Tom Oldfield

The 2008 European Championships will go down as one of the most exciting in tournament history. There was a little of everything: great and late goals, shocks, brilliant attacking football and plenty of colourful figures on and off the pitch.

It is hard to know where to start in terms of picking out the best parts from a phenomenal three weeks. But, after long hours of consideration, I have selected some of the moments that I think will live long in the memory.

Highlights

The overall highlight of Euro 2008 has to be the way that Spain played as they progressed to the final and won a major trophy for the first time since 1964. After Greece triumphed at Euro 2004 with a string of stubborn, spirited displays and Italy won the 2006 World Cup with an organised but largely unflashy campaign, it was refreshing to see a victory for attacking football. The technical excellence of a team which on the whole was not blessed with size or strength was also important and some of the pass-and-move football in midfield involving Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva was a joy to behold.

On a similar theme, Holland’s stunning displays against Italy and France really got the tournament up and running. Blistering counter attacking and clinical finishing kept fans on the edge of their seats as Wesley Sneijder reminded everyone of his considerable talent. The Dutch approach seemed to give other sides hope that positive, attacking play could pay dividends.

The sheer unpredictability of Euro 2008 was another highlight. Russia and Turkey were far from certain to qualify from the group stage yet both reached the semi-finals. The Turks thrilled spectators with their never-say-die attitude and a string of last gasp goals. Arguably, their staggering comeback against the Czech Republic – with Nihat netting twice in the final three minutes – was among the best moments in European Championship history.

The Russians produced flashes of brilliance in the group stage but then reached a new level to stun the Dutch in extra-time in the quarter-finals. Andrei Arshavin ensured that he will spend the summer picking between Europe’s elite clubs after talismanic displays against Sweden and Holland.

A final highlight was the standard of refereeing. There were very few talking points involving the officials and, while they did not get everything right, they should be credited with cutting out a lot of diving and gamesmanship.

Lowpoints

Where else can I start but by looking at France’s miserable efforts? Admittedly, the squad was aging but three inept performances out of three was a massive shock. There was no leadership, no team spirit and, most concerning of all, no quality or creativity. It was sad to see a side with so many successful global stars play so poorly. For many of them, this will prove to be their last major international tournament.

Less of a surprise was Greece’s failure to earn a single point. While it is always a shame to see champions crash out early in defence of their crown, the bigger disappointment came from the realisation that the Greeks had actually won Euro 2004 with a similar squad. Their feeble showing in Austria and Switzerland simply reflected how amazing their run was four years ago and how badly other teams had missed out.

 

Star men

There are several to pick from here. Arshavin deserves huge praise for inspiring Russia to reach the semi-finals while Sneijder and Xavi lit up midfield with their vision and range of passing. But for me the star man was Marcos Senna. Spain had gained a reputation in previous tournaments for being too lightweight and wilting against more physical teams. Yet with Senna dominating midfield, the Spaniards were always up for the battle. He tackled well, regularly intercepted probing passes and distributed the ball expertly to his midfield colleagues. Without Senna in the holding role, Spain would almost certainly have fallen short at Euro 2008.

Flops

Again there are a number of candidates but I think it boils down to two. Certainly, it is easy to point the finger at misfiring strikers when results suffer but both Luca Toni of Italy and Mario Gomez of Germany fell well short of expectations. Both had scored bagfuls of goals in the German league but at Euro 2008 it appeared that they could have played for months and not found the net. As their confidence gradually disappeared, it appeared that there was no longer such a thing as an easy chance for either of them.

Toni was particularly disappointing considering that Italy’s formation depended on the form of their best marksman. His lack of goals cost the Italians dearly.

Best goal

My two favourites both came from the Dutch. First, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s header to put Holland 3-0 up against Italy was a stunning way to seal a great victory and came from a sweeping counter-attack. But I think Wesley Sneijder’s fine strike against the French was even better, leaving Gregory Coupet with no chance. The technique involved in the shot proved the midfielder was on top of his game.

In terms of significance, Nihat’s winner against the Czechs was also a stunning finish.

Best manager

Luis Aragones must be mentioned for answering his critics and delivering the trophy that Spain were craving but for me Turkey boss Fatih Terim’s charismatic, tireless performance was top of the pile. He identified weaknesses in opposition teams, gave his players incredible confidence and always had plenty to say on the touchline. In that regard, Slaven Bilic was also a memorable presence at Euro 2008, even if his talented Croatia side crashed out on penalties in the quarter-finals.

Worst refereeing decision

There was little to complain about in terms of the refereeing but the decision to allow Ruud van Nistelrooy’s goal against Italy was a howler. However much UEFA try to support the decision, the Dutchman was clearly offside and football fans all around the world knew it.

Euro 2008 was a fantastic spectacle. There is now plenty for the 2010 World Cup to live up to.