On June 30th, the first match of the European Championship round of 16 witnessed an upset as defending champion Italy was eliminated after losing 0-2 to Switzerland. Notably, since the European Championship expanded to 24 teams, every defending champion has fallen in the first round of the knockout stage.
In the 2016 European Championship, Spain, the “Matadors,” were aiming for a third consecutive title but were eliminated in the round of 16 after suffering a 0-2 defeat to Italy.
In the 2021 European Championship, Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal sought to defend their title but were eliminated in the round of 16 after losing 0-1 to Belgium.
In this year’s European Championship, the defending champion Italy did not have a smooth group stage, finishing with 1 win, 1 draw, and 1 loss for a total of 4 points, barely qualifying for the round of 16. In the round of 16, Italy faced Switzerland and suffered a 0-2 defeat.
Since the expansion of the European Championship to 24 teams in 2016, the round of 16 has become a nightmare for the defending champions. Three defending champions, Spain, Portugal, and Italy, have all been eliminated in this round without scoring a single goal.
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