Euro 2020 shows flawed format has brought about the death of the Group of Death

One of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, Paul Pogba's France or Manuel Neuer's Germany were expected to be knocked out of Euro 2020 in the Group of Death. None of them were. (Reuters/AFP)
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Updated 26 June 2021
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Euro 2020 shows flawed format has brought about the death of the Group of Death

  • Despite some breathless scenarios on Wednesday, France, Germany and Portugal all progressed from the tournament’s best and most exciting group

DUBAI: Got your breath back yet? That was fun.

For excitement, for sheer breathless drama, the last two matches of the final day of Euro 2020 group stages will be hard to beat.

Germany 2-2 Hungary. Portugal 2-2 France.

Group F ended up being many things. The coming together of the reigning World champions and European champions, and the team that any World and European champions traditionally worry about. It delivered the most exciting matches, with the most goals (20). It had penalties and own goals. It had Cristiano Ronaldo, the competition’s top scorer so far, equalling the world record for international goals in men’s football.

And almost a giant-killing act for the ages.

You could make case for it being the greatest group in the history of the Euros, and even international football. But one thing it most certainly wasn’t, is the “Group of Death.”

And for that you can blame flawed tournament format that rewards four of six teams that finish third in their groups.

No self-respecting Group of Death should see three top nations qualify to the knockout stages.

A Group of Death should have a sense of jeopardy, a guarantee that one so-called “big” team will be heading home.

And so we had a tournament in which any team can ensure progress with a win and a draw, and even three points were enough for Ukraine. A tournament where 36 matches are played to eliminate eight teams only.

Perhaps Groups of Death, especially at tournaments that reward third-place finishes, are increasingly a thing of past.

But what if the European Championships is expanded to 32 teams like the World Cup, meaning only the top two from each group can qualify I hear you ask. And you would not have been paying attention.

In a 32-team competition, the top teams are naturally kept apart in a way that would make a repeat of Group F almost impossible. Keep the big boys separated until the knock-out stages; that’s just the way UEFA wants it, whether in international or club competitions.

The history of international tournaments has many an example of supposed Groups of Death that turned out to be anything but, and others that unexpectedly ended up being so. And none had third-place chancers.

At the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Algeria pulled off one off the greatest shocks of all time by beating West Germany 2-1, and having lost to Poland, beat Chile in the last group match. These days that would get you six points and easy progress to the next round. But not in the days of two points for a win. Guess who was the only team in the tournament to get knocked out with four points from two wins?

Even then it needed an infamous collusion between Austria and West Germany to confirm Algeria’s demise. Now that was a Group of (premeditated) Death.

In 1990, the UAE found itself at the center of a cosmic footballing joke when, in its first and only World Cup appearance to date, it landed in the appropriately named Group D with eventual champions West Germany, and absurdly talented Yugoslavia and Colombia teams. Not surprisingly, all three matches ended in defeat.

At least it should have been the Group of Death for one of the other nations, but all three qualified, Colombia’s three points (still two points for a win) ensuring they were one of the four best third-placed teams. Judge’s call? Not a Group of Death, after all.

Italia '90 would, by default, end up having a Group of Death (by boredom). Every match in Group F ended in a 0-0 or 1-1 draw bar England’s 1-0 over Egypt, but even then second and third place Ireland and Holland, who could only separated by the drawing of lots, progressed in what was a staggeringly dull group.

The poor technical quality of football at the 1990 World Cup is accepted as the reason why FIFA decided to introduce the back pass rule. You can thank Group F for not having to endure endless passes between defenders and keepers for the last three decades.

At least with the smaller Euros, with no third place qualifiers until 2016, the elimination of strong teams was always more likely.

The 1980 European Championship in Italy may have been unspeakably bad, with a good dose of hooliganism thrown in for good measure, but no doubt the format was brutal. Two groups of four and the group winners advancing straight to the final. Why anyone thought no semi-finals was a good idea remains a mystery. In any case, West Germany proved they are the masters of any format by beating Belgium 2-1 in the final.

