It is the competition that Real Madrid like to think they own and the reasons why were mapped out in graphic detail at Wembley. Yet again. Borussia Dortmund brought the punch of the underdog and they played with a stirring liberation in the first half, creating chances and, well, missing them. It was impossible to think they would not regret it.

Madrid reset at half-time and when they started to press, everybody knew they had seen this movie, especially the ending. If Vinícius Júnior was a symbol of Madrid’s travails in the first half – booked for a lunge at the Dortmund goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel; guilty of a lack of conviction, at times – he relocated his game to dazzling effect thereafter.

n the first period, the Dortmund right-back, Julian Ryerson, had been up close and physical against him, enjoying success. After the interval, Vinícius was simply too much, flicking on the afterburners, making his moves, including a jaw-dropping stop-and-go nutmeg on Ryerson.

It was Dani Carvajal who scored the crucial first goal, getting in front of Niclas Füllkrug to flick home a Toni Kroos corner. And something seemed to break in Dortmund at that point. Few people had believed Edin Terzic’s team would escape the group of death with Paris Saint-Germain, Milan and Newcastle, let alone get past PSV Eindhoven, Atlético Madrid and PSG in the knockout rounds. The only faith came from within their ranks.

Now it waned. Madrid poured forward. Jude Bellingham, who was below his best, was denied by a last-ditch Nico Schlotterbeck challenge; Eduardo Camavinga worked Kobel from distance; Nacho did likewise with a header from a corner. Dortmund have been the eternal bridesmaids in recent years and they would be so again, their fate confirmed when Ian Maatsen played a loose pass to Bellingham and he released Vinícius, who was never going to miss.

Dortmund’s cast-offs, journeymen and unheralded names would summon one last push on 87 minutes, Füllkrug flashing home a header from Karim Adeyemi’s cross only to be pulled back for offside. There was no fairy tale for the team that finished fifth in the Bundesliga. Against Madrid – in this tournament – they do not happen.

It was European Cup No 15 for Madrid, La Decimoquinta, and their ninth from nine finals since the Champions League rebrand in 1992. Milan are next on the list with seven. Madrid have won six in the last 11 seasons alone. For Carlo Ancelotti, it was his fifth as a manager – a record; he has two more from his playing days – while it was number six as players for Carvajal, Nacho, Kroos and the substitute Luka Modric, equalling Paco Gento’s all-time mark

When Kroos was withdrawn for Modric in the 85th minute, he saluted the Madrid fans. He knew, not that there was any doubt by then. He had started the party and now retires from club football at the very pinnacle. Could there be a final act for him at Euro 2024 with Germany?

It was a typically star-studded occasion, Sir Alex Ferguson, Zinedine Zidane and Figo among those present; Jürgen Klopp, too. The former Dortmund manager was given a tremendous ovation by the club’s supporters when he was pictured on the big screen.

Dortmund dominated the first half, bringing the aggression in the duels, their No 8s, Marcel Sabitzer and Julian Brandt, stepping high. It was remarkable to see how they got runners in behind the Madrid defence. They enjoyed a concerted patch of pressure around the midway point when they created their openings and there were two huge ones.

The first was for Adeyemi, the winger sent through for a one-on-one with Thibaut Courtois, Madrid’s recently returned goalkeeper. In his four games in May – his only four of a season undermined by serious knee ligament problems – Courtois did not concede. Madrid needed him here. Spooked by Courtois, Adeyemi took a heavy touch, going too far wide. His shot was blocked by the covering Carvajal.

Brandt had enjoyed the first opening only to be crowded out and after Adeyemi had almost got on to a low cut-back, Dortmund had their second big moment. It was Maatsen who robbed Camavinga and, having raced back towards the Madrid goal, he released Füllkrug who guided first-time on the stretch for the far corner. The ball came back off the inside of the post. It was agonising.

Madrid offered next to nothing as an attacking force in the first 45 minutes and Dortmund had other flickers, Adeyemi extending Courtois from a tight angle; Sabitzer doing likewise from further out. Courtois had been the difference in Madrid’s previous Champions League final victory over Klopp’s Liverpool in 2022. “That fucker Courtois,” as Klopp called him a couple of weeks ago.

It had certainly been a strange start to the showpiece, a worrying one, too, from a security point of view. Three men ran on to the pitch in the opening few minutes, the first stopping to take a selfie with Vinícius. Where were the stewards? Nowhere. The first two invaders left of their own accord; the third ran back on before a few luminous bibs finally showed up.

Madrid stirred after the second half restart. Ancelotti wanted Kroos to drop deep to make the play, which he did, and Camavinga to push up in central midfield. The connections which were not there before the interval started to fire.

