Poignant moments to look out for at Euro 16

Any visitor to this site will know that our love of football stems not only from the statistics and strategies, but from the sheer emotion that comes from watching our sporting heroes overcome the odds to produce exceptional performances that truly make this ‘the beautiful game’.

And it’s the major international tournaments that always produce the most memorable moments that range from lows like Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ incident to Germany’s incredible 7-1 whitewashing of Brazil in the 2014 World Cup.

This summer sees the arrival of the Euro 16 tournament in France and whilst there’s plenty of speculating on the sports betting sites as to the eventual victor, it’s the more human stories that can often provide the most interest.

 

For some sides, it’s the sheer thrill of appearing in a major tournament after a long absence that will make it such an emotional event. It’s been over 30 years since the Hungarian side last played at such a massive competition, but it’s Wales’ match against Slovakia on 11 June that will be a moment for mass rejoicing.

It was in the Swedish World Cup of 1958 that Wales last appeared in a major football tournament, and thanks to Gareth Bale’s amazing seven goals in the qualifying rounds there will certainly be a massive Welsh contingent travelling to their opening match in Bordeaux.

In some ways, these competitions are often all about the underdogs. And whilst the England versus Wales match on 16 June will certainly be dramatic, there’s certain other key matches that could prove fascinating such as Northern Ireland taking on Germany on 21 June, and few people will be unmoved by France’s opening match against Romania at the Stade de France just months after the horrendous terrorist attacks.

But for those who are looking for a true clash of the titans, then the game between Belgium and Italy could produce some fireworks and some excellent betting opportunities over at Betway that features a full range of odds and coverage for this epic sporting event.

The Belgians are currently ranked most likely to win this competition, but after a 4-1 friendly defeat by Germany, the Italian side will certainly come out firing on all cylinders. This will be just one of the clashes that have made Group E such a fearsome group with Sweden and Republic of Ireland completing the tough line-up.

And with the Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic hinting that he may retire after the Euro 16 championships, it’s just another reason as to why this huge event is going to be such compulsive viewing.