After 13 straight days of Euro group play, fans can finally take a moment to catch their breath. Over 3,240 minutes of soccer were played in the group stage and now it’s time for the Round of 16. Before moving on, it’s worth looking back at the worst Euro teams from the group stage that left us disappointed.
The Colombian Football Federation (FCF) has asked Copa América organizers to suspend the referee from their 2-1 defeat by Brazil, saying he prejudiced the result by not halting play when the ball hit him in the lead up to a goal.
Néstor Pitana, the Argentine who refereed the 2018 World Cup final, waved play on when the ball bounced off him outside Colombia's box and Brazil continued passing for Roberto Firmino to head in an equalizer.
Wipe the sweat off your palms, Portugal fans, your team survived the group stage.
The rematch of the Euro 2016 final between Portugal and France proved infinitely more entertaining five years later. Cristiano Ronaldo bagged a brace with two kicks from the penalty spot to tie the men’s all-time international scoring record and confirm Portugal’s place in the knockout stages.
Poland bowed out in the group stage of a major tournament for a second straight time after suffering a 3-2 defeat to Sweden on Wednesday. In the most ironic fashion, the one thing the denied the Poles from glory was a pole.
Only a victory would do for Poland on Matchday 3. The game got off to the worst possible start by conceding one of the fastest goals in Euro history.
¡Gooooooooool de Suecia!
As a Newcastle United supporter, I’ve spent a large portion of my life telling anyone and everyone how Martin Dúbravka is the most underrated goalkeeper in the Premier League. The 32-year-old Slovak is a world-class shot stopper, but most of those keepers come with the caveat of “prone to the odd howler.”
Not Dúbravka.
At least not until Wednesday when Slovakia met Spain in its Euro 2020 Group E finale.
MUNICH, Germany - Four German players nursing injuries from their 4-2 victory over Portugal skipped training on Monday, the team said, with attacking midfielder Thomas Müller's availability in doubt for their next Euro 2020 game against Hungary.
Müller, recalled for the tournament after more than two years out of the team, suffered a capsule injury in his right knee towards the end of Saturday's Group F win over Portugal as he attempted to clear a ball.
SEVILLE - Spain's Euro 2020 had been turbulent before it began due to COVID-19 complications, but now the crisis is on the pitch where players lack spark, confidence or cutting edge — and are in serious danger of a shock group stage exit.
Saturday's 1-1 draw with Poland was a step back performance-wise from the opening 0-0 draw with Sweden and left Spain in the unexpected position of third in an unimposing Group E and needing to beat Slovakia in their last game to go through.
FIFA finally stepped in (not like Concacaf was going to) and punished Mexico for the continuous homophobic chants from fans on Friday. On top of a $65,000 fine, Mexico will be forced to play its first two home games of World Cup qualifying without fans. Officially, the punishment is due to the chants heard during Olympic qualifying.
El 18 de junio de 2016 es un día que el fútbol mexicano desea que nunca hubiera existido. Esa noche, en el Levi’s Stadium, el Tri fue goleado 0-7 por un Chile inmisericorde, en los cuartos de final de la Copa América Centenario y enfrente de más de 70 mil atónitos aficionados en las tribunas.