The group stage of the European Football Championship has ended. Portugal, as expected, passed that stage and qualified for the knockout stage, after two victories (against the Czech Republic and Turkey) and one defeat (Georgia). The national team finished first in Group F, thus qualifying for the round of 16 of the competition, where they will face Slovenia, third in group C.
Despite qualifying, the selection is still not completely convincing. Two bad games and one good one cast doubt on the ability of Roberto Martínez’s team to reach the final and fight for the European title. Especially because, unlike what happened in 2016, when Portugal became, for the first time, European champion, the Portuguese were on the theoretically more demanding side of the table – in the event of a triumph over Slovenia, the national team could face in the “quarters” to France and, if they continue in the competition, perhaps Germany or Spain in the “half”.
But this group stage of Euro 2024 brought many stories. From a brilliant Spain, to a surprising Austria, to an exciting Georgia… Marco Vaza pointed out ten stories that have marked the competition so far and shared them with readers. If you haven’t had the chance to read them yet, do so now here.
The text is also available on PÚBLICO website completely dedicated to following the competition. And if you want to know even more, you can follow the podcast “Eder’s right foot” where this Euro 2024 also serves as a pretext to talk about other Europeans, with the participation of PÚBLICO’s special envoy to Germany.
Apart from the European Championship, there are more things to monitor. Still in football, for those who want to watch it live, early in the morning, the Copa América is being played on the other side of the Atlantic – the tournament equivalent to the European Championship but which brings together teams from countries on the American continent.
On Saturday, the Tour de France by bike begins. João Almeida is the Portuguese with the most ambitions in the race. In tennis, the third Grand Slam tournament begins on Monday. At Wimbledon Nuno Borges will be the only Portuguese in the competition.
Also as the only Portuguese, Miguel Oliveira participates in the Dutch GP, in Assen, looking to collect a few more points that will allow him to climb a little higher in the drivers’ World Championship standings, where he is currently 15th.
What may have missed you in the PUBLIC
O obituary of Manuel Fernandesfootballer who became famous at Sporting.
Another chapter of the soap opera around FC Porto training center.
