With Portugal fresh off its win over France in Sunday’s final, what better time to recap the best (and worst) of Euro 2016?
BEST GOAL
July 1: Wales 3, Belgium 1 in Lille
In the 13th minute, Belgium’s Radja Nainggolan cracked a shot from 30 yards out that nestled inside the top left corner.
BEST SAVE
June 27: Italy 2, Spain 0 in Saint-Denis
In the eighth minute, Italy’s Alessandro Florenzi played a dangerous ball into the box where Graziano Pelle connected on a header that seemed destined for the lower corner. Spain’s David de Gea did incredibly well to get down quickly and push it wide of the post. Shades of Gordon Banks’ save on Pele in 1970!
BEST GAME
June 22: Hungary 3, Portugal 3 in Lyon
What an unbelievable 90 minutes of breathless soccer—it will go down as one of the most memorable of the group stage in tournament history. To see Hungary go right at Portugal the way it did, and to see Cristiano Ronaldo and his cohorts come back from a goal down on three separate occasions—unreal!
BEST STORY
Iceland. On paper, their Round of 16 contest was a mis-match, with England’s gang of high-paid Premier League stars having the advantage over Iceland, who Cristiano Ronaldo previously said had a “small mentality,” and predicted “are not going to do anything in the competition.” Not only did Iceland beat England, they also showed you don’t need a team of super stars to go far in international tournaments.
BEST MOMENT
A reminder that sports can bring people together:
BEST CELEBRATION
Italian manager Antonio Conte goes nuts after Azzurri beat Spain:
BEST TWEET
Irish fans sure know how to let their hair down:
BEST QUOTE
“Throughout the tournament, we were as simple as doves, and wise as serpents.” – Fernando Santos, Portugal manager
BEST STAT
BEST TV COMMENTARY
June 27: England 1, Iceland 2 in Nice
This Icelandic commentator loses it after the final whistle:
WORST TV COMMENTARY
June 27: England 1, Iceland 2 in Nice
Epic fail by former England manager Steve McClaren. EPIC FAIL!
WORST MOMENT
June 17: Czech Republic 2, Croatia 2 in Saint-Etienne
With Croatia sitting on a 2-1 lead in the second half, flares flooded the Czech Republic’s end after Croatian supporters tossed them onto the pitch. While stewards raced to clear them away, a loud firecracker was also thrown onto the field while Croatian fans fought amongst themselves on the terraces, heightening the already uneasy tension inside the stadium. Play was halted for several minutes so that things could calm down, but the Croatian players were clearly rattled. The Czechs were in the ascendency after the disruption and Tomas Necid equalized in the 89th minute from the penalty spot after Domagoj Vida was penalized for a handball. Croatia coach Ante Cacic described the fans responsible as “sports terrorists.” Ugly scenes.
BIGGEST FLOP—TEAM
Austria. So many pundits had high hopes for them, what with so many of their top players plying their trades in the Premier League and Bundesliga. But the Austrians were so disappointing, losing two of their three games and only scoring one goal as they finished dead last in a winnable group with just one point.
BIGGEST FLOP—PLAYER
Thomas Muller. He had a poor tournament, failing to score in all six games—including that horrible miss in Germany’s shootout win over Italy in the quarterfinals. So much was expected of him, as he’s dominated previous international tournaments. He didn’t come close to delivering.
LASTING IMAGE
July 10: Portugal 1, France 0 in Saint-Denis
The sight of Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench as he encouraged his teammates in extra time of the final, and the way he was anxiously walking up and down the technical area, all the while carrying a heavy limp and clearly in physical agony, in the dying minutes will be among the lasting images of this tournament. Ronaldo’s mental and physical toughness has long come into question by his most vocal critics. Surely, he’s proved to them he’s as tough as they come.
BEST PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT
Antoine Griezmann. Scored a tournament-high six goals, and put in a number of man-of-the-match efforts for France on its march towards the final. The Frenchman firmly established himself as one of the elite players on the planet.
BEST XI OF THE TOURNAMENT (4-3-3 FORMATION)
• Goalkeeper: Rui Patrico (Portugal).
• Defenders: Joshua Kimmich (Germany), Leonardo Bonucci (Italy), Pepe (Portugal), Jerome Boateng (Germany).
• Midfielders: Toni Kroos (Germany), Raphael Guerreiro (Portugal), Blaise Matuidi (France).
• Forwards: Gareth Bale (Wales), Dimitri Payet (France), Antoine Griezmann (France).
• Manager: Antonio Conte (Italy).
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