C knows Corona: Naturally. Annoyed like in all other situations in life and made for a queasy feeling or a guilty conscience even in the best mood. Thousands of new infections were traced back to the EM. Some players weren’t there because of the virus.
D as in Germany: Nothing to get for “the team” who only dared to step out of the snail shell once (in a 4-2 draw against Portugal). The world title was seven years ago. Even the retired former world champions Hummels and Müller did not ignite, new talents are rare. Hope rests on the end of the Löw era. Italy has shown that it may only take three years and a good concept from a missed World Cup to the next title.
E for Eriksen, Christian: The shock moment of this EM. Denmark’s midfielder collapses during the group game against Finland and needs to be revived. A competitive athlete, 29 years old! His shaken teammates are not prevented from playing and lose to the underdog. Later, the will to play for Eriksen carried the Danish team through to the semi-finals. The professional in the service of Inter Milan now lives with an implanted defibrillator. It is uncertain whether he will be able to continue his career.
F for miss: Oh, Bukayo Saka! A tragic English football hero at the age of 19. What did Coach Southgate do to you? The Arsenal FC midfielder has already experienced deeply disappointing an entire nation – including the hatred and racism that poured out on social media afterwards. May he survive it and let it mature. Then this miss by Wembley could be the beginning of a great career.
G as in Gosens: A star for a game. With Robin Gosens from Atalanta Bergamo, a new German star seemed to be born in the game against Portugal. But as soon as his star rose against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co., it went down again against Hungary and England. The man from the Lower Rhine, who has never played in the Bundesliga before, stayed without ball contact in the last two games. Like other DFB stars, he should hope for more success under the new coach Hansi Flick.
H for heart jubilation: Leon Goretzka’s cheering gesture after his goal to equalize 2-2 against Hungary is one of the scenes of the tournament. He showed the heart to the members of the queer-hostile, racist and nationalist “Carpathian Brigade” from the country ruled by Viktor Orbán. Previously, like other DFB players, the Bayern star had spoken out in favor of the Munich EM arena shining in the rainbow colors – as a sign against a new homophobic law by the Hungarian government. The Uefa forbade the play of colors.
I like Italy: In 2018, the four-time world champion was not even qualified for the world tournament. A World Cup without Italy – the low point for the Tifosi. Just three years later, the Azzurri are back at the top with their second European title. The “Squadra Azzurra” has been without defeat for 34 games. That gives hope for all the big ones who got out early this time; also for Germany.
J for Joshua Kimmich: Central figure that has been marginalized. The Bayern star took the elimination against England more difficult than many other teammates. Kimmich had big plans, but Joachim Löw’s tactical corset slowed him down. “The disappointment runs deep and it is really difficult for me to come to terms with the whole thing,” said Kimmich after the end. New coach Hansi Flick has planned a different role for the 26-year-old, it was heard.
K wie Kylian Mbappé: Not an easy tournament for the French super striker. His nerves failed in the penalty shoot-out against Switzerland, which meant the tournament was over for the world champion. And he was exposed to monkey sounds from the Hungarian fan block in the game against Hungary in Budapest. Uefa punished the Hungarian association for the behavior of its fans with two ghost games and a fine. Mbappé’s memories of the 2021 European Championship will not be able to shed light on that.
L for Löw, Joachim: So that’s it. The national coach ended his 15-year term with a “disappointment” and resigned. The 61-year-old should have done that with the world title in 2014, but he wanted the double with the European title, which he was denied in 2016. Since then, the man from Baden has continuously scratched his monument. The first ever World Cup preliminary round followed the missed title double. The coach, used to success, did not want to resign. It didn’t really make things any better. Even loyal followers like Philip Lahm criticized him for the EM appearance without a “clear plan”. Result: out in the round of 16. The memories of glorious times remain.
M wie Mancini, Roberto: What does he have that others don’t? Above all, a line to his players, say those who should know. The European championship coach treats all his professionals equally, has confidence in all of them, even if they don’t come from the big clubs, and he has a tactical plan for an attractive offensive game without forgetting the defensive. And when it is necessary, as in the final, he also recalls the Italian virtues. The result: European Championship title after three years without defeat. Particularly likeable: Because he was not used in a major tournament, he used all of them at least once during the European Championship. Except for the third goalkeeper, there was unfortunately no chance.
