Euro 2024 Disappointments – 5 Biggest Group Stage Losers

As the dust settles on the first round of the European Football Championship, it’s time to make the first conclusions. Before we reach the knockout stage on June 29th, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the biggest Euro 2024 disappointments from the group stage.

Euro 2024 disappointments: Teams that could’ve done better

For this section, we’ve chosen national teams that were heavy favorites among football fans and frontrunners at online gambling sites in the Netherlands. Yet, they failed to live up to the hype in Germany.

Croatia

Croatia, the 2018 and 2022 World Cup medalists, were one of the major letdowns of the tournament, if not the biggest. Their campaign started with a lackluster performance against Spain, followed by a draw with Albania, culminating in a last-minute loss to an average Italian team. 

This year marked Croatia’s worst Euro performance since 2004, a year when they faced stronger opponents like England and France in the group stage. This time, they were expected to at least secure second place or advance as one of the best third-place teams, yet they didn’t. What adds bitterness to their elimination is that this tournament was probably the last chance for Luca Modric to win the cup.

How did former Euro 2024 favorites end up in such a dire situation? The turning point was the game against Albania, where Croatians lost 2 valuable points. Had they secured a solid win there, their path could have been very different. Instead, they faltered, and Slovenia, making their first knockout stage appearance, edged them out.

Hungary

Unfortunately, Hungarians were one of the biggest Euro 2024 disappointments from the group stage, who started their performance with some of the best odds at online sportsbooks in the Netherlands. 

Hungary entered Euro 2024 with high expectations, especially after their stellar performance in the 2020 “Group of Death” and a strong showing in the Nations League. However, they quickly became one of the biggest Euro 2024 disappointments who failed to put up a fight against everyone like they always did. 

First, the Hungarian team lost to Switzerland, then were defeated by the hosts, and barely managed to win against Scotland. With their talent, they should have comfortably secured at least third place, yet they didn’t. The critical blow came with their opening loss to Switzerland, where Hungary looked disjointed and underprepared. They had a glimmer of hope if Portugal defeated Georgia, but the latter pulled off a surprising win, sealing Hungary’s fate in this year’s tournament.

Qualified teams that have failed to impress fans so far

It wasn’t just the teams that didn’t qualify who left fans underwhelmed. Some 22Bet favorites who made it to the knockout stage also failed to impress, primarily due to their dull and unimpressive game. 

England

English players led by Garreth Southgate are probably the biggest Euro 2024 disappointments among favorites. Southgate’s critics and haters can refer to the first three England games when making a point that Southgate is a terrible coach, and rightfully so. A very bleak game against Serbia, despite winning it 1-0; then a draw against Denmark; and a draw again against the group’s underdog Slovenia.

Social media users buzzed with criticism, saying that they had never seen the English retreat that deep since the Danish invasion of England 1000 years ago. As a sour cherry on top, Jude Bellingham, hailed as this year’s breakout star, was a shadow of himself and even became the worst player of the match against Slovenia.

The Netherlands

Even though the Netherlands reached the playoffs, the way they got through was far from impressive. Referred to as Euro 2024 disappointments, they had their biggest chance against France and Austria to advance as the group’s best team but blew it by not winning both of these and losing to the most surprising team of the tournament, Austria. As they face Romania in the playoffs, many feel they’ve been handed a lifeline, but their earlier performances leave much to be desired.

The unluckiest team: Ukraine

Perhaps the most heart-wrenching story comes from Group E, where all four teams finished with 4 points. Despite matching first-placed Romania in points and surpassing most third-place qualifiers from other groups, Ukraine’s big goal difference saw them eliminated. 

Some of the best players were put together in a national squad, including Mudryk, Yarmolenko, Mykolenko, and Dovbyk. Still, it wasn’t enough, as the whole campaign seemed doomed after a heavy 3-0 loss to Romania. If only Ukraine lost 1-0, they would have overtaken Slovakia and advanced into the playoffs, but luck was not on their side.

Unlike other teams that fell short due to their own shortcomings, Ukraine’s exit was a sad twist of fate. Not many people expected the last round in the group to finish with two draws. Unfortunately, someone had to be eliminated, and it was Ukraine this time. As we move into the knockout stage, there’s still plenty of excitement to come. Follow our online betting tips to stay ahead of the game and make the most of the upcoming Euro 2024 matches!

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