As the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 arrived, the European Championship managed to defy the expectations of fans and sports analysts, with several major teams eliminated in unexpected scenarios. These surprises, however, are the highlights for the football-loving audience.
In the Round of 16 of Euro 2020, several big teams said goodbye to the tournament, including the world champion France, European champion Portugal, Germany, and the Netherlands. The surprise began with the Netherlands being shockingly eliminated by the Czech Republic with a score of 2-0.
In a match featuring Belgium's golden generation against the Portuguese team led by the legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo, many believed that the reigning champion Portugal was the favorite to advance. However, Belgium managed to secure their spot with a 1-0 victory over the European champions.
The biggest surprise of the tournament came when Switzerland progressed at the expense of the world champion France in a dramatic match that saw six goals during regulation time, with "penalty kicks" favoring the Swiss team. The last surprise was England advancing against Germany with a score of 2-0, although expectations favored the German "machines," especially since the "Three Lions" had not won a knockout match in the Euro since 1996, nearly 25 years earlier. Additionally, England had not defeated Germany in the knockout stage of any major tournament since 1966, making their victory a significant breakthrough.
However, such surprises are not new in the world of football, and here are some of the most notable scenarios of the "unexpected exits" of major teams in continental and global tournaments.
**France and Euro 2004**
After winning the Euro 2000 title, the French team secured a spot among the favorites for the Euro 2004 championship, finishing at the top of their group which included England, Switzerland, and Croatia with 7 points. France reached the quarter-finals to face Greece, and expectations indicated a crushing victory for the French team. However, Greece delivered a huge surprise by winning 1-0, eliminating Zidane's team early. Greece would later win the title by defeating the home team Portugal in the finals.
**Netherlands and Euro 2008**
In the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, the Dutch national team prepared to face Russia, ensuring that the winner would meet the victor of a match between Spain and Italy, which was seen as an early final. Fans expected the Netherlands to secure a semi-final spot, but Russia triumphed with a score of 3-1 in a dramatic match that went to extra time after a 1-1 tie in regulation. Russia faced a heavy defeat against Spain in the semi-finals, losing 3-0, while Spain went on to win the European title by defeating Germany in the final.
**World Cup Curse**
The Spanish team won the 2010 World Cup after defeating the Netherlands 1-0 with Iniesta's famous goal in the last minutes of the match. In 2012, Spain claimed the Euro title against Italy with a crushing 4-0 victory, making them both World and European champions. With these significant achievements, fans expected Spain to go far in the 2014 World Cup, but what transpired shocked everyone as the "Matador" exited in the group stage, finishing third in their group alongside the Netherlands, Chile, and Australia with only three points.
The same scenario repeated with Germany, who after winning the 2014 World Cup against Argentina, suffered an early exit from the 2018 World Cup, finishing last in their group with only three points, managing just one win against Sweden and suffering shocking defeats to both Mexico and South Korea.
