Ouagadougou: Lamine Yamal at the top, the disappointment Kylian Mbappé, “small” countries at the meeting, old glories in difficulty: here are the tops and flops of a Euro-2024 which has not kept its promises in terms of show.

TOPS

. Yamal, birth of a phenomenon

The FC Barcelona right winger was the big revelation of the Euro. Beyond his masterpiece in the semi-final against France (2-1), which made him the youngest scorer in the history of the competition at 16 years and 362 days, the teenager was one of the rare individuals to emerge in Germany. With his friend on the left side Nico Williams, scorer in the final, Yamal brought that percussion which was so lacking in La Roja in recent years, completely transfiguring a team often mocked for its propensity to make possession of the ball the alpha and the omega of his game, without adding efficiency. With the Catalan prodigy, Spain has found the last piece of the puzzle to conquer Europe.

. England’s resilience

The Three Lions resisted everything before re
aching the final: a sluggish first round, an overtime in the round of 16, penalties in the quarters and a last-second deliverance in the half. Only Spain brought them down, preventing them from winning a second title since the 1966 World Cup. An eternity for the country that invented football.

. Little ones without complexes

Georgia and Slovenia in the round of 16 for the first time in their history, Slovakia which stands up to England (2-1 ap), Turkey in the quarter-final: several unexpected teams stood out, taking advantage full of the enlargement to 24 participants, implemented by former UEFA president Michel Platini from 2016.

FLOPS

. A tasteless Euro

Tired stars, a very uneven overall technical level, a first round without any real interest: this Euro will not go down in history for the quality of the game on offer. With a preparation phase reduced to a minimum after a long and tiring club season, most of the major nations arrived in Germany in a fairly precarious athletic state, which was inevitabl
y felt on the pitch. The 24-team formula, with a first phase stretching over time and eliminating only eight teams, also showed its limits.

. Mbappé and the French attack

We expected wonders from the French team, considered the favorite of the tournament. But the world vice-champions failed in major ways. Despite their accession to the semi-finals, they were betrayed by the bankruptcy of their offensive sector, symbolized by the performances of Kylian Mbappé, ghostly throughout the Euro. Arriving in poor shape after a chaotic end to his adventure at PSG, weakened by various physical problems (back, knee) then victim of a broken nose at the end of the first match against Austria (1-0), the superstar des Bleus completely missed out on the Euro, scoring only one goal from the penalty spot. In total, France only won two matches out of six played and only found the net four times, including one penalty and two CSCs. A real failure.

. The twilight of the old

For several big names in international football, the
Euro served as a swan song. Cristiano Ronaldo has not announced the end of his career with the Portuguese selection but the five-time Ballon d’Or has clearly looked his age. At 39, he went through his 6th European Championship like a shadow (0 goals), failing in the quarter-finals against France (0-0 after, 5 tab to 3). His old friend Pepe (41 years old) was more effective in defense but it is difficult to imagine seeing him again in the Portuguese jersey. Like CR7, Luka Modric has not revealed his intentions for the post-Euro either but the Croatian playing master (38 years old), who extended a year with Real Madrid, sank in the 1st round within Croatian training which really needs to be renewed. The German Toni Kroos (34 years old) retired on a frustrating note and a quarter-final exit at home against Spain (2-1 ap) while Olivier Giroud (37 years old), top scorer in the history of the Blues (57 goals), said goodbye to the French team at the end of a Euro spent languishing in the shoes of a replacement.

So
urce: Burkina Information Agency