Euro 2012 Review

So the confetti cannons have cooled down and the players have gone home. Euro 2012 was a great tournament and was set alight by so many aspects, least of all some sparkling sport. So herein I shall endeavour to go back across the three weeks and pick out some of the best bits.

Best matches:

The final, unusually was a pretty decent encounter, a tense first half with some interesting battles gave way into an absolute masterclass from the Spanish, it was a game I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Also worth a mention is England v Sweden, when we saw a double comeback 1-0 to 1-2 then back to 3-2, it is not often that an England game enthrals, but this one did. I don’t like it when people look at the best matches of a tournament and simply plump for the highest scores, it is like giving the man of the match to a guy who scored in a 1-0 game, sometimes it is the case, but sometimes it is just the lazy option. I will try to avoid that here, but I cannot go on about good matches without mentioning a few high scorers. However, Portugal v Holland in the last game of group B was an interesting watch, and for a team hanging on under the cosh Denmark v Holland was another humdinger.

Worst matches:

Czech Republic v Poland was not a good game, even as the hosts struggled to a win. It will surprise you to know that I also did not enjoy Germany v Greece; the game which produced the most goals in the competition, six. It was a forgone conclusion, and I would have much preferred Poland or Russia. Also, the Germans sacked it off, leaving out key men, which I find disrespectful and disappointing. Maybe that was the blimp that saw them lose their group form against Italy. Italy v Ireland had a similar tone to it, a non-contest.

Goals of the Tournament:

We saw some great goals in the tournament, here are my favourites.

Gomez v Holland. A neat turn on the ball on the edge of the box, which made for a simple touch past Stekelenburg.

Pirlo v Croatia. The only direct free kick goal of the competition. The keeper got a glove to it, but not enough.

Balotelli v Germany. A Thunderous shot from the edge of the box which Neuer got nowhere near.

Ibrahimovic v France. A sweetly taken volley from the edge of the box. Made even sweeter as the cross goes slightly behind him and he digs it out.

Welbeck v Sweden. A deft little back-heel from the cross by Walcott. This goal was pure pace and then delicate execution.

So, here is my end of season review.

Champions: Spain

Runner Up: Italy

Overachievers: Greece

Underachievers: Holland

Most Goals Scored: Spain (12)

Fewest Goals Scored: Republic of Ireland (1)

Most Goals Conceded: Republic of Ireland (9)

Fewest Goals Conceded: Spain (1)

Average most goals scored per game: Spain & Germany (2)

Average fewest goals conceded per game: Spain (0.167)

Euro 2012

Goals: 76

First Half: 32

Second Half: 44

Enjoy Wimbledon, The Tour de France and The Olympics.