Kroos forced Kobel to tip a curling free-kick behind; from the corner, Carvajal headed off target. Carvajal also had a side-on volley blocked by Maatsen. Füllkrug planted a header straight at Courtois but the tide had turned, Madrid on the front foot. When Vinícius shaped a cross towards the far post, Bellingham was inches from making the decisive contact but the goal was coming. As it always does for Madrid.

Perhaps the underlying reason for Mauricio Pochettino flanking Craig Pawson as the referee headed down the tunnel was the nagging sense that Chelsea should, really, have recorded an extraordinary comeback win long before Axel Disasi’s 95th-minute header was ruled out after the video assistant referee intervened.

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As the UEFA Euro 2024 group stages draw to a close, fans across Europe have been treated to drama across the board. The pre-tournament frontrunners have stumbled into the last 16, while teams that have shone in years gone by have been unceremoniously dumped out. On the other side of the spectrum, underdogs have defied their lowly status to make it through to the knockout rounds, and they will be aiming to ensure that their fairytale runs continue into the latter stages.

So, with it being said and the group stage now being in the history books, let's take a look at three of the biggest shocks that have happened so far.

Austria Top Group D

Few could have predicted that Austria would finish at the summit of Group D, especially when pitted against past champions France and perennial contenders the Netherlands. Yet, the Austrians, led by their dynamic coach Ralf Rangnick, have defied expectations. Many people had them down as dark horses this summer following their impressive qualifying campaign, but no one could have predicted just how brightly they would shine on the grandest stage.

Led by the maverick Marko Arnautovic, Austria faced a tough test up first against back-to-back World Cup finalists France. Despite the difficult task ahead of them, they managed to impress albeit in a 1-0 defeat, with the only goal of the game coming from their own hands through Maximilian Wöber's own goal. However, they put things right in their second game, comfortably dispatching Poland by three goals to one, eliminating Robert Lewandowski's side in the process.

Their toughest test came in their final group game against the Netherlands. Austria were 3/1 underdogs in the clash but they that if they could avoid defeat, they would progress. Rather than seeking a point, however, Rangnick's side went for the victory, and they walked away with more than they could have ever imagined. Goals from Romano Schmid, Marcel Sabitzer, and a Donyell Malen own goal secured a 3-2 victory and as France failed to beat Poland, the Austrians topped the group.

Now, questions have risen as to how far they may go. A favorable second-round clash with Turkey awaits and should they win that, they will be through to the quarterfinals. They have become a team that everyone now wants to avoid, but will they end up with a maiden European Championship title on July 14th in Berlin?

Three Lions Falter

England headed to Germany this summer as the outright favorites to lift a first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Despite several lackluster performances, they remain exactly that with sports betting onlineodds making them the +350 frontrunner ahead of Spain and France. However, they will need to buck their ideas up and fast if they are to live up to their lofty expectations.

It seemed like everything was going according to plan when Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham gave the Three Lons a 1-0 lead just 13 minutes into their opening game against Serbia. However, since then, the wheels have well and truly come off. England was dominated throughout the second half of that first foray into the competition, before being dominated once more against Denmark in their second game, eventually considering themselves extremely lucky to escape with a point.

Their final group game against Slovenia was another drab affair which resulted in a 0-0 draw. that was somehow enough for them to top Group C ahead of the Danes, setting up a second-round clash with Slovakia. After that, they may very well meet Utaly in the quarterfinal in a rematch of the Euro 2020 final from three years ago. That's a contest that England will certainly need to be on the top of their game to win, and whether they have it in them under Gareth Southgate remains to be seen.

Georgia’s Miracle Against Portugal

Arguably the biggest shock of the tournament thus far has been Georgia’s qualification for the last 16. When the tournament began, few gave the Georgians any chance of advancing beyond the group stages. Qualifying for the tournament was already a huge achievement, defeating Euro 2004 winners Greece to progress to their first-ever major competition. However, their performances under the bright lights have earned them plenty of admirers.

They were very unlucky to lose their opening game against Turkey before goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili announced himself to the world in a sensational display against the Czech Republic earning his side their first-ever point at the European Championships. However, it was their third and final game against 2016 champions Portugal that grabbed the headlines.

The Portuguese had already qualified as group winners with back-to-back victories in their opening two games and as such, they started a heavily rotated lineup to rest some legs. However, that lineup still consisted of captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. But it was Georgia's number seven Khvicha Kvaratskhelia that stole the show.

The Napoli man opened the scoring after just two minutes, sending the tens of thousands of Georgians in attendance into a frenzy. He was then crucial in earning a second-half penalty which was duly slotted away by Georges Mikautadze, the tournament's top scorer so far. That was good enough to earn a stunning 2-0 upset victory but not only that. As Turkey beat the Czech Republic in the other game in Group F, Georgia also shockingly qualified for the last 16 against all odds, and now they will be hoping to repeat the heroics against Spain in the second round.

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