With some incredible matches, Euro 2020 was among the most entertaining international tournaments to date. For all the tight matches, two stand head and shoulders above the rest, as games that deserve their own article based on the thrilling nature of the games.
Brief descriptions couldn’t do them justice, this is how Switzerland vs France and Spain vs Croatia unfolded.
Switzerland vs France
Heading into this first-round tie, every onlooker, including even some of the more hopeful Swiss fans, were adamant of a French victory.
After an uninspired group stage, the world champions were expected to find their second gear in this tie, the Swiss entirely written off.
But the Swiss were no team to underestimate.
The game started with France expectedly seeing more of the ball, but no real chances came until the 14th minute.
It was Switzerland on the attack, Zuber breaking down the left, chipping a delightful little cross into Seferovic who leapt high to meet the ball, beating the keeper for placement.
1-0 and no one could have seen that coming. But France were too good not to grow into the game.
And grow they did, but they wouldn’t improve until after the break.
France hadn’t been good enough, the first half wasn’t a great watch, and for things to improve France had to up their game.
But the Swiss had a surprise in store. They looked to be proactive despite the slender lead.
A Lot Can Change In 5 Minutes
A searching ball down the left again found Zuber on the wing, beating Pavard for pace, chopping the ball back, making Pavard slide into him just inside the box.
After a VAR pause, it was decided. Penalty.
Rodrigues vs Lloris, with a second goal dangling in front of the Swiss, it looked like Lloris had to be a hero to keep France in the game.
Rodrigues went for placement, sending the penalty to the keeper’s right, but Lloris was well in the taker’s head and guessed right for an easy save.
Football is a fickle game, one that changes in moments, and just a minute later, France had gone down the other end and equalised.
It was a simple goal, the trifecta of Griezmann, Mbappe and Benzema combining, the then Madrid striker brilliantly improvising to take the ball in his stride and poke home.
A minute passed, and France were at it again.
It started with Coman outside, shaping to cross before sliding a pass inside to Griezmann, who passed it first time to Mbappe, charging forward as Mbappe delightfully flicked the ball through his legs, putting Griezmann through.
His shot was saved, looping behind the keeper for a Karim Benzema ready to pounce and head the ball in on the line.
In the space of four minutes, the Swiss went from having a penalty to double their lead, to being 2-1 down.
The sleeping dragon had woken from his slumber.
France looked dominant, but at 74 minutes, France finally found that next level, thanks to a moment of magic from the often-criticised Paul Pogba.
Picking the ball up from 30 yards out, he took a touch, looked up and curled a gorgeous, arcing ball that swerved like a laser-guided missile into the top corner. Sommer well and truly beaten.
3-1 down to the world champions with 15 minutes left, that had to be all she wrote.
They Couldn’t… Could They?
6 minutes later, however, the whole dynamic of the match changed once again.
There seemed little on with Mbabu out on the right wing, but his eagle eye spotted a darting Seferovic run, whipping a perfect cross for the striker to head home his second, as the French defence stood still and watched.
There was some life in this tie yet.
France weren’t a team to sit back, not against lesser opposition, but it was perhaps their hubris that failed them in the end.
Picking up the ball after a French spell of possession broke down, Granit Xhaka played a perfect killer ball through to Gavranovic.
Like a prime R9, he took the ball in his stride, jinking past a defender’s tackle with one touch, and slotting into the far corner from the edge of the box, the ball kissing the post as it went in.
An incredible comeback, and after a French-dominated extra-time, that almost didn’t happen thanks to Coman hitting the bar in the last second of added time before, the Swiss made it to a penalty shoot-out.
All of the first 8 were converted, leaving Mehmedi and Mbappe left the final two takers.
Sudden death awaits, and when Mehmedi sends Lloris the wrong way, it all lies on France’s golden boy to save them.
Save the best till last they often say, Mbappe stepped up confidently, striking the ball head height to Sommer’s right. The stadium erupts. Sommer gets a big hand to it, flinging the ball away to safety. France had bottled it.
