Top five moments from the group stage of UEFA Euro 2020

The group stages had several memorable highlights to talk about.

UEFA Euro 2020 completed its group stage and the knockout rounds of the tournament will commence on Saturday. There have been some top moments, exceptional performances and the high-octane action has been a very entertaining watch. The respective national teams have gone all out to secure qualification from the group stage while some have bowed out.

There has been no shortage of top moments at the Euro 2020 group stage. The games have come thick and fast and the level of competition has gradually risen. Minnows gave a good account of themselves and often stopped the favourites in their tracks. There were individual performances to praise and team displays to adore.

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There were instances that garnered a lot of attention, generated debate and shock. Now, that the group stage is over, here is a look back at the top five moments from Euro 2020 so far: 

5. Portugal’s own goals against Germany

Group F was one of the most entertaining groups in this edition. It was considered as the ‘group of death’ due to the quality of teams that were in it. Hungary had to deal with 2014 World Cup winners Germany, Euro title holders Portugal and 2018 World Cup champions France and the matches were highly competitive.

During the game between Portugal and Germany, the latter won the contest 4-2. However, four goals out of the six came from Portugal. The first half ended 2-1 in Germany’s favour, which had two own goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Ruben Dias. Portugal lost despite scoring more goals, in a peculiar fashion. 

4. Patrik Schik’s goal against Scotland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUgoxYJ62AM

Little did anyone know that Scotland and Czech Republic’s game will produce the most iconic Euro moment, not only this year but in its history. Since England and Croatia were favourites to qualify from this group, not many people paid attention to this fixture.

However, seven minutes into the second half, Patrick Schick did the unthinkable. He saw Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall in an advanced position and scored a wonder goal from the halfway line. The stadium erupted after seeing a finish of the highest order. The sensational strike is a strong contender for being the Goal of the Tournament and will also certainly be among the top moments of Euro 2020.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo equaling another goalscoring record

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored five goals after the conclusion of the group stages. Ronaldo is also leading the race for the Golden Boot. The 36-year-old is proving that age is merely a number for him, as he leads Portugal’s charge to defend their title.

Ronaldo has scored in each of the three games at Euro 2020. After scoring a brace against France, Ronaldo equalled Ali Daei’s long-standing record for most goals in international football. The Portuguese has now scored 109 goals for his country and will most likely score more in days to come. He is also the all-time leading goalscorer at the Euros with 14 goals.

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2. The unstoppable Italians

The Italian national team steamrolled past their opponents in Group A. The outfit won all three of their fixtures against Turkey, Switzerland and Wales. They did so without conceding a single goal and scoring seven, the joint second-highest mark by any team. The Azzurri are strong favourites to win the tournament and are living up to expectations.

Furthermore, their dominance is in the numbers. Italy last lost a fixture back in September 2018. Since then, they have gone 30 games unbeaten and have won the last 11. Moreover, they have kept a clean-sheet in each of their 11 victories as well. 

1. Christian Eriksen’s collapse on the pitch

The football world was sent into a state of shock during Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 fixture against Finland. Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during the 43rd minute. The shocking scenes that ensued saw medical professionals bring him back to consciousness by administering CPR. The players, fans and Eriksen’s family were visibly disturbed by the incident.

Reports suggest that Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during the game. The medical team quickly took him to a nearby hospital, where he responded well to treatment. However, the game continued after a gap of 30 minutes, which drew a lot of controversy.

As it stands, Eriksen might not return to football action anytime soon, but his countrymen delivered a sensational performance against Russia and clinched a place in the Round of 16.

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