After over a month of ups, downs, upsets and drama, the 2020 European Championships have come to an end. Needless to say, it was one of the best international tournaments in recent years and provided fans with plenty of memorable moments including Switzerland’s triumph over France, Denmark’s progression to the semi-final despite their traumatic experience in their opening game and of course Italy’s deserved final win last night.

Throughout the tournament, plenty of players proved their worth and put in some fantastic performances; some of which were household names, others which were relatively unknown on the international stage.

With that said, here’s our picks for the 2020 European Championship team of the tournament.

GOALKEEPER

GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA | ITALY/FREE AGENT 

The recipient of player of the tournament and Italy’s hero in not one, but two penalty shootouts, Donnarumma’s inclusion on this list is a no-brainer.

At just the age of 22, Donnarumma has already made close to 300 senior appearances for AC Milan and Italy combined. No surprise given his performances over the tournament.

Currently a free agent but destined for Paris Saint-Germain, his stock will certainly have risen over the past month. The fact that PSG will be signing him on a free is a robbery of the highest order.

Italy captain Georgio Chiellini said it best: “I’m lucky because I’ve played with Gigi Buffon – now I play with Gigi Donnarumma and it’s the same.”

22 years old.

Conceded just four times in 719 minutes.

Won two penalty shootouts.@gigiodonna1 was named the Player of the Tournament at #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/MOvhzHmfgO

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JULY 12, 2021

RIGHT-BACK

KYLE WALKER | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER CITY

Often a scapegoat at international level in the past, Kyle Walker showed what he can bring to the table over the tournament.

In terms of natural right-backs, it’d be hard to argue that he wasn’t the most consistent in that position. Obviously, you also have Giovanni Di Lorenzo who deputised incredibly well for the injured Alessandro Florenzi but his poor positioning in last night’s final led to the opening goal of the match and could well have been the winner only for Leonardo Bonucci’s second half equaliser.

Overall, it was a very solid tournament for the Manchester City man.

Jose Mourinho

“My player of the tournament was Kyle Walker. From the first minute of the competition until the moment he came off in the final he was phenomenal. When I call a player an animal it is the best compliment I can do to a player. Kyle Walker – an absolute animal.” pic.twitter.com/mOFH92KAeo

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) JULY 12, 2021

LEFT-BACK

LUKE SHAW | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER UNITED

Surprisingly, left back was probably the hardest position to choose from in the entire list, owing to the amount of exceptional performers in the position throughout.

We’ve went with Luke Shaw given his performance over the knockout stages in particular, but you could also make a strong case for Italy’s Leonardo Spinazzola who was arguably player of the tournament up until his until his injury in the quarter-finals against Belgium. Even Denmark’s Joakim Mæhle could be an outside shout having earned himself plenty of fans for his performances which helped his country to the semi-final.

Shaw though, after years of being vilified for years by fans, the press and even previous managers just came off the best season of his career and topped it off with some brilliant showings during the European Championships. We think he deserves his place.

What a tournament you had

Happy birthday, @LukeShaw23! pic.twitter.com/6KRPFtYrza

— England (@England) JULY 12, 2021

CENTRE-BACKS

GIORGIO CHIELLINI | ITALY/JUVENTUS

A great character and an even better footballer. Although Donnarumma officially won Player of the Tournament, I’m sure Girogio Chiellini wasn’t too far behind in that decision.

Being 36 years of age, Chiellini has been around for a long, long time. His vast experience and know-how was on full display from the opening match all the way to the final. Making up for his lack of pace with his exceptional positional awareness and defensive IQ, he was a joy to watch throughout and his performances really encapsulated the art of defending which is so often forgotten about in comparison to the offensive side of things.

Italy’s final win was Chiellini’s first senior international honour to add to his illustrious career at club level. Well deserved.

LEONDARDO BONUCCI | ITALY/JUVENTUS

You can’t have Giorgio Chiellini on here without Leonardo Bonucci.

Like Chiellini, Bonucci isn’t blessed with pace, but that doesn’t matter when you have a partnership at centre-back like those two. The understanding they’ve developed after years and years of playing together at international and club level is unmatched in world football.

Bonucci’s equalising goal against England last night was undoubtedly Italy’s most important of the entire tournament also, and perhaps of his entire career.

