The Capricious nature of euro 2020

Euro 2020 has surprised us with every possible mind-boggling outcome it could catapult at us.

From the shocking French upset against Switzerland to the edge-of-the-seat thriller between

Spain and Croatia, it has manifested itself to the football pundits as one of the most enigmatic

and iffy cup competitions in the history of international football.

The tension and thrills of international football had almost dried up in the last three years. Ever

since the French glory in the 2018 Fifa World Cup, we have not experienced much heat from the

international actions, and seemed that club football would eventually start sipping the energy

exuded by international cup ties. The pandemic further consolidated the point by pushing back

any international competition supposed to take place that year. However, Euro 2020, alongside

Copa America, entered the stage just at that moment to remind the fans of international soccer

that sleepless nights and relentless debates are back for good. Even amidst the deadly pandemic,

we now have a reason to smile as our eyes fixate on the television screen and feast on eye-

catching action. Upon its return after five long, dreary years, Euro 2020 has splashed us with a

wave of stupendous football and magnanimous upsets that makes it one to be remembered for

years to come.

Where do I start with the beauty of the contest? It has been an eye-opener since the first day

when a rejuvenated Italy under the guidance of Roberto Mancini took on tournament underdogs

Turkey. Albeit the first half made me expect something unexpected from Turkey, in the end

Mancini’s men proved their worth by thrashing the men in red 3-0. The third match of the

tournament appalled all fans of the sport as Eriksen fell victim to a harrowing cardiac arrest, but

the brave heartthrob of Danish football came out as victorious and cheered on for a team that was

brave enough itself to come back even after the shock. Eriksen’s chants worked like magic as

Denmark beat Russia in style and escaped death in their final match. And since then, Denmark’s

performance has been consistently pleasant and gritty because of how they led the attack without

their commander in charge of the midfield. Czech Republic’s performance has been another

wonder, with Schick’s jaw-dropping, otherworldly halfway-line goal being the potential best

goal of the tournament. The big names in the tournament served their fans right, with many

legends like Modric, Neuer or Benzema showing off their flares for one last time before

retirement, and Euro 2020 seemed like a tight series of fixtures that satiated the fans with artsy

football.

However, the surreal drama unveiled itself fully in the nail-biting Round of 16.

It is drama that accompanied the resilient Czech Republic’s triumph over a bitter Netherlands

team as they were left distraught in a 2-0 shocker. Any pundit in the world would’ve chosen

Depay, De Jong and Wijnaldum to emerge victorious but instead they got treated by another

quintessential Schick performance that helped the Czech’s register their names in to the last 8.

That was only the kick that spurred even more shocks, and heartbreaks followed as the highly

-fancied Belgium lay down conundrums in the path of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo and

knocked out the defending champions in another edge-of-seat contest. Subsequently, we were

gifted with another thriller between Spain and Croatia, which saw Croatia equalize a two-goal

deficit at the stoppage time to drag the game onto the extra-time. That very night we experienced

the Swiss glory over a French team that seemed unstoppable. These fixtures reminded us of why

we love football- the high stakes and the tense action that unites family members in the living

room, and eventually the world in one game.

Drama is nothing unnatural in the realms of professional football. It has always been there, and it

is what enlivens the beautiful game. As we step into a new generation of football, we are

consistently reminded that it is a game for all to enjoy, and that alludes to the upset glories Euro

2020 has shown us. Personally, as a fervent fan of Germany, heartbreak has been relatively new

to me. Since the 2018 appall, I’ve been praying and keeping my fingers crossed every night

Germany took on a new challenge. I looked up to Havertz, Kimmich or Muller for a triumph, and

was left overwrought when England knocked them out. But that’s just the reality, and as we look

forward to a stronger comeback, we realize the contingent nature of the game and accept the

unexpected turn of events.

These men still give me hope

Euro 2020 seems wholly unpredictable. Italy looks formidable, yes, but it is not conclusive,

because one of the central tenets of the game is the unpredictability of it. As for me, I hope Spain

lifts the famous old trophy because of the huge proportion of Barcelona men the Spanish squad

consists of, and I adore Barcelona. Then again, we cannot elude the likeliness of Denmark or

England going for glory. Like I said, football is a game subjected to discordance, and the Euro

2020 really is the epitome of this nature of the game. As for now, the entire globe speculates as

the remaining four teams clash to find out who among them is worthy of the coveted trophy.

But, as long as the game unites millions in tears or joy, it will always remain the world’s game.