England supporters – Source: Unsplash
Euro 2024 was a strange old tournament for England. After reaching the final three years prior, the Three Lions were considered the joint favorites to lift the trophy in Berlin, level with France. However, their early tournament displays left a lot to be desired, with fans beginning to clamor for manager Gareth Southgate’s head.
England started with a 1-0 win against Serbia, courtesy of Jude Bellingham’s first-half header, but back-to-back draws against Denmark and Slovenia meant that they stumbled into the last 16 in dire form. Things looked to be going from bad to worse when Ivan Schranz gave Slovakia a shock lead in the round of 16, with the Falcons clinging to that lead deep into injury time. Then, fate took over.
England’s Miraculous Run to the Euro 2024 Final
With the clock ticking into the 95th minute, Jude Bellingham scored a spectacular bicycle kick to somehow keep England in the tournament and send the tie to extra time. There, Harry Kane would find the winner, and in the quarterfinal against Switzerland, similar heroics were on display. With ten minutes remaining, the Three Lions were once again staring down the barrel after Breel Embolo’s opener, but once more, they would find a stunning equalizer through Bukayo Saka before winning a penalty shootout, their first in the Euros since 1996.
In the semis against the Netherlands, England would once again come back from the dead. Xavi Simons gave the Oranje the lead, only for a Harry Kane equalizer to level things up. Then, the captain’s replacement, Ollie Watkins, would score a stunning last-gasp winner to propel the Three Lions to the final. Unfortunately, in Berlin, England’s luck would run out, as Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner took the title to Madrid for a record-breaking fourth time, and Southgate would depart as manager shortly thereafter.
With the World Cup just around the corner, Thomas Tuchel is now at the helm, and online betting sites make England contenders once again. The early FIFA World Cup odds three months out from the tournament getting underway price the Three Lions as an 11/2 second-favorite, with only…
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