The higher you fly, the lower you fall – it’s always been that way. And you cannot really fly much higher than reaching the World Cup final. In 2018, the eyes of the world were locked on Croatia and France, two European national teams brimming with talent, in the biggest match there is. Fast forward three years and both these teams were dumped out from the European Championship without even making it to the quarter-finals.It’s not easy to explain or to predict these fluctuations in football teams. Their performances in big tournaments depend on so many things. Form, injuries, physical and psychological preparations, inspiration, weather conditions, media pressure… and luck.Copenhagen spectacle! 2018 World Cup runners-up are heading home with Spain scoring five once againCroatia took the lead after a freak own goal, went 3-1 behind, then pulled themselves back level to force extra time against Spain. However, the Spaniard had too much for Luka Modric and his teammates, and it was the end for the red and white chequered team. Their tournament ended the same way it had started. A defeat at the hands of England set the tone for their European adventure. A shaky draw against the Czech Republic left them needing a win against Scotland in Glasgow. And they managed to secure it thanks to their inspirational captain Modric, who might have had his last season with the national team. The Croats made it out of their group to set up a knock-out clash with Spain, who also had an unconvincing start to the Euros. But Luis Enrique’s team put five goals past poor defenders Dejan Lovren, Domagoj Vida and Josko Gvardiol to send the Croats packing.#EURO2020 last night was 🔥🔥🔥Croatia up 1-0.Spain come back 3-1.Croatia 3-3 at the death.Extra time.Spain win 5-3Switzerland up 1-0.France come back 3-1.Switzerland 3-3 at the death.Extra time.Switzerland win on penalties pic.twitter.com/Mpp2EKAkfj— Hindsight Podcast (@TheHindsightPod) June 29, 2021 Media in Croatia have had it with a few of their misfiring stars. AC Milan’s forward Ante Rebic was slated as one of the main culprits for the defeat. He inexplicably left the pitch to change his boots while his team was still 1-0 ahead. Spain’s attacker Pablo Sarabia made the most of it and powered forward to score just before the break and make it 1-1.However, no Croatian player disappointed as much as coach Zlatko Dalic. The man who led his country so well in the past four years has got everything wrong this time. Team selection, tactics, substitutions, you name it. Looking at the names, you’d think this was the same team that beat Leo Messi’s Argentina 3-0 not so long ago, but this was nowhere near it. It’s over. Switzerland win 4-5 on penalties #FRASUI #FiersdetreBleus #FRA pic.twitter.com/akFozmD8PJ— French Team ⭐⭐ (@FrenchTeam) June 28, 2021 And what can you say about world champions France? Embarrassment doesn’t even begin to tell the story. Not because Switzerland is a bad team – because they are not, but because Didier Deschamps’ players allowed themselves to relax while they were 3-1 ahead and let in two late goals when they seemed as good as through. The inclusion of Karim Benzema ahead of the tournament looked like a move that would render Les Bleus invincible. And although the Real Madrid striker didn’t disappoint, the team as a whole didn’t look as solid as before. There was the well-documented dispute between Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud and too many lapses in concentration in defence. Talking about Mbappe, the Paris Saint-Germain wonderkid failed to score in either of the four matches he was involved in. And to complete the misery, it was him who missed the last penalty in the shoot-out and handed the win to the Swiss.Mbappe after missing the decisive penalty: “I failed, the sadness is immense”France may still be the world champions, but they won’t be European champions this year. They weren’t even close. Former France midfielder Patrick Vieira was scathing in his assessment of the team.”The best team deserve to go to the next round, and tonight that is the Swiss. It was a poor French national team. There wasn’t any togetherness. There wasn’t any spirit. We didn’t play as a team, so we didn’t deserve to go to the next round.”
