Overachievers and Underachievers of the Euro 2024 Group Stage: Croats on the Other Side For Once

While in club football a sequence of three games doesn’t mean a lot and even Watford’s ownership wouldn’t make strong value decisions on them, on the international stage it's different. The one-month tournaments condense the importance and tell more about the teams’, managers’, and players’ quality, and ability to withstand pressure, adapt, and prevail than perhaps some full seasons do. The biggest overachievers and underachievers of the Euro 2024 group stage will carry their shame or pride until the next big tournament. Or longer.

Georgia

Given the least chances of progressing from Group F, naturally, as it was their first Euro ever, Georgia surprised not only with results. But with the game. Georgia not only exceeded but defied expectations on the wings of their winger and key player Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, and the striker and one of the best players of the group stages overall Georges Mikautadze. All while bouncing back from the first-round loss to bitter rivals Turkey.

Georgia drew in the second round with the Czech Republic but saved their best for last by beating Portugal on the last group matchday. While the Portuguese had already secured their advance, the success of Georgia cannot be understated as they beat convincingly a team with Cristiano Ronaldo and other €100,000,000+ players!

Romania

Forgotten on the big stage so much so that their participation at the Euros 2024 itself was a surprise to those who didn't follow the Romanians in the qualifications. After topping a group which had Switzerland, Romania continued their Euro march on the main stage by trashing neighbouring and favoured Ukraine 3:0 in the first game of Group E. The loss to Belgium was expected but it was closer than the 2:0 score. On the final matchday, Romania, a side which has only one squad player in a top team of Europe's top five leagues, played 1:1 with Slovakia and topped Group E. Even though all teams had four points, the expectations for Romania were the lowest, hence they've overachieved at the Euros the most.

Slovenia

A country of 2.1 million people, Slovenia is by far the smallest country in the knockout stages. The closest Georgia has 3.7 and Slovakia has 5.4 million people. Additionally, Slovenia overcame a group that had its bitter rival in Serbia, a side to which they lost routinely in 2022 by 4:1! But in the 2024 Euros, Slovenia was unlucky to not get the three points as it was the far better side. Against the Danes in the first match, the Slovenians had an equal part of control of the game and in the third match held England to a goalless draw. The only reason why they didn't go through as second was one yellow card more than the points-equalls Denmark. On paper, both Serbia and Denmark had the superior player groups, however, Slovenia showed more than both parties.

An organized side where every player knew his role, with one star in the goal and a future one in the front, Slovenia can be a common participant as long Jan Oblak and Benjamin Sesko overlap.

Croatia

Perhaps a bit rough take on Croatia as they did land in the death group with Spain and Italy, however, the team which reached the World Cup semis less than two years ago failed because of unforgiving mistakes. In the only game the side should’ve certainly won, against Albania, the Croats allowed themselves to go behind early, then complete the comeback only to let it slip in extra time. Something that repeated in the game against Italy, a hard-to-watch match for the neutrals which didn’t have much to offer bar the two goals.

The result against Spain was less bad than it seemed, 3:0 but with more goal attempts for the boys in checkered shirts. Several of these chances happened in moments when they could’ve swayed the game. Croatia failed out as the worst third-placed squad in the tournament, with three points. After the fans had dreams of another long push into the knockout stages, as a final song of a player they’ll hardly ever replicate in the next 50 years - Luka Modric. Now, the rest of the best of the best Croatia has to offer will have to work hard in order to bridge the gap between what the fans have learned to expect - and their capabilities.

Serbia

The broader football public is quick to list Serbia as one of the dark horses for the tournaments they qualify. However, after the group stage, the Eagles usually land on the list of underachievers, never on that of overachievers. In Germany, it was not different. Coming into the Euro 2024 with no hype, the national team woke some of it with a solid performance against England in which they were unlucky to go behind and unlucky to not get a draw at least.

But their woes were internal, as the manager Dragan Stojkovic changed and even invented tactics in seemingly each of the three group games. A side that dominated for 60 minutes against England was tumbled tactically and starters-wise, resulting in Slovenia controlling the team with a far better talent pool. A late equalizer was celebrated, but not much was expected again from the game against the Danes. A side whose stock also fell at the Euros. In a game which saw Serbia play with three classical number nines for 30+ minutes, Denmark also failed to score. As we predicted, Serbia suffered due to the Saudi Arabia football boom as their key players went there and became shadows of their former selves.

Czech Republic

Former European champions together with Slovakia, and a side that after some dormant period, had players in notable clubs of Europe’s top leagues. With a group where there was one nominal equal, one superior, and one inferior side. The Czechs performed their best games against Portugal, even taking the lead. But salvaging a draw against Georgia meant that the team had to make it or break it against the Turks. A task that was seemingly impossible from the 20th minute of the match when Antonin Barak made a second yellow and tilted the pitch uphill for his side.

Considering the Czechs featured the joint-best goalscorer of the previous Euro in Patrick Shich, an active champion of Germany together with Adam Hlozek and Matej Kovar, as well as West Ham power core Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, the country will rue this failed tournament.