It’s hard to believe we’ve seen over two thirds the games played at EURO2024. 36 games in, we only have 17 left to go. No surprise, then, that there was plenty of drama and plenty of memorable moments in the group stage.
It’s been a remarkably special tournament so far, too. International competitions do tend to bring some of the most entertaining and enjoyable football on offer, but this year has been better than we could’ve imagined.
So, with that in mind, here are FromTheSpot’s five best moments of the group stage.
Romania’s big win over Ukraine
Embed from Getty ImagesOkay, this isn’t really a moment per se, but it felt very significant. Romania’s qualification was surprisingly easy. They comfortably topped Group I, finishing five points above second place Switzerland and seven above their closest challengers Israel. But they’d only once progressed past the group stage at the European Championships, and that was 24 years ago. Stuck in a group with Belgium, Ukraine and Slovakia, the odds weren’t too favourable for them.
They kicked off against a very talented Ukraine team which boasted the likes of Girona duo Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsyhankov, Chelsea speedster Mykhailo Mudryk and Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko, all of whom were excellent at EURO2024. Romania’s biggest name (besides Iannis Hagi for, shall we say, other reasons) was probably Spurs’ Radu Drăgușin. Nothing much was expected of them
But then they made a big statement: Romania ran rings around them. It was a truly dominant performance, including Nicolae Stanciu’s wonderful long-distance curler, and by fulltime they’d racked up a 3-0 scoreline.
Romania went on to top their group – yes, ahead of Belgium – and have qualified for the round of 16 at a relative canter. The caveat there is that all four teams in Group E finished on four points, but it was Romania who topped it and that was a massive achievement, and an unexpected one at that. That all came from that one statement victory.
The return of Josip Iličić
Embed from Getty ImagesThis one was incredibly heartwarming. Slovenia’s qualification represented their first major tournament appearance since way back in 2010, but they achieved that feat without typical talisman Josip Iličić.
The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on a lot of people, but Iličić was particularly affected. After contracting the virus, he fell into a deep depression and a result of this was the loss of his joy for playing football. He left Atalanta in 2022 after not playing for nearly a year, and rejoined boyhood club Maribor in Slovenia.
His last appearance for the national team came in 2021, but he was a surprise inclusion in Slovenia’s squad for EURO2024, and after three years out, he would make his return in their 0-0 draw with England to rampant applause.
This was a moment he must’ve doubted would ever come. To appear in a major tournament after everything he’d been through was a truly heartwarming moment, and Declan Rice touchingly told him how inspired he was by his story.
And that’s probably the main takeaway from this: Iličić showed that, despite all the adversity and all the dark thoughts a person might have, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. His light, now, is the chance to appear in the knockout stages of EURO2024. A wonderful story.
Kevin Csoboth’s goal against Scotland
Embed from Getty ImagesHungary may not have escaped the group stage in the end, but they came mightily close. When Kevin Csoboth slipped home their winner in the 100th minute of their final group stage clash with Scotland, he gave Hungary their chance at knockout football; but it meant so much more than that.
Earlier in the game, striker Barnabás Varga suffered a horror injury after a 50/50 with keeper Angus Gunn. It later transpired that he suffered multiple fractures in his face which would require surgery, but at the time there were fears for the worst. Thankfully, he has since been in a stable condition and his life is not under threat, but the tears of Dominik Szoboszlai and the concern of the entire Hungarian side were indicators that it could’ve been so much worse.
When Varga was substituted off and taken to hospital after a ten minute delay, the game resumed and the last ten minutes offered some remarkable end-to-end football. Then, right at the death, Csoboth scored, eliminated Scotland and gave Hungary the chance at progression.
It was so incredibly emotional and significant. Ultimately, the fact they didn’t progress, while of course very disappointing for them, will ultimately go down as a footnote. Hungary went from absolute terror to unbelievable joy in the space of only a few minutes, and it’ll go down as one of the most remarkable group stage stories in the history of the European Championships.
Belgium’s applause for Ukraine
Embed from Getty ImagesUsually, when national anthems are sung at international competitions, one half of the stadium stands and sings with fervour and passion, while the other boos and whistles because… well, this is football. It’s partisan.
But that didn’t happen when Ukraine and Belgium faced off on the final day of Group E. Instead, when Ukraine sung their anthem, the Belgian fans stood up and applauded to a man.
It was a lovely gesture. The war in Ukraine was waged for well over a year now and there is no end in sight. It’s impossible to imagine the emotions of the Ukrainian people and players who have watched their country overcome with such loss and such pain.
And even though it was only a gesture, it was one of utter humanity. One which pointed to the bigger picture, because yes, football is partisan, but it’s also an opportunity to unite and support one another.
They may have faced heartbreaking elimination come fulltime, but for those couple of minutes at the start of the game, everyone in the stadium was together and supporting something much, much bigger than football: they were supporting Ukraine.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s goal against Portugal
Embed from Getty ImagesYou didn’t think we’d forget about Georgia, did you? In truth, the whole game would’ve been applicable here, but there was one moment which ignited the passion of an entire nation better than any other.
Georgia, the lowest ranked team in the competition, needed a win against the mighty Portugal to have any chance at qualifying for the round of 16. They’d lost one and drawn one, and a win here, despite how well they’d played in those last two outings, seemed a step too far.
But then they did just that. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who had been quiet until this game, wasted no time in putting his side in the lead, scoring on two minutes to rapturous applause and unbridled Georgian joy.
It still wasn’t a done deal; they’d still have to hang on for the next 88 minutes. But they didn’t just hang on. They outplayed Portugal, they outplayed Cristiano Ronaldo, and they scored again to seal the deal for good measure. The lowest ranked side in the tournament did the impossible to beat one of the favourites, qualify for the knockout stages, and set up a clash with Spain. It has been the footballing story of the tournament.
You can keep up to everything that happens at EURO2024 from here on out right here at FromTheSpot.