Euro 2016 has been a mixed bag so far. On the one hand, there have been scenes of euphoria, with nations such as Northern Ireland and Iceland progressing to the next stage. Whilst on the other, there’s been despondency and desolation, such as England’s failure to win the group. England have progressed though, and with only 8 teams being eliminated at the groups, you’ve got to be fairly dismal to fail to go through. Here we celebrate those teams who’ve been the most disappointing.
Sweden
Expectations: Sweden would have seen their group as tough, but not impossible to negotiate. A victory might have seen them finish in third place and qualify. With Zlatan in their side, you’d expect them to score goals.
Reality: They were frankly dreadful. It wasn’t until their third and final match that they had a shot on target. The Republic of Ireland’s Ciaran Clark was their only goalscorer, whilst Zlatan clearly had no faith in his teammates and made no impact on the tournament.
Austria
Expectations: Tournament dark horses, they’d had an unbeaten qualifying campaign and were in the perceived weakest group in the competition.
Reality: They finished bottom of their group with one point, a draw against Portugal. They were stunned in their first match against Hungary and didn’t live up to their billing as potential latter stage competitors.
Ukraine
Expectations: It was always going to be tough being in a group with Poland and Germany, but finishing in third place should have been the bare minimum.
Reality: They were the only side to not score a goal in the tournament. They have two star wingers, but neither of them made a great impact. The coach has already resigned and Andriy Shevchenko is poised to take control.
Russia
Expectations: They’re hosting a World Cup and the expectation would be that they’d put in a good showing. They should have reached the knockout stages.
Reality: They were the worst team in the competition by a mile, both on and off the pitch. The brightest moment of their tournament was their completely undeserved goal against England in injury time.
Romania
Expectations: Romania would have fancied their chances in Group A, alongside France, Switzerland and Albania. A third place finish would have been a target, but they could have finished second.
Reality: They finished bottom of the group, drawing with Switzerland in the process. They were resilient throughout, but a lack of attacking intent cost them their chance of progressing.