A wild 24 hours at the Euros for England, Spain and France originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Over the last 24 hours, the UEFA European Championship has taken soccer fans and those who casually watch the sport on a wild ride.
Beginning with the Spain-Croatia matchup, after Ferran Torres gave the Spanish national team a 3-1 lead at the 75th-minute mark, it appeared as though they would come away with the victory. However, this is where the madness all began. And it continued right through the England-Germany match on Tuesday.
After Croatia scored to make 3-2, Mario Pašalić would provide the stoppage-time goal, adding the dramatics and chaos that comes with scoring in the final match that comes with a soccer match.
Despite the drama that came with the match, the added 30 minutes resulted in Spain dominating and coming away with a 5-3 victory.
The next matchup between France and Switzerland checked off every box for a dramatic fixture. It began with a shocking goal to take the early lead by Swiss forward Haris Seferović 14 minutes into the game.
Switzerland had the opportunity to put the potential knockout punch when they were awarded a penalty kick following a foul by Benjamin Pavard. Swiss defender Ricardo Rodriguez would take the penalty and miss as Hugo Lloris made the stop.
The missed penalty kick felt like a lifeline for France, and they took full advantage of it. Two minutes later, Karim Benzema scored two goals within two minutes, including one that was a work of art.
At the 74th minute mark, it appeared that Paul Pogba called the game over following his spectacular strike to beat Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommers. However, much like Croatia didn’t give up, neither did Switzerland.
Seferović would strike to make the match 3-2, and in the final minutes, Mario Gavranović struck with the game-tying goal, shocking France and sending the game into extra time tied 3-3.
Thirty minutes were not enough to crown a winner, so it went to a penalty kick shootout.
Every attempt went in, and so the pressure was on French forward Kylian Mbappé to extend the shootout. The 22-year-old, who’s one of the brightest stars in soccer, had his shot stopped, breaking the hearts of the French as they crashed out in the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, Switzerland would party as they pulled off the upset and eliminated the reigning FIFA World Cup champions.
The Euros wild ride would continue as England and Germany, two heavyweight national teams, went toe-to-toe. The Germans were in their last dance with manager Joachim Löw, who is leaving the position after the tournament.
“It’s Coming Home” continues to be said in England as they search for their first international trophy since winning the World Cup in 1966.
At the 74th-minute mark, Raheem Sterling broke open the scoring as Wembley Stadium erupted. The strike even caused Prince William, who was in attendance, to shake his fist in the air.
Finally, Harry Kane would score his much-anticipated goal to help end the Löw era in Germany as England came away with a 2-0 victory.
In the last Round of 16 fixture, Sweden and Ukraine provided their own incredible drama to what has been a chaotic 24-hour period for the Euros. The 90 minutes ended 1-1 and then Sweden handed a break to Ukraine.
Swedish defender Marcus Danielson was sent off in extra-time following a foul that would earn him a red card. Playing with ten men, Sweden appeared to have survived it as penalty kicks loomed on the horizon.
However, with just about three minutes left, Artem Dovbyk headed in the game-winning goal to book Ukraine’s ticket into the quarterfinals.
The Euros filled the last 24 hours with goals, drama, and heartbreak. If this is the appetizer for the quarterfinals, then fans will need to buckle up.