Harry Maguire and Simon Kjær may have been slightly unlucky to miss out, but it would have taken something extraordinary to get in ahead of the Italian centre-back pairing.

Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini both completed the entire #EURO2020 tournament without being successfully dribbled past by an opposition player or making an error leading to a shot.

WARRIORS. pic.twitter.com/mexIFLrVOO

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) JULY 11, 2021

CENTRE-MIDFIELD

JORGINHO | ITALY/CHELSEA

What a few months it’s been for Jorginho. Winning the Champions League in May and the European Championships last night, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Some people have even been calling for Ballon d’Or shouts, although that title will likely go to Lionel Messi after Argentina’s Copa America win. But even so, the fact that he’s been considered by some people just shows how much he’s progressed over the last few months. Those kind of plaudits would have almost been unimaginable a couple of months ago.

One of the heroes in the semi-final as he dispatched the winning penalty, he was very nearly at the opposite end of the spectrum having missed what would have been the winning penalty in the final. Thankfully for him though, Gianluigi Donnarumma spared his blushed with a save moments afterwards.

Other than his penalty miss in the final, Jorginho was the image of consistency and more than deserves his inclusion.

Jorginho set a new record for the most interceptions made at a single Euros (25) since 1980.

What a season he’s had pic.twitter.com/fOTUdA3n0L

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) JULY 12, 2021

PEDRI | SPAIN/BARCELONA

At just 18 years of age, Pedri was Spain’s youngest player at the tournament. He also happened to be their best.

Him being named Young Player of the Tournament was consistent with his performances over the past month.

He became somewhat of a conductor in the Spanish midfield, creating chances, rarely losing the ball and remaining calm under pressure.

His pass into the box to Mikel Oyarzabal’s feet against Italy was arguably pass of the tournament and deserved a finish at the end of it.

We’ll be hearing a lot more about Pedri in the coming years.

Luis Enrique: “What Pedri has done in this tournament, at 18, no one has done. Not even Andrés Iniesta did that; it’s incredible, unique.”

UEFA’s team of Technical Observers have named Pedri as their Young Player of the Tournament #EURO2020 | #ESP pic.twitter.com/NDwfFoXt2O

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) JULY 11, 2021

PAUL POGBA | FRANCE/MANCHESTER UNITED

Paul Pogba can hold his head up high despite France’s early exit to Switzerland.

The Manchester United man was France’s best player during their tenure in the competition and some of the skill he displayed over the four games was just unbelievable.

This is probably a controversial selection due to the impressive form of Marco Verratti, Nicolò Barella, Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, but Pogba proved just how good he can be in his short stint at the tournament and should receive the plaudits he deserves.

Paul Pogba made more accurate through balls (5) than any other player at #EURO2020

He only made 𝟮 accurate through balls for Manchester United in the Premier League last season pic.twitter.com/W0Rx2kygPZ

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) JULY 12, 2021

LEFT-WING

RAHEEM STERLING | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER CITY

Criticize Sterling all you want for diving etc. but he carried England on his back for much of the tournament, particularly during the absence of Harry Kane goals in the the group stages.

Three goals and an assist isn’t bad going for a man who was excluded from his club’s starting XI towards the end of the season. He was also electric in the semi-final against Denmark, winning a controversial penalty and causing panic throughout.

He didn’t have the best final based on his standards the rest of the tournament, but at the same time he was arguably their most dangerous player going forward, instilling momentary panic for the Italians when in the box.

The fact he started every game despite the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho being available tells you all you need to know.

—Three goals, one assist
—100% of England’s goals in the group stage
—Opener vs. Germany
—Helped cause own goal vs. Denmark
—Won game-winning penalty vs. Denmark

Raheem Sterling’s tournament has been incredible pic.twitter.com/jIgBaAsrYk

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JULY 7, 2021

RIGHT-WING

FEDERICO CHIESA | ITALY/JUVENTUS

No disrespect intended to Domenico Berardi who’s a good player in his own right, but it’s hard to believe that he started three games ahead of Federico Chiesa.

Chiesa looked the player most capable of making things happen when on the pitch for Italy with his electric pace, directness and eye for a goal. He was almost unlucky to end up with just the two goals, however he did only start four games, so that’s not a bad return.

