Euro 2020 has finally come alive!
What a morning of action is was, with Spain vs Croatia and France vs Switzerland delivering plenty of drama that kept fans glued to their seats.
It began with Spain vs Croatia.
Photo via Reuters
After conceding a bizarre own-goal by keeper Unai Simon, Spain rallied to take a 3-1 lead…only for Croatia to battle back and draw level with two late goals.
Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal then netted one apiece in extra-time to secure a 5-3 victory for the Spaniards.
Spain are now the first side in European Championship history to score five or more goals in consecutive matches – having earlier beaten Slovakia 5-0 in the group stage.
With barely enough time to catch a breath, it was then the turn of France to take on Switzerland.
Photo via Reuters
On paper, this looked to be an easy tie for the reigning world champions and tournament favourites.
The Swiss, however, refused to roll over… battling from 3-1 down to make it 3-3 before the 90 minutes were up.
Both sides failed to find a winner in extra-time…so off to penalties they went.
Switzerland successfully converted all their spot kicks, and so too did the French, until Kylian Mbappe stepped up to take their fifth kick.
Photo via Reuters
The PSG star had been tipped for glory at the start of the tournament, but saw his effort saved by Yann Sommer as the Swiss won the shootout 5-4.
This is the first time since 2010 that the French have failed to reach the quarterfinals of a major tournament.
Photo via Reuters
In just these two epic games we had 14 goals…two teams who overcame 3-1 deficits…a penalty shootout and one of the biggest upsets at the European Championship.
No wonder #whatagame has been trending on social media today, with the term accurately describing both matches.
Fans have had to wait an extra year for Euro 2020 to kick off…but judging from what we’ve seen today, it has definitely been worth the wait!
By: Nicholas Darren John
