Off the Pitch: Euro 2020 – Day 22

Oh boy what a tournament Euro 2020 has turned into these days. We all knew such a major competition had potential, but we never would have guessed how thrilling and dramatic the games were going to be. With some of the favorites in Euro 2020 already out of the tournament, Spain went head to head against Switzerland as

locked horns with

.

While Spain clutched a victory in the penalty shootouts and Italy defeated Belgium with a decisive 2-1 victory and both of them got to go through to the semifinals, much happened off the football pitch that caught the attention of the media and many on active on social media platforms. Read on as we take a look at everything that went on yesterday. You can also check out our Youtube Channel where we discuss the same issues in detail with beautiful graphics, while also providing information on the upcoming games in Euro 2020.

Euro 2020 – Day 22 Review

From Toni Kroos announcing his retirement from international football, to people signing an actual petition for a replay of the match between France and Switzerland and Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon claiming that Yann Sommer deserved his Man of the Match award instead, there is much to cover from the things that happened yesterday. Here is everything you should know.

A bitter farewell

Just when German fans thought it couldn’t be any worse for them after a 2-0 defeat against England in Euro 2020 Round of 16, they were dealt another heavy blow as they heard news of losing one of their best players ever. Toni Kroos announced on his social media accounts that he will be retiring from international football and will not be available for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The 31-year-old midfielder claimed that he wanted to focus his attention more on his success at Real Madrid, while also spending more time with his family, which is why he decided to hang up his international boots. Kroos wrote the following on his Instagram post:

“I played for

twice, there won’t be another time. I would have hoped for it, and I gave it all again that there would have been 109 international appearances in the end and that one big title, the European Championship title. I made my decision a long time ago as I realized long ago that I will not be available for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Especially because I want to focus fully on my goals with

for the next few years.”

The 2014 World Cup winner went on to add: “From now on, I will also deliberately take breaks that haven’t existed as a national player for eleven years. And besides, I also want to be there more as a husband and dad for my wife and my three children.”

Shock, pain, anger, depression, acceptance

It seems that some people have still not been able to get over the fact that the 2018 World Cup champions were bested by a relatively weaker side in the Round of 16.

were eliminated from Euro 2020 after a 3-3 draw against

took them into penalty shootouts, where Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer managed to save Kylian Mbappe’s penalty and take them into the quarterfinals.

Now, however silly it might sound, a petition has been created online for the match to be replayed and more than 280,000 people have already signed it. It is quite absurd and will never be accepted as a valid petition, but surely trolls and memers will pile up to see how far they can go with the number of signatures.

Oh captain my captain

Sergio Ramos shared a clip of himself on social media, in which he cheered his national team with all his heart. While the 35-year-old central defender didn’t talk out of respect for his country’s national anthem, it was clear he said “Vamos” or “Let’s go” as he seemed to enjoy the tune, putting his hand on his chest and closing his eyes to pay even more respect to the lyric-less national anthem of

. Luis Enrique’s men narrowly clutched a victory against Switzerland in the penalty shootouts as the Swiss lost despite Yann Sommer’s heroics throughout the whole 120 minutes.

Surely Ramos would have wanted to be there for his nation as the captain of Spain, but an injury prevented him from going to the Euros as Luis Enrique did not call him up for international duty. Ramos made his international debut way back in 2005 when he was 18 years and 11 months old. Since then, he has made a total of 180 appearances across all competitions, scoring 23 goals and providing 8 assists in the process. He won the 2008 and 2012 Euros and the 2010 World Cup in Africa with Spain, conquering the world with brilliant performances.

The humble athlete

The clash between Spain and Switzerland was simply amazing as we had 120 minutes full of thrilling moments and intense rivalries, after which we had the two brilliant goalkeepers saving penalties left and right. In the end, it was Spain who went through to the semifinals while Switzerland were eliminated from the tournament.

Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon had a stellar performance against Switzerland, which is why he earned to win the Man of the Match award. But in a moment of humility, the 24-year-old shot-stopper claimed that he would have given the award to Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who was relatively busier during the match as Spain pushed on for another goal.

We will have to wait and see how far Spain can go and if they can reach the final itself. For the time being, however, Simon can rest easy knowing that he managed to perform to the levels expected of him, leaving no doubt that David De Gea has a reliable successor in the national team.

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