What a final and what a surprise? After 120 hard-fought minutes and 10 penalties, Sweden kept the upper-hand against Portugal to claim their first ever victory in the UEFA Under 21 European Championship. For many, including me, this 4-3 victory after penalties comes as a huge surprise as nobody really had Sweden down to win the tournament.
The tournament started off with many surprises and with many interesting results. Sweden was able to defeat Italy in their opening game, showing their huge potential. The 2-1 victory, however, was followed by a 1-0 defeat against England, but Sweden was able to defend the second spot with a 1-1 result with Portugal. In the semifinals Sweden pushed aside Denmark with an impressive 4-1 display in order to secure a spot in the final.
On the other side, Portugal had to go through the same group as Sweden (Group B) and was able to fight off all three teams, Sweden (1-1), England (1-0), and Italy (0-0) in order to qualify for the semi-finals. Here, they faced the German favorites, and probably showed the best performance of the tournament, beating Germany 5-0.
The stage was set for a final of underdogs, as nobody really had Sweden or Portugal making it all the way on their cards. And although Portugal was favored over Sweden, the Swedish Under 21s were up for the challenge and already proved during the group stage that they can resist Portugal. And after 120 minutes and a penalty shootout Sweden showed one more time that they are no pushover. Thanks to two saved penalties from Sweden’s goalkeeper Carlgren, Sweden won 4-3 after penalties and was able to lift the trophy for the first time, while Portugal left the tournament empty handed.
And while Sweden and Portugal clearly upset the odds, other teams disappointed throughout the whole tournament. And by “other teams” I mean Italy, England, and Germany.
None of the ‘big’ soccer nations seemed up for the challenge and all three international teams lacked dedication, motivation, and will to win. Although Germany put up a good performance against Denmark (3-0), they were unconvincing against Serbia and the Czech Republic. Without impressing anybody, Germany qualified for the semi-finals, but had a nightmare day and game, losing 5-0 to a strong, talented, and motivated Portuguese team. What Germany did was a clear form of “Arbeitsverweigerung”, a refusal to work, as the team never took part of the game and suffered the highest defeat in their history. The big favorites got humiliated and had to travel home without ever really impressing.
A day to remember for Portugal is a day to forget for Portugal. Photo: @UEFAUnder21 | Twitter
The tournament ended even earlier for England and Italy. Both teams were part of Group B with Sweden and Portugal, but failed to impress against both underdogs. The Three Lions, with strikers like Ings, Kane, and Berahino failed to perform and had to travel home early with only 3 points out of three games. The runner-up of 2009 and one of the strongest teams in the tournament played terribly and took no part in the outcome of the tournament. A huge disappointment for England, which had such high hopes for this tournament.
The other big disappointment was Italy. The Italian Under 21s also failed to impress and meet minimum expectations, and like their English counterparts, had to travel home after the group stage. Although they challenged for second position in their group and won over England, Italy was unable to qualify for the semifinals. With a promising squad and some promising talent, Italy did not impress anybody this year and has to find a way to do better in 2017.
Next to Germany, England, and Italy, other big nations in Europe, including France and Spain, have to step up their game for the next tournaments, as this outcome shows that smaller soccer nations are not only there to play, they are there to win. With dedication, talent, and will to succeed, Sweden, Portugal, and also semi-finalist Denmark, showed that all three nations are on the right track. It will be interesting to see how the big favorites will react to the outcome of the tournament, as none of them can afford another humiliating tournament like this.
