Euro 2024 Highlights: Wimbledon’s Missed Opportunities and UEFA’s 70th Anniversary Celebrations
The second day of Euro 2024 escalated the thrill with a series of memorable matches.
Switzerland tied with Germany in Group A, triumphing over Hungary 3-1, while Spain defeated Croatia 3-0 in their Group B debut, netting all goals before the break.
Italy kicked off their European Championship defence by rallying from the quickest goal ever in the tournament, scored at 23 seconds, to overcome Albania 2-1.
Beyond the pitch, social media buzzed with activity. Here are some standout moments.
Tantalizing ‘What Ifs’ at Wimbledon
AFC Wimbledon’s X platform buzzed as fans reminisced over Jamal Musiala’s exploits, a product of their youth system, after his splendid performance for Germany against Scotland.
Musiala, once a Wimbledon youngster, dazzled many during his tenure at the EFL Utilita Kids Cup by scoring a hat-trick and dancing past defenders with ease.
Embolo Strikes Again
Having recovered from injuries at Monaco, Breel Embolo was back in action and scored to secure a Swiss victory against Hungary.
Following his goal, Switzerland’s Euro 2042 X account celebrated Embolo’s consecutive scoring in Euros tournaments.
Celebrating Pascal Gross
After debuting in Germany’s 5-1 demolition of Scotland, Pascal Gross’s 33rd birthday was highlighted by Germany’s official X account.
A double celebration for Gross marked his impressive start at the Euros.
UEFA’s Platinum Jubilee
Not just Gross, UEFA too celebrated an anniversary, its 70th, remembering its establishment back on June 15, 1954.
Their official X narrative highlighted decades of passion and relentless pursuit of football dreams.
Barcelona Flaunts Its Prodigy
Spain’s crushing defeat of Croatia was overshadowed momentarily when Lamine Yamal, at just over 16 years, took to the field, setting a record for the youngest participant in the Euros.
Post-match, Barcelona were quick to claim bragging rights on X, proud of their homegrown talent’s showcase.
Dutch Courage and Queries
The Netherlands had their hands full with engaging their young fans in a Q&A session, where Xavi Simons confessed Virgil van Dijk as the most daunting defender and Matthijs de Ligt expressed optimism about their Euro chances.
England’s Curtain Raiser
With their first match against Serbia looming, England’s squad fine-tuned their strategy in Gelsenkirchen, permitting live spectatorship of their training on X, albeit partially, keeping Serbian scouts in the dark about their complete game plan.
