The four curses that could end this Euro Cup

The beginning of the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 They throw up a series of pending challenges for some of the competitors, who face curses that have plagued these teams and weighed down the hopes of their fans for years.

1 – Spain, against the hosts:

The history of the Spanish team against local teams in major championships is full of failures and misfortunes. From elimination against Italy in the ’34 World Cup to a disappointing loss on penalties against Russia in 2018, Spain’s clashes against the hosts have resulted in bittersweet endings for various teams.

Among the same events are the unfortunate affronts of Brazil in 1950, France in 1984, Germany in 1988, England in 1996, Korea in 2002 or Portugal in 2004; all of them had a tragic ending, at one time or another, for La Roja.

The next rival to put him to the test is one of the protagonists of that disastrous past: Germany, in the quarter-finals of a European Championship, where Luis de la Fuente’s team landed after offering no equal sensation and an amazing game from the beginning of the tournament.

2 – Germany, against Spain in the qualifiers:

Exactly, Germany will try to get rid of the consecutive streak that plagued it in the last qualifying duels against Spain. Although Germany have historically been one of Spain’s biggest butchers, with the exception of Maceda’s memorable ’84 Euro Cup goal, their victories over ‘Roja’ have never been a direct knockout.

Twice fate brought such conflicts ended in victory for Spain. The first of them, the final of the Euro Cup in Austria and Switzerland in 2008, where Fernando Torres’ iconic goal, after beating Philipp Lahm and knocking the ball past Jens Lehmann, meant a second European title for the team beginning of the most glorious period in its history.

That period would culminate in the World Cup in South Africa, Spain’s final reach after beating Joachim Löw’s new Germany, thanks to Carles Puyol’s stratospheric header following a corner taken by Xavi Hernández, where he was the best that against the 2010 championship.

Now, Toni Kroos, Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer, the three Germans who survived that afternoon of July 7 in Durban, will try to scare away the imposing shadow of the eternal Barcelona captain this Friday in Stuttgart. Jesús Navas, the only Spaniard left from that crossing, and company will try to recreate the nightmare.

3 – England and its eternal curse on the Euro Cup:

The England team has never won a European Championship. If the display case in your trophy room has been sitting unopened for sixty years, since the ’66 World Cup, at the Euro Cup its benefits are completely null and void. Not a single title in ten participations. And, for history, some of the most poignant moments of more than 150 years of the ‘Three Lions’ jersey team.

Among them, the loss against neighbors Ireland in the 1988 Euro Cup, the ridiculous elimination at Wembley against Croatia in the qualifying phase for the 2008 edition, the collapse at the hands of debutants Iceland in 2016 or, the last of them, the destroyer. losing on penalties in the final of the last championship, again at Wembley, against Italy.

In Germany he has a new opportunity to assert himself. The ‘pros’ are currently enjoying one of the best generations of footballers in their history, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and John Stones at the helm.

However, even with such a formidable arsenal, coach Gareth Southgate has still not been able to put together a consistent team in terms of play and tactics and his few moments of brilliance during the tournament have arisen due to individual quality of his figures, such as the goal of The Chilean of Bellingham against Slovakia on the brink of the end to avoid elimination.

It remains to be seen if that will be enough to overcome a surprising and uncomfortable Switzerland in the quarterfinals and continue to advance in a tournament that, in almost 65 years of competition, they have not conquered.

4 – Switzerland, on the brink of the semi-finals:

Throughout its history, Switzerland has reached the quarterfinals of a major competition four times, three in the World Cup and one in the European Championship, and the result has always been the same: elimination.

A bad streak that started against Czechoslovakia, in the 1934 World Cup in Italy; extended by Hungary, to France 1938; continued by Austria in 1954, in the world championship led by the Swiss nation itself; and finished by Spain, in the 2021 Euro Cup.

Now, in a team that combines talent and experience and easily defeated Italy in the round of 16, the fifth attempt has arrived for a Switzerland that wants to remove the eternal complexes of a team condemned in the troupe, joining the select of the club of aspirants.

A win against England on Saturday in Düsseldorf would not only erase a quick stalemate in the quarter-finals, but also put them in an unbeatable position, given the situation in which Switzerland will go, to qualify for a final.