Football News: Euro 2024 and Major Tournament Updates
In a remarkable turn of events, Slovenia’s penalty shootout against Portugal during Euro 2024 on Monday ended after just six kicks – the shortest possible penalty shootout in a major tournament. Portugal scored all three of their penalties, while Slovenia missed all three, resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
This is not the first time a team has taken only three penalties in a major tournament shootout. In the 2008 European Championship quarter-final, Turkey beat Croatia 3-0 on penalties after Croatia missed all three of their kicks. The women’s Euros have also seen a similar scenario, with Denmark defeating Austria 3-0 in the 2017 semi-final shootout.
The World Cup has witnessed a few instances of one-sided penalty shootouts as well. In 1986, West Germany beat hosts Mexico 4-1, while in 2019, Norway eliminated Australia with a 4-2 shootout victory. The most recent example came in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final, when Morocco defeated Spain 3-0 on penalties after the Spaniards failed to score any of their three kicks.
In the Copa América, there have been several occasions where one team has taken only three penalties. In 1995, the USA beat Mexico 4-1 in a shootout, and in 2011, Paraguay progressed to the final after Brazil missed all four of their penalties.
The Africa Cup of Nations has also seen its fair share of lopsided penalty shootouts, with the most recent example being Egypt’s 3-0 victory over Cameroon in the 2021 semi-final.
Upcoming Euro 2024 and Other Major Tournaments
As for the upcoming Euro 2024, England have once again topped their group with a meager goal tally, scoring only two goals in their three group stage matches. This is not the first time a team has topped a major tournament group while scoring just a few goals. Sweden’s women’s team achieved a similar feat at Euro 2005, while Northern Ireland, Canada, and Switzerland have all accomplished this at the World Cup.
The standings in group stages have also been decided by the slimmest of margins, such as in the 1990 World Cup, where the Republic of Ireland and the Netherlands finished with identical records, leading to a draw to determine the second-place finisher.
Football fans eagerly await the remainder of the Euro 2024 tournament, as well as the upcoming Champions League, FIFA World Cup, Women’s World Cup, and Africa Cup of Nations competitions, where drama and surprise results are bound to unfold.
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