The Swiss were through
Spain vs Croatia
A battle between the 2018 World Cup overachievers, and the tournament underachievers, Spain was desperate to bounce back from a lacklustre penalty defeat to hosts Russia 3 years ago.
It’s safe to say this match was hotly anticipated, two attacking sides that had a lot more to give and had just shown signs of their best in the last game.
But for a contest with so much quality on paper, things would get off to a calamitous start for one side…
Goalkeeping Howlers and Awful Defending
The match had gone twenty minutes, and Spain had already seen a huge chance spurned by Morata, Livakovic doing well to deny the striker. In typical fashion, Spain were playing out from the back, Pedri had dropped deep, and seeing no option, elected to play a 40-yard pass back to goalkeeper Unai Simon.
You can probably see where this is going…
The pass was low, and straight to him, Simon judging the ball and putting his foot out to control the pass with utter complacency.
He had misjudged the ball, it snuck by his outstretched foot and rolled into the empty net. Simon with no chance to recover could only watch amidst a half-hearted attempt to chase for a ball he would never get to in time.
1-0. Pedri own goal. A cataclysmic start for Spain.
It would take some real character to bounce back, but Spain were not lacking in motivation.
Taking the game by the scruff of the neck, the Spanish seized on some frantic defending.
Spain moved the ball quickly, creating multiple chances around the box, as for a long 10 seconds the match devolved into pinball, before finally, Sarabia smashed the ball in after 4 or 5 blocked or saved shots.
There was no more action before the half came to a close, and all things considered, it could have been worse for both sides.
Both sides having been given their instructions in the break, it was Spain who came out swinging, mounting promising attacks, taking the lead 56 minutes in.
The goal scorer? Cesar Azpilicueta, his first ever and still only Spanish goal, on hand to steer in a cross from 6 yards out. Horrible Croatian defending cost them, and after getting in front Spain gained more confidence.
Just 8 minutes later, only 15 to go, Spain all but wrapped the game up.
A free-kick from Spain’s own half was taken quickly, a hefty, launched pass to the opposite flank for Ferran Torres to run onto. He was completely unmarked, his man in a black jersey nowhere to be seen.
Torres won the foot race against Gvardiol, nipping the ball away from his feet in the box, darting inside and calmly finishing against a marooned Livakovic.
Game Over
Unless…?
Croatia had been pretty poor, lapses in concentration costing them, but for all their mistakes they possessed a formidable and unwavering spirit.
5 minutes left on the clock, a great touch in the box from Ante Budimir gave Modric a chance to square the ball across the face of goal.
Queue a classic goalmouth scramble, with the ball blocked on the line, and Spain clearing it away, only for the ref to give the goal, the ball crossing the line in the frenzy.
Game on, 5 minutes to save themselves.
It wasn’t pretty, but Croatia didn’t care, and Spain were looking nervy.
A stressful 5 minutes ensued, but when the board for added time showed 6 minutes, Croatia felt a wave of belief course through them.
Then, 92nd minutes in, it happened.
Croatia surged forward after Spain had pushed a few men up for an attack, attempting to be proactive. The Croatians broke incisively, working the ball to the left flank for Mislav Orsic to whip the ball into the box.
An unmarked Pasalic couldn’t miss his header.
What a fightback, from nothing Croatia had dragged themselves back from the brink of death.
Extra-Time Beckoned
Croatia came out hot, creating a massive chance, Orsic again making things happen, his ball into the box was scrambled as far as Kramaric.
8 yards out, you’d have bet your arms on him to score, but he fired into the middle of the goal, only for Unai Simon who had instinctively dived to his right saved the ball with his trailing leg.
But Spain finally found that second gear just minutes later.
A great ball in from Dani Olmo was well controlled by Alvaro Morata who emphatically volleyed home at the keeper’s near top corner.
Not 3 minutes later, Croatia found themselves in a familiar position. Another Dani Olmo cross, this time finding Oyarzabal, who controlled the ball and fired low into the bottom corner.
5-3, 17 minutes of football left to play.
Could Croatia do it again?
The answer was no.
A spurned Budimir chance 30 seconds into the second half was that must-score opportunity they had to take, and after that, Spain held on to progress over a valiant Croatian side.
