LOOKING BACK AT EURO 2016

It’s no longer news that the Euro 2016 was an epic tale of anguish, failure and disappointment for the big names in Europe as an obscure team, which found it difficult acing their games both at the group stages and the knockout phase came out of obscurity against all prevailing odds to lift the most prestigious trophy in all of Europe to the amazement of all eyes.

Portugal were the winners of Euro 2016 – as unsuspecting as it may seem they got the job done, which speaks more of their resilience and fighting spirit even when not given a chance to succeed, as their skipper and star forward Cristiano Ronaldo was stretchered out midway into the first half.

They claimed their first major title by defeating the French team through Eder’s extra-time strike which kept the whole of Stade de France in awe at such a splendid and magnificent goal. This season the Stade is home to UEFA Cup / Europa League matches rather than such an important Cup Final, with this website offering tickets for all interested fans.

Wales made their first semi-final outing as they triumphed over one of the tournament’s favourite, Belgium 3-1 to reach the last four when no one gave the Welsh side opportunity. For years, Wales’s fans have had to put up with taunts from supporters of neighbouring England, who have won a World Cup and reached three World Cup or Euro semi-finals since the Welsh had last reached a major tournament. Wales' only previous tournament appearance had been the 1958 World Cup.

For England, it was a disappointing and lacklustre campaign for them as they were eliminated by unsuspecting Iceland in the Round of 16. With such crop of stars and emerging youngsters on their squad they were expected to be one of the favourite of the tournament.

In the recent years, the Three Lions have seen a dismal outing in major competitions which calls for a restructuring of their programme to out rightly ensure that their performance in competitions of this sort would be par excellence.