At just 23, Chiesa should have a long and fruitful career ahead of him.

Star of the Match in the #EURO2020 semifinal: Federico Chiesa pic.twitter.com/MyNMPM6TfG

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JULY 6, 2021

STRIKER

PATRIK SCHICK | CZECH REPUBLIC/BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Although Patrik Schick had the same amount of goals as Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter was awarded the Golden Boot due to having more assists to his name. We think Schick had the better tournament, though.

Schick was ever-present as his side made it all the way to the quarter-finals, eventually losing to Denmark despite arguably being the better side over the 90 minutes.

He was particularly impressive in the group stage against Scotland, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win. His second goal in particular was a thing of beauty and was many people’s choice for goal of the tournament, lifting the ball over David Marshall’s head from near the halfway line.

Having come off a solid campaign at club level as well as an outstanding Euros, there could be a few clubs looking at Schick over the summer.

Patrik Schick 𝗚𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗭𝗢!

Will there be a better effort than THIS in the first round of games? @GazpromFootball | #EUROGOTR | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/skA67Yqeik

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) JUNE 14, 2021

The post Our Euro 2020 team of the tournament appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Just over a week after kicking off, the European Championship group stages have come to an end. The next step being the knockout rounds in which 16 teams will compete for a place in the final – the ultimate hope being to lift the trophy.

With each team playing just 3 games in their group, it’s still difficult to gauge just how well some will fare in the knockouts.

During those games, there has been a number of players who have impressed.

That said, we’ve compiled a list (in no particular order) of 5 footballers who have impressed us the most in the tournament so far.

ROMELU LUKAKU | BELGIUM | STRIKER

One of the favourites to claim top scorer before the tournament commenced, Romelu Lukaku has certainly lived up to expectation so far.

The Inter Milan striker had a prolific season at club level and appears to have continued that form into the Euros, scoring 3 goals in 3 games.

Not only has Lukaku been impressive in terms of goal contributions, he’s also received praise for his general play. His role in the build-up for Belgium’s 2 goals against Denmark being particularly evident of his improved link-up play over the years.

Naturally, Belgium are one of the favourites to win the tournament and with Lukaku up top complimented by the creative talents of Kevin De Bruyne among others, they’ll be hard stopped.

63 goals in 96 games for Belgium.

Romelu Lukaku is special pic.twitter.com/ZhzaJNyiC3

— B/R Football (@brfootball) JUNE 21, 2021

CRISTIANO RONALDO | PORTUGAL | STRIKER

You wouldn’t think Ronaldo was one of the oldest players at the tournament. 3 games in with a massive 6 goal contributions (5 goals, 1 assist), the Portuguese legend is showing no sign of slowing down. In fact, he currently leads the top scorer table by 2 goals with the aforementioned Romelu Lukaku being tied second.

Not only is Ronaldo top scorer at the Euros, his last goal against France left him equal at the top with Iran’s Ali Daei for the top men’s international goal scorer of all time with 109 goals – incredible.

Although Portugal have qualified for the knockouts, their reliance on Ronaldo so far has been worrying. The Juventus striker has been involved in all but one of their goals and to tell the truth, their hasn’t been many standout performers other than him.

Even Bruno Fernandes – who is Manchester United’s main source of goal contributions – was dropped against France for his lacklustre performances in the other games.

That said, though, Portugal did manage to win the last European Championships despite poor performances in the group stages. Time will tell.

Goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo doing his thing…

178 caps
109 goals#EURO2020 | #POR | @selecaoportugal pic.twitter.com/kybDLZgdRz

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) JUNE 24, 2021

PAUL POGBA | FRANCE | MIDFIELDER 

Often a scapegoat for when things go wrong at club level, the same can’t be said for Pogba on the international scene.

He has his critics, but his performances so far in the tournament should silence them – at least for the time being.

Arguably France’s best player so far, Pogba has shown his importance to the national side, dictating play and spraying some magnificent passes to find his team mates.

Pogba was one of the key players when his country lifted the World Cup in 2018, can he be just as instrumental in this tournament?

