Euro 2020: 5 biggest disappointments at the tournament
Roberto Mancini's Italy produced a complete team performance on Sunday, downing England in a nervy penalty shootout to win Euro 2020.
The Azzurri did not depend on the singular brilliance of one or two players, instead relying on a collective effort to win their second European Championship.
That was evident in the fact that as many as five Italian players scored multiple goals at Euro 2020, a joint-record for most multiple-goalscorers for a team at a single edition of the competition.
In one of the most enthralling European Championships in history, several players shone at Euro 2020. Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, played like a player ten years younger, scoring a joint tournament-leading five goals.
Patrik Schick, Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba, Harry Kane, Federico Chiesa and Gianluigi Donnