When we think of the European Championships, powerhouse teams such as Germany, Spain, and France come to mind. The former of those three are the hosts of next year’s tournament which gets underway when they welcome Scotland to the Allianz Arena on June 14th.
The latter are the favorites for glory after reaching each of the last two FIFA World Cup finals, winning the first and narrowly losing the second to Lionel Messi’s Argentina.
For Las Rojas, they are the joint most successful team in the history of the tournament, lifting the coveted trophy three times including winning back-to-back tournaments in 2008 and 2012.
But every four years, there is always a dark horse that threatens to go all the way. Since the tournament expanded from 16 to 24 teams eight years ago, a number of lower-ranked sides have qualified for the first time.
Next year, the likes of Estonia, Israel, Luxembourg, Georgia and Kazakhstan all still have hope of qualifying for the tournament through the play-offs, and it will be interesting to see whether any of them can make it all the way. Perhaps, they can follow in the footsteps of these three.
Euro 2020 – Denmark
Let’s start with Denmark, the most recent surprise package in the European Championships. Their journey to the semi-finals was unlike any other. After a heartbreaking start to the tournament which saw them lose their star player, Christian Eriksen, to a cardiac arrest during their first game, the Danrs rallied around themselves and played some of the most entertaining football in the tournament
Despite losing their first two group games to Finland and Belgium, a 4-1 victory against Russia in their third and final game saw them progress to the knockout round.
From there, they never looked back. They thumped Wales 4-0 in Amsterdam in the second round, before defeating the Czech Republic in Baku in the quarter-finals courtesy of two first-half goals from Thomas Delaney and Kasper Dolberg.
In the semifinals, they met England, who Bovada betting odds have made the +350 second favorites for glory next summer. But it looked as though they would suffer a shock when a rasping Mikel Damsgaard freekick whistled past Jordan Pickford and into the top corner.
However, unfortunately, the Three Lions would have the last laugh. They equalised through a Simon Kjær own goal just nine minutes later. Then deep into extra time, they were awarded a controversial penalty when Raheem Sterling was downed in the area. Although Kasper Schmeichel saved the initial penalty, the England captain would sweep home the rebound and propel his side to their first major tournament final since 1966.
Euro 2016 – Wales
Next up, we have Wales, who made it all the way to the semifinals in the 2016 European Championships. Despite having never qualified for the tournament before, the team proved their worth by finishing on top of their group, ahead of rivals England.
In the knockout stages, they defeated Northern Ireland thanks to a Gareth McAuley own goal and then stunned favourites Belgium in the quarter-finals. Despite being unfancied and falling behind to a 13th-minute Radja Nainggolan, the Red Dragons fought back.
Led by their talismanic winger Gareth Bale, Wales played with courage and resilience, equalising through captain Ashley Williams, before second-half goals from Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes secured one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament.
They would fall in the semifinals, losing 2-0 to eventual champions Portugal thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, but not before they had stolen the hearts of the continent.
Euro 2012 – Italy
In 2012, Italy came into the tournament off the back of a disappointing defence of the FIFA World Cup, suffering a group stage elimination in South Africa in 2010 just four years on from their crowning moment in Berlin.
After being drawn into a group alongside reigning champions Spain and a Croatia side in the midst of its golden generation, many expected them to struggle. However, Cesare Prandelli’s side stunned the Spanish in their opening game when they managed to secure a 1-1 draw.
They then drew with Croatia in their second game and knew that they needed to beat the Republic of Ireland to have any chance of progression. Luckily for them, they did exactly that and as the Croats lost to the Spaniards, the Azzurri made it to the knockout round. They weren’t expected to progress any further however a stellar performance from veteran midfield metronome Andrea Pirlo saw them dominate England’s route to a penalty shootout victory.
But it was in the semifinals where they truly turned heads. They were coming up against a German side in the midst of a revolution. They reached the final four years prior as well as the 2010 World Cup semifinals.
However, a first-half double from maverick striker Mario Balotelli was enough to secure a 2-1 victory and a spot in the final. There, they would ultimate fall to a thumping 4-0 defeat at the hands of Spain, who became back-to-back champions with their victory in Kyiv, but the Italians had certainly announced to the world that they were still a major force to be reckoned with.