Paul Pogba. World class.#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/V6BDtiyZ2M

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) JUNE 23, 2021

GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM | NETHERLANDS | MIDFIELDER

The newly-signed PSG man wasn’t necessarily known as a goal scorer during his time at Liverpool, but his time with the national team and previous sides would say otherwise.

Wijnaldum is currently the joint-second in the scoring charts after scoring 3 goals in 3 games from midfield.

His scoring record for the national team is so impressive in fact, that he has more goals than AC Milan and Ajax legend Marco van Basten.

Not only is he scoring at will, he also has a highly impressive pass completion rate of 90% over the 3 games which is nothing to be scoffed at.

Three goals in three games for #NED captain Gini Wijnaldum at #EURO2020

Liverpool are letting him join PSG for free pic.twitter.com/pSJvxNPLnF

— Goal (@goal) JUNE 21, 2021

EMIL FORSBERG | SWEDEN | WINGER

It would be unfair not to include a Swedish player on the list. Not many fancied the Scandinavian side before the tournament but they’ve arguably been the biggest surprise package so far, winning 2 of their 3 games and drawing the other.

In fact, they’re still being overlooked by many despite reaching the quarter final being a realistic target. They’re up against Ukraine in the round of 16 who were less than impressive in their most recent showing.

There are a number of players we could have picked including Alexander Isak, who despite not scoring a goal as a striker has earned himself plenty of fans or alternatively, Victor Lindelöf, who’s been a rock at the back for his county.

But we’ve gone for Emil Forsberg.

The winger has long been regarded as one of the best talents in the Bundesliga, but inconsistency has been a problem for the 29-year-old over the years. But so far this tournament, he’s been nothing but consistent.

Like Wijnaldum and Lukaku, Forsberg currently sits second in the scoring charts having scored 3 goals.

His last performance was particularly impressive, scoring 2 brilliantly taken goals as his side ran out 3-2 winners over Poland.

With Forsberg and a recently fit Kulusevski on either wing, Sweden will be a tough challenge for any team to get past.

Emil Forsberg has scored the second fastest goal in European Championship history.

It took him just 81 seconds to open the scoring. pic.twitter.com/tRUbZOCygg

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) JUNE 23, 2021

The post Standout players over the European Championship group stages appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

It’s just a few days until the 2021 European Championship finals kick-off. Despite the absence of the Republic of Ireland from the tournament, there’s an air of excitement around the country at the prospect of summer football – particularly given the presence of fans at the games.

The first match is set to take place on the 11th of June as Italy face Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico. There will then be a handful of fixtures every day until the end of the group stages on the 23rd of June. The knockout stages then begin on the 26th of June.

With the tournament approaching quickly, here’s a reminder of the groups and the teams within them, including some of each country’s top players.

GROUP A

Italy (Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne)
Switzerland (Denis Zakaria, Granit Xhaka, Haris Seferović)
Turkey (Burak Yılmaz, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Çağlar Söyüncü)
Wales (Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Daniel James)

GROUP B

Belgium (Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans)
Denmark (Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Eriksen, Thomas Delaney)
Finland (Glen Kamara, Teemu Pukki, Fredrik Jensen)
Russia (Aleksandr Golovin, Artem Dzyuba, Mario Fernandes)

GROUP C

Austria (David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer, Sasa Kalajdzic)
Netherlands (Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum)
North Macedonia (Ezdzan Alioski, Goran Pandev, Eljif Elmas)
Ukraine (Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Viktor Tsygankov)

GROUP D

Croatia (Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović, Andrej Kramarić)
Czech Republic (Tomáš Souček, Alex Král, Patrik Schick)
England (Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden)
Scotland (John McGinn, Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney)

GROUP E

Poland (Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczęsny, Piotr Zieliński)
Slovakia (Marek Hamšík, Milan Škriniar, Juraj Kucka)
Spain (Thiago Alcántara, Gerard Moreno, Dani Olmo)
Sweden (Alexander Isak, Dejan Kulusevski, Victor Lindelöf)

GROUP F

France (Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, N'Golo Kanté)
Germany (Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer)
Hungary (Péter Gulácsi, Willi Orbán, Ádám Szalai)
Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo, Rúben Dias, Bruno Fernandes)

The post List of European Championship 2021 teams, groups and key players appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.