Euro 2024 review: Yamal, Guler, Bellingham, and the good and not so good of one month in Germany

The weather - typical English summer conditions in truth - was changeable at Euro 2024 and so was the on-pitch action in a tournament of sporadic sunny interludes as opposed to dazzlement across the board.

There were moments to savour and England brought gifts, albeit belated ones, to the table, chiefly thanks to ‘that’ goal from Ollie Watkins and Jude Bellingham’s acrobatics. It wasn’t exactly fashionably late, but it was theatre.

The true sublimity came from Spain, all the way through to Sunday’s final in Berlin. The performance of tyro wingers Lamine Yamal - 17 on Saturday - and Nico Williams – scorer of the opening goal as they Beat England 2-1 in the Olympiastadion - provided the box office entertainment after Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and co failed to live up to top billing.

Ronaldo’s tears were of frustration; a sad postscript to a golden career. Farewell to Luca Modric too, and Toni Kroos.

For the connoisseur, there was Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz and the incomparable Rodri. La Roja painted artful pictures, but it wasn’t just art for art’s sake. Their 13 goals up to Sunday came from nine players.

Alongside Yamal and Williams - the former’s strike in the semi-final against France witnessed the birth of a superstar - Germany’s Jamal Musiala caught the imagination for the new guard.

Arda Guler’s majesty and strike in Turkey’s opening group game was also a sight to behold and marked him out as name to conjure with.

His nation’s run to the last eight was the closest we got to an upset. Georgia’s qualification for the last 16, on their tournament debut, provided an enchanting story, headlined by their marvellous win over the under-whelming Portuguese where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Georges Mikautadze blazed a trial.

Yet it was brief. There was no roar like the Atlas Lions of Morocco in at the 2022 World Cup from the ‘lesser nations’, with the last 16 stage having little romance aside from Switzerland’s polished win over Italy, whose trophy defence was unconvincing and one of the games of the tournament between the high-powered Austrians and Turkey.

The 24-team format suited the bigger teams with the stronger squad resources as the likes of Georgia and Romania ran out of steam. Arguably the most engrossing game of the group stages, a 2-2 draw between Albania and Croatia, was between two sides who failed to reach the knockouts.

A total of 81 goals during the group stages at a rate of 2.25 goals per game was the second lowest in the Euro finals this century.

Fatigue was cited as an issue behind the toils of some of the heavyweights. France never truly got going; neither did Portugal or Belgium. Anyone who didn’t like it could “change the channel” was the retort of Didier Deschamps.

At least, things weren't overly ruined by officialdom. One or two admittedly bad decisions - including England’s penalty versus the Netherlands alongside a ridiculous spot-kick awarded for Germany against Denmark - were mercifully in isolation. Semi-automated offside technology - in the Premier League in the new season - also worked well enough.

Comfortably one of the most edifying facets of the tournament was the performance of any competition's heartbeat - the supporters.

Loud and proud supporters came to Germany armed not with malice and prejudice, but only the determination to have a good time and the vibe was a winning one, if not always the football. You can't have everything.