THE first round at Euro 2020 has indeed been eventful.
The opening match between Italy and Turkey laid down the marker of what to expect for rest of the tournament when Turkish player Merih Demiral scored the first goal, an own goal, of the European Championships as Italy romped home 3-0, a very surprising score-line for the first match.
Testimony to how life can be so unpredictable was seen the very next day when in the match between Denmark and Finland, the talismanic Dane Christian Eriksen collapsed late in the second half. It was later established he had suffered a cardiac arrest. It shocked the sporting world that a 29-year-old who had passed all medical tests, could be a victim to such a moment.
Full credit to Denmark captain Simon Kjaer who immediately ensured Eriksen did not swallow his tongue and gave CPR before the arrival of the medical personnel. English referee Anthony Taylor too saw the seriousness of the incident and immediately stopped the game.
There surely cannot be a more depressing moment that this episode and it is highly doubtful if Eriksen can continue playing. This coming so soon after enjoying one of the highpoints of his career when helping Inter Milan win the Serie A title after almost a decade.
Reports suggest Denmark were arm-twisted into continuing the game and if true UEFA have done a great disservice to the game.
The next day the limelight was stolen by Czech Republic’s Patrik Schick whose audacious attempt from almost half the pitch, upon seeing Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall way off his line, flew into the back of the net for what, for the moment at least, will surely rank as the goal of the EUROS.
The irrepressible Cristiano Ronaldo is a player who must always have the last say. He has rewritten the history books yet again. By scoring the penalty against Hungary in the Group F match for Portugal, Ronaldo became European Championships’ top goal scorer with 10 goals, beating the record he held with Michel Platini. And for good measure he scored a second in the game. The special moment came about at a full capacity crowd at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary.
With the goals he has also become the first player to score in five campaigns, starting from Euro 2004 against Greece. And he is not done yet, not by a mile.
Further, Ronaldo created a stir at an official press conference when he took away a couple of bottles of Coca Cola, a main sponsor, and replaced it with bottles of water which caused a fall in the price of shares of the company.
Just after Ronaldo’s feat came what surely has been the best match of the Euros thus far. The France-Germany tie was a cliff-hanger and only separated by an own goal by Germany’s Joshua Kimmich.
With just five days of matches the number of own goals – 3 – has already matched the history books. This undesired feat also looks certain to be rewritten and we just await that unfortunate player to get into the record books.
Antonio Rudiger of Germany got into the act against France by doing a Luis Suarez. Although missed by match officials, television cameras caught him biting France’s Paul Pogba but UEFA officials will not be taking retrospective action. Pogba regarded it as ‘a little nibble’.
Pogba, not to be outdone by Ronaldo, removed a bottle of Heineken, another major sponsor, also at a press conference as it went against his religious principles.
The dubious honour of being the first to receive the red card fell to Poland’s Grzegorz Krychowiak in the 2-1 defeat to Slovakia.
Barely a week into Euros, the tournament has had its fair share of controversies and moments to treasure. The excitement will surely continue unabated and fans can certainly expect much more as the Euros go on till July 11. – The Vibes. June 21, 2021