N for neon blonde: What we were spared by England’s defeat: All “Three Lions” with neon blonde colored Paul Gascoigne memorial hairstyle. Phil Foden from Manchester City had given himself the blond head of the European Championship star from 1996 and convinced all teammates and coach to go among the blonded in the European Championship victory. Nothing is now, some may breathe easy.
Oh who Orange: How do you keep doing this? So many great players, so great attacking football. So many great fans. And then there will be the Czech Republic in the quarter-finals, and again the big dreams in orange will be over. The Elftal doesn’t know what keeps it slow. For the next attempt, the Dutch hope for exceptional defender Virgil van Dijk. At some point it has to work again with a title. But world champion right away?
P for Patrick Schick: The Czech in the service of Bayer Leverkusen scores the greatest goal of the tournament against Scotland – a 52-meter shot in a high arc from the center line. Unmatched.
Q for Qatar: A place of longing for everyone who (again) did not get a chance this time. Next stop: World Cup 2022 in the Gulf. In this country there could be public mulled wine viewing in Advent – if Corona should be under control by then and everyone should be vaccinated. Who does Santa Claus put the trophy under the tree?
R for racism and rainbow: Kneeling before kick-off helps. Rainbow flags are collected in Baku. Because of colorful captain’s armbands is under investigation. Colored players are showered with hatred in so-called social media just because they missed a penalty. Football wants to connect, but “respect” campaigns are obviously not enough.
S for self-gate: what happened there? There were more self-goals than in all EM tournaments put together before. Including the first goalkeeper own goal in European Championship history, which was immediately followed by the second. Portugal and Slovakia managed to score twice in their own box in one game. Is the game getting too fast for the defenders?
T for top scorer became none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. Five hits were enough for the Portuguese superstar, but they didn’t comfort him about the fact that he and his team could not defend the title. After all: with a total of 14 goals, he is now the most successful goalgetter in European Championship history. One of many CR-7 records.
You who Uefa: Not the home of empathy and sensitivity. Eriksen collapses? Denmark should / must continue playing. Pandemic? The pan-European tournament remains with a lot of travel. Rainbow colors? Only if they don’t bother anyone (politically). Distance because of Corona? The stadiums are made as full as possible. No surprise: football is little more than a means to an end, which is called: business and show.
V for video referee: Was there something? Just. No long back and forth, no ten-minute checks and no interference if there is no clear wrong decision. Much was going on in the background. Actually, you would only have felt like intervening in Sterling’s swallow in the Denmark game. In this form, please, also in the Bundesliga.
W for world champion: When the Pogbas, Griezmanns, Benzemas, Mbappés and Kantés really crank it up, then hardly anyone can hold a candle to them. But the superstars disciplined by coach Didier Deschamps do that far too seldom. And when they do, they quickly become arrogant. Paul Pogba’s little dance after his 3-1 against Switzerland made that very clear. But the Swiss punished the attitude and bowled the 2018 world champion out of the tournament. Will Les Bleus be a lesson?
Show X for a U: Friendly expression for swallow. Particularly impressive performed by the Englishman Raheem Sterling in the semifinals against Denmark. The “Three Lions” get the penalty, Harry Kane only hits in the margin. Obviously, Gareth Southgate’s squad had used up their luck on penalties, as the final showed.
Y like youngster: Whether the Spaniard Pedri, the German Musiala, both 18, or the English Saka, 19 – all very young, great talents. But they still have to mature to win the title (see A for age). Your time will come. We look forward to it.
Z for twenty-twenty: What does modern football care about the passage of time? An EM is no longer a tournament, but a product. That is why the 51 games ran under the Euro 2020 label. Who would have wanted to relabel all that merchandising stuff? The question remains: is Italy now European champion in 2021 or Euro 2020 winner? The “Squadra Azzurra” will be just as indifferent as the Tifosi.
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