Euro '88 in West Germany could legitimately claim to have a Group of Death, which included the Soviet Union, Holland, Ireland and England. After beating a poor England team and drawing with the Soviet Union, Ireland came within eight minutes of knocking Holland out (there would have been no Marco van Basten volley) but Wim Kieft’s late goal meant a third place finish and elimination.

Heartbreaking, but that is how a Group of Death works.

At the brilliant Euro 2000, England and Germany failed to progress from Group A, giving the impression it must have been some sort of Group of Absolute Murder. However, it was only through their staggering incompetence at the time that they finished third and fourth behind a very good Portugal and merely decent Romania team. Groups of Death are designated on form and not football heritage, and this was not one.

In 2004, Group C proved controversial with Denmark, Sweden and Italy all finishing on five points. With no third place reprieve, there was no progress for Italy, who cried foul when the Scandinavian neighbours played out a convenient 2-2 draw. A Group of Death it may have ended up being, but only in hindsight.

Euro 2016 was the first to have 24 teams, and third place qualifiers, which brought the demise of Groups of Death closer.

The reason we will see less and less of them, if any at all, is because it’s simply bad business for the organizers, whether it’s the World Cup, the Euros or the Champions League.

Two big teams in a group may be mathematically unavoidable, but three is just careless.

Euro 2020’s Group F was a freak, a once in a generation treat to be cherished. But ultimately did not deliver the head of one of the top contenders on plate as we demanded.

And if the World Champions, European Champions and Group of Death masters cannot conjure a grim reaper between them then, quite frankly, what’s the point any more?

Rest in peace, Group of Death.


Ruthless Liverpool spoil Alonso’s return to Anfield

Updated 06 November 2024
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Ruthless Liverpool spoil Alonso’s return to Anfield

  • Leverkusen remain on seven points from their opening four Champions League matches after another sobering night for their ambitions to match the heights they hit last season

LIVERPOOL: Xabi Alonso endured a miserable return to Anfield as Liverpool thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 on Tuesday, thanks to a Luis Diaz hat-trick, to go top of the Champions League table.
Cody Gakpo was also on target as the Reds maintained their 100 percent record in Europe after four games.
Alonso, a Champions League winner during his playing days in the Liverpool midfield, turned his back on succeeding Jurgen Klopp to remain at Leverkusen after leading them to an unbeaten German league and cup double last season.
Liverpool, though, are not left wondering what might have been as Arne Slot continued his stunning start as manager with a 14th win in 16 games in all competitions.
Leverkusen remain on seven points from their opening four Champions League matches after another sobering night for their ambitions to match the heights they hit last season.
Alonso’s men sit fourth in the Bundesliga, seven points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, and failed to master what Alonso described pre-match as a “beautiful challenge.”
The Spaniard cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his side struggled to get into the slick passing rhythm they have become famed for during his tenure.
The German champions, though, created the best of what chances there were in a first half short on goalmouth action.
Jeremie Frimpong saw appeals for a penalty waved away when he went down with a clear sight of goal under a challenge from Kostas Tsimikas.
Frimpong also had the ball in the net just before the break but handled before racing through to finish.
Liverpool’s best opening of the half came seconds later when Curtis Jones’ excellent pass finally found some space for Gakpo, but his powerful effort was repelled at his near post by Lukas Hradecky.
Just like in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton that took Slot’s men to the top of the Premier League, it took until the second half for both Liverpool and the Anfield crowd to come to life.
Mohamed Salah should have done better when he sliced wide after a jinking run through the Leverkusen midfield by Ryan Gravenberch.
A cagey tactical battle was sparked into life on the hour mark by a moment of stunning quality.
Jones spun his marker before splitting the Leverkusen defense with a pinpoint pass for Diaz, who nonchalantly chipped the advancing Hradecky.
Moments later, Liverpool had killed the visitors off with another flowing move.
Salah’s driven cross was headed in at the back post by the flying Gakpo.
The linesman raised his flag to momentarily silence the celebrations, but a VAR review showed the Dutch forward was onside for his sixth goal of the season.
Victor Boniface headed wide with a huge chance to bring Leverkusen immediately back into the game.
Instead, Liverpool pulled further clear seven minutes from time when Diaz controlled Salah’s looping cross and fired home.
The Colombian then rounded off the scoring with his ninth of the season in stoppage time with another clinical finish after Darwin Nunez’s blocked shot fell into his path.
Liverpool’s return of 12 points means they are almost certainly already assured of a place in the knockout phase, but are closing in on sealing direct progression to the last 16 via a top-eight finish in the 36-team league.


Al-Nassr’s 5-star show blows Al-Ain away

Updated 06 November 2024
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Al-Nassr’s 5-star show blows Al-Ain away

  • Cristiano Ronaldo helps side to easy victory

Al-Nassr defeated holders Al-Ain 5-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday to move into third place in the group and give Saudi Arabia the top three positions in the 12-team table.

With Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli winning on Monday to stay perfect on 12 points after four games, Al-Nassr are just two behind thanks to a devastating performance against the UAE’s powerhouse side.

The last time Al-Ain met Saudi Arabian opposition was just 15 days ago and fans were treated to a nine-goal thriller as Al-Hilal ran out 5-4 winners.

The last time they met Al-Nassr was at the quarter-final stage of last season’s competition in March when the UAE team triumphed on penalties in what was a painful evening for the fans in Riyadh.

It was a different story this time with Al-Nassr going ahead in the fifth minute with an impressive goal, though Al-Ain’s coach Hernan Crespo was left asking questions of his defenders.

Mohamed Simakan has impressed since joining from RB Leipzig, but there seemed to be little danger when the center-back picked up the ball inside his own half. The French defender was allowed to cross the halfway line, though, and with the opposition falling back, a short pass found Talisca who made space for the shot with his first touch and then fired home with his second.

Cristiano Ronaldo fired just wide from a similar position at the edge of the area after 10 minutes, but given Al-Ain’s scoring capabilities there was a feeling that more was needed.

Al-Nassr kept pushing and probing and Ronaldo had a goalbound shot blocked before the five-time Ballon d’Or winner got the all-important second with one of his less spectacular strikes. Khalid Eisa failed to hold on to a long-range effort from Sadio Mane and there was Ronaldo to slot it home from close range.

It was just the cushion that the Riyadh club wanted but they kept coming forward and, soon after, moved further ahead.

Angelo broke into the left side of the area after 37 minutes and his low cross was deflected off the leg of Fabio Cardoso to loop over Eisa and into the net.

The home fans were in dreamland and it could have been even better three minutes before the break had Eisa not got a foot to a Talisca shot that seemed goalbound.

There was just a hint of danger from Soufiane Rahimi in added time to remind Al-Nassr that the Moroccan had scored 13 in the last tournament and four already this time around, but at the break it was looking very good indeed as Al-Nassr had probably produced their best 45 minutes of the season.

They also started brightly after the restart, but after 10 minutes Al-Ain were on the scoresheet and back in the game with a goal from nowhere. Park Yong-woo’s powerful low shot from outside the area bounced off the post but then hit the diving Bento and rebounded into the goal.

A few nerves resulted and Bento was the busier of the two goalkeepers, although, at the other end, Aymeric Laporte headed over from a corner.

Al-Ain went closer when, with 13 minutes remaining, Rahimi rolled the ball across the face of goal for Abdoul Traore to net, but he somehow miscontrolled and the massive chance went begging.

It was his side’s last chance as Wesley sealed victory with nine minutes remaining, the Brazilian curling the ball home from inside the area.

There was no coming back from that, and there was even time for Talisca to grab his second and his team’s fifth as he lifted the ball smartly over Eisa to end a perfect evening for Al-Nassr and a perfect round of games for Saudi Arabia.


Gauff defeats Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka is assured of No. 1

Updated 05 November 2024
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Gauff defeats Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka is assured of No. 1

  • The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time
  • It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head

RIYADH: Coco Gauff earned her second victory over Iga Swiatek in 13 career matchups, winning 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA Finals on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the season-ending tournament.
The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time.
It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, also put an end to five-time Grand Slam champ Swiatek’s six-match unbeaten run at the WTA Finals, an event the Polish star won a year ago.
The win moved Gauff to 2-0 in the Orange Group, while Swiatek fell to 1-1. Swiatek had rallied to beat Barbora Krejcikova in three sets on Sunday in her first match in two months.
Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, kept her chances of advancing alive with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jessica Pegula. That eliminated Pegula, who lost in straight sets to Gauff in their opening match in Saudi Arabia.
Krejcikova was the last player to qualify for the event for the top eight players on the women’s tennis tour, earning her berth thanks to her Grand Slam title at the All England Club in July. At No. 13, she became the lowest-ranked player to win a WTA Finals match since Magda Maleeva 22 years ago.


Krejcikova ends Pegula’s last-four hopes at WTA Finals

Updated 05 November 2024
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Krejcikova ends Pegula’s last-four hopes at WTA Finals

  • The crafty Czech fired 11 aces and broke Pegula four times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Barbora Krejcikova ended Jessica Pegula’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, defeating the sixth-seeded American 6-3, 6-3 in Riyadh on Tuesday.
A runner-up at the WTA Finals last year, Pegula suffered her second straight-sets defeat of the week and enters her final round-robin match against Iga Swiatek on Thursday anchoring the Orange Group with zero sets won.
Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Krejcikova bounced back from her opening loss to Swiatek to keep her hopes of making the final four alive.
“I was fighting for every ball and I felt that I really have to play my best tennis and I was trying to be really solid and trying to put as many balls to the other side as I could,” said Krejcikova, who picked up just her 20th match win of the season.
“I’m definitely proud. I had some very high parts of the season, especially winning Wimbledon, that’s something indescribable. And being here in the Finals is a huge privilege. It’s nice to get the win and still be part of the event.”
Despite being ranked number 13 in the world, Krejcikova qualified for these WTA Finals thanks to a new rule introduced by the WTA that gave priority to a player who has won a Grand Slam this season, while maintaining a ranking between 9 and 20, over a player ranked number eight in the Race.
As the reigning Wimbledon champion, Krejcikova claimed the final qualifying spot in Riyadh over world number eight Emma Navarro.
Krejcikova squandered a 6-4, 3-0 lead against Swiatek in her opener two days ago and made sure there was no repeat scenario against Pegula on Tuesday.
The crafty Czech fired 11 aces and broke Pegula four times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes.


Dybala left out of Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers while Martínez is back from suspension

Updated 05 November 2024
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Dybala left out of Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers while Martínez is back from suspension

  • Martínez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for “offensive behavior”

BUENOS AIRES: Roma striker Paulo Dybala was left out of the Argentina squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is back after a suspension.
Coach Lionel Scaloni announced his squad on Tuesday, with the absence of Dybala and the inclusion of Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea the two big surprises.
Martínez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for “offensive behavior” in two previous matches in September, but he will be available for the match at Paraguay on Nov. 14 and the home game against Peru five days later.
Argentina lead South American World Cup qualifying with 22 points from 10 matches. The top six teams will get direct spots at the 2026 tournament.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille).
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germán Pezzella (River Plate), Nehuén Pérez (Porto), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon).
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nicolás Paz (Como), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Barrenechea (Valencia).
Strikers: Thiago Almada (Botafogo), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Juventus), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Julián Álvarez (Atletico Madrid), Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester), Valentín Castellanos (Lazio), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan).