Sensations with a minus sign: the main disappointments of Euro 2024

The first stage of the playoffs at the European Championship in Germany has ended. We tell you about the interesting, but not the most pleasant sensations that have happened at the European Championship so far.

Vertonghen and the "golden" generation of Belgium

"The Golden Generation" - this is how football journalists and experts have called the Belgian national team for the last ten years. Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne, Axel Witsel, Romelu Lukaku - this is only a small part of the world stars gathered under the flag of this European country. At the 2014 World Cup, they won all the matches in the group and reached the quarterfinals, losing by a minimal margin to Argentina, at Euro 2016 they also reached the quarterfinal stage, where they unexpectedly lost to Wales. The World Cup in Russia was the most successful for the Belgians - in the semifinals, they lost by one goal to the future champions, and in the match for third place, they were stronger than the Brazilians themselves! Many expected the team to win Euro 2020, but even there - only the quarterfinals. The 2022 World Cup was a complete failure for the Belgians - the team, torn apart by internal conflicts, did not even get out of the group. The current Euro was supposed to be the last chance for the "golden generation" to prove themselves. The Belgians advanced from the group, but ran into the French in the 1/8 finals. And everything would have been relatively good: the teams played a draw until the 85th minute and could well have taken the game not only to extra time, but also to a penalty shootout. If not for one "but": Jan Vertonghen's own goal at the end of regulation time. This goal remained the only one in the match and sent the Belgian team home.

Own goal is the main scorer

That's what the fans joke about. And it's true: so far, there have been nine own goals in the tournament. More - 11 times - were scored into their own net at Euro 2020. And this championship can easily break the record, because there are still quarterfinals, semifinals and a final ahead.

Three disallowed goals from Lukaku

The absolute record holder of the current championship for goals disallowed. In the match against Romania, the referees, together with the automatic system, spotted a millimeter offside: the footballer's kneecap was in the offside position. In the match against Slovakia, Lukaku first sent the ball from an offside position that was already visible to the naked eye, and then scored according to the rules - but this time the goal was also disallowed due to a hand pass by his teammate.

Romelu Lukaku has never scored according to the rules and has not helped his team get past the 1/8 finals.

The Italian team was eliminated in the first round

The Squadra Azzurra have suffered a championship curse: for the third time in a row, the team that won the previous four years has been knocked out at the 1/8 final stage. Of course, before the start of the Euro, the Italians were rated quite highly, at least predicting that they would reach the semi-finals. The game in the group has dampened the passion, but the draw gave Luciano Spalletti's team a strong, but not stellar Switzerland as an opponent. And yet, the Swiss scored twice and did not concede a single goal, distancing the current champion from the fight for the title.

Not Cristiano Ronaldo's Euro

The 39-year-old Portuguese is the main star of the current European Championship. But the absolute record holder of the tournament is clearly not doing well. In four matches, the An Nasr forward has not scored a single goal, despite the fact that the opponents in the group were not the strongest: Turkey, Georgia and the Czech Republic. In the 1/8 finals, Portugal got to what seemed like an easy team - the Slovenian national team. But the Balkan team almost worked a miracle, leaving the famous footballer out of work. Regular time ended with a score of 0:0, and in the 105th minute, the Portuguese earned a penalty. Ronaldo approached the spot, determined to remove any questions about the winner of the match. But the Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak parried the shot, bringing the famous Portuguese to tears. In the end, the hero of the match was not Cristiano, even though he converted his attempt in the penalty series, but goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who parried all attempts of the opponents. Ronaldo can still remind people of himself not only by his presence on the field and emotions, but also by his goals. But every match at the Euro could now be his last.