"My soul was left on that pitch" - Euro 2012 Five Years On
Whether it's the standard of play, the team performances, the atmosphere, or even just it coincided with a pivotal moment in our lives, some football tournaments stay with us, while others fade into history. There are some, as well, that we don't realise how good they were until long after the fact. Such as in 2012, when UEFA took their flagship competition the farthest east as it had ever been, in Poland and Ukraine. Five years after the first ball was kicked off in Warsaw, it's time for a look back at a tournament that has been, unfairly, maligned and under-appreciated.
It was a five-year process to make the vision a reality, but it was not an easy birth. As the day drew nearer, Euro 2012 courted more and more controversy. Ukrainians protested the government committing money to host the tournament while the country was in an economic crisis. With preparations far behind schedule, there was talk the tournament would be moved at the last minute. Media outlets highlighted reports of regular violence and racist abuse at football matches in the host countries. As is always the case, though, all pre-tournament jitters had eased come opening day.
There were, unfortunately, instances of fan violence, which did cast a cloud over the tournament. Anger at these incidents, however, was directed at the fans and not at the hosts or the tournament organisers.
If fears of violence did end up scaring some fans away, those who did journey to eastern Europe helped provide the amazing atmosphere that made Euro 2012 so unique. More so than in any European tournament in recent memory, fans' passion seemed to boil over in all eight host cities. The Polish fans in their tens of thousands making a sea of white and red in the stands as the tournament began would set the tone for the level of fan support that was to come. There was rarely a moment of silence at any match, from the Russia's roaring supporters to Irish fans singing The Fields of Athenry as the team stared elimination in the face. The less vocal supporters also made an impression: Dutch fans dressed as Lions, fans of Denmark wore Viking helmets, Greek supporters turned up in gladiator outfits. For the entire month fans seemed to go out of their way to show their devotion.
What's more, Euro 2012 was a tournament where the organisers didn't try to build the hype artificially or rely on gimmicks, presentation was done in their own way. Each match began with a mass games-type performance based around the image of a flower, but aside from that they tried as much as possible to let the football do the talking. The new and different atmospheres is one of the things that's what makes the rotation of tournament hosts so appealing, taking the tournament to new locations and showing the world how the hosts celebrate football.
In terms of actual play, Euro 2012 defied conventional tournament patterns. While most major tournaments tend to begin with nervy and stilted play, with teams becoming more relaxed and playing more open and attacking as it went on, this time the opposite was true - the more exciting moments happened right from the off, with the latter stages more conservative and less enthralling.
The opening game between Poland and Greece saw both teams having a player sent off and a goalkeeper saving a penalty with his first touch. The second game ended 4-1. What would follow Day One included: The Czech Republic recovering from an early defeat to win their group in spectacular fashion; Portugal beating a relentless Denmark with minutes to go; Theo Walcott scoring from 35 yards to give England their first win over Sweden; Greece's dramatic elimination of much-favoured Russia; Croatia's spirited fight for qualification ending at the very last moment; and the Netherlands, then one of the world's highest rated teams, exiting without a point. It proved to be an eventful and entertaining group stage, that has the distinction of having no match finishing goalless.
The knockout stage proved less compelling, though: play became far more tentative and inspired moments were few and far between. The main highlights being a tense encounter between the Czech Republic and Portugal, with a stand-out performance from veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech, and Germany vs Greece, the highest-scoring game of the entire tournament.
Spain, meanwhile, came in having won both the previous Euro finals and the 2010 World Cup, while also going unbeaten competitively for two years. When they first took to the field in Poland they let themselves open to accusations of being boring, but paved themselves a comfortable route through the tournament. Meanwhile the team that would be their final opponent, Italy, flew under the radar, with not many pegging them to go far. After an uncertain start, though, they surged ahead, and their semi-final defeat of Germany sent out the message that they were in it to win it. The two would meet at the final in Kiev, but Spain continued their unprecedented form, winning the final by the biggest margin in the tournament's history - and making it look easy.
Aside from the results, Euro 2012 would also leave its legacy behind on the game. Co-hosts Ukraine, whose earlier match against France was suspended for an hour due to torrential rainfall and lightning storms, were denied a crucial goal in their final group game against England. Every replay and everyone watching agreed it went past the line, everyone except the referee. This incident led to many calling for the introduction of goal line technology in the game, and months later it would be used in a FIFA tournament for the first time, at the 2012 Club World Cup. The Premier League would adopt it in the 2013/14 season and, in 2014 it was used at the World Cup for the first time.
Great individual performances were on show throughout Euro 2012, from player of the tournament Andreas Iniesta to a resurgent Andrea Pirlo to name a few. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, at 31, showed he seemed to be getting better with age. Mario Balotelli was Mario Balotelli. It would also become a showcase for new, lesser-known talent to make a name for themselves on the international stage. Players like Robert Lewandowski, Jesus Navas, Olivier Giroud, Nani, Mesut Ozil and Mario Mandzukic all first came to the world's attention here, and they would soon find themselves playing at some of the highest levels in the sport.
Flash forward four years later, at Euro 2016 the the world's top players took to the field but failed to set the tournament alight. Play throughout was not particularly exciting or dramatic, and very few individual or team performances stood out. UEFA's expansion the tournament to 24 teams had good intentions, more nations now had the chance to take part, it made the field more diluted - bigger teams took on minnows with little to no tournament experience, making the early stages more a formality. It wasn't until the quarter finals began that any team was talked about being a contender for the title. The competition ended up feeling rather sloppy.
In the end, what made Euro 2012 great was that it was highly competitive while also highly entertaining. Europe's top sixteen teams all came to the finals playing at their very best, even those who were slouching produced world-class football. From the start it was a tight, merciless tournament where every match counted: almost every team showed, at times, they had the ability to go on and take the title. It produced surprising results, memorable moments, and had a terrific atmosphere - everything that a good football tournament should do.
Also worth mentioning: the BBC's really cool trailer for it:
