Upsets are a big part of football, and fans love to see it when it happens. The underdogs are coming to beat the best team in the world, things you love to see. When the going gets tough, the tough players shine and come out and be there for their respective teams. We have seen many upsets this century in Euro. Let’s take a look back at the top five biggest upsets.
5) England 1 – 2 Iceland (Round of 16, Euro 2016)
England is always considered a powerhouse team whenever they enter any major competition, be it the Euros or the World Cup. But they have always known to underperform or lose to teams that are not even contenders to make it to the quarters. Such a match took place in 2016 when England faced Iceland, who were making their competition knockout stage debut. England was the favourite to go through, but the tiny nation pecked back and showed that nothing is impossible if hard work meets talent. They proved that day that they were undoubtedly the better side and were deservedly going to the next stage, and for England, it was another summer of heartbreak.
4) Netherlands 0 – 2 Czech Republic (Round of 16, Euro 2020)
The Czech Republic has always remained an underdog side since the turn of the century. They were earlier known to be the nation with one of the greatest goalkeepers to play in the Premier League, Peter Cech. The tiny country showed the fight to the young and determined dutch team. The Czechs showed resistance and didn’t let the opposition score, and then came the decisive moment, which changed the course of the match. Matthijs De Ligt got a red card which some fans might consider rather too harsh. That changed the complexion of the game and tilted the game in favour of the underdogs. The Czech Republic won the game by two goals to nil and qualified to the next stage of the Euros.
3) Portugal 0 – Greece 1 (Final, Euro 2004)
Portugal, back in 2004, was a star-studded team with the likes of Luis Figo, Deco, and a young Cristiano Ronaldo. When the final took place, everyone thought that this would be an easy win for the Portuguese, but the Greeks had something else in store for them. Angelos Charisteas’s header was enough to defeat the overwhelming favourites. They lifted the Euros title, and we saw for the very first time a young Ronaldo crying.
2) France 3 – 3 Switzerland (Switzerland won 5-4 on penalties) (Round of 16, Euro 2020)
Another Round of 16 upset and the elimination of a possible favourite to win the trophy. Switzerland won the hearts and the minds of the people by eliminating the star-studded french line-up. It was indeed a riveting game with six goals in the 90 mins and, after that, a penalty shootout. Mbappe was denied from the spot by Yann Sommer to give the Swiss an unlikely win and a win they or any football fan would ever forget. This win makes the competition wide open, and almost everyone has an equal chance to win the coveted trophy.
- Portugal 1 – France 0 (Final, Euro 2016)
You must be thinking as to why Portugal beating France is considered an upset, right? But when your team loses Cristiano Ronaldo, the only recognised star in the team, within thirty minutes of a European final in front of a packed France stadium, it is advantageous for the opposition. Even after losing Ronaldo, the Portuguese didn’t show complacency and had an aura about their play. They won the match in extra time after an unlikely hero, Eder, gave them the lead in the 110th minute. Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo lifted the trophy for the first time, and Portugal became the first team to win the title after finishing third in their group.
These are all wins that came from unlikely teams in unlikely circumstances and will be remembered for a long time to come.
