Minnows Take Front Seat At Euro 2021 By Raymond Nwaduba

Football, they say, is like biscuits; you never know where it will crack. This rightly sums up or describes the ongoing Euro 2021 tournament in 11 cities across Europe.

The competition has been peculiar in many ways due to the Covid 19, and so has the results from it. The intrigues, the upsets, the dramas, the fascination has been topnotch. The defending tournament champion, Portugal, have been sent packing.

World champion France has booked an early flight back home. One of the pre-competition favourites, Germany, is chilling in Germany after bundling out by the 3 Lions of England to ensure that underdogs held sway at the fiesta.

No bookmaker would have predicted a quarter-final without heavyweights like France, Germany and Portugal, but that’s just the way the cookies crumble. The reality is that Switzerland will face Spain in one of the matches, while Belgium come head-to-head with Italy in what is the most challenging fixture in the pairing. The Czech Republic will battle Denmark, while England will trade tackle with Ukraine in the last fixture.

Given the way matches have panned out at this tournament, it will be a bit difficult for anyone to throw his hat for any of the team, as the likely side to prize away from the coveted trophy.

However, with the way the teams have fared at this tournament and their history and pedigree, the winner in the game between Belgium and Italy has what it takes to go all the way to lift the trophy, other things being equal.

England also has an outsiders chance to shock the pack if they maintain the momentum as they did against Germany.

This does not mean disrespecting other teams still in the race like Spain, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ukraine etc., as any team which have reached this stage of the tournament is good enough and has the chance to win. This is because for you to be champion, you need to beat the best.

The Spanish side were not convincing during the qualifies preceding the tournament, and they started very slowly at this competition, garnering just two points after two draws in their first two games. Still, they seemed to have found their form after their last group game massacre of Slovakia 5-0.

The South Africa 2010 world cup winner and Euro 2008 and 2012 champions may have just hit their form at the right time. They should not be ignored or undermined as it will be detrimental to any side that shoves them aside.

But will the minnows stage a successful coup to overthrow the otherwise traditional teams at this year’s Euros, or will the big guns assert their superiority yet again to prove they remain the best?

This and many more questions beg for answers as Euro 2021 competition curtain draws to an end. The final match at the Stadio Olympico in Rome certainly holds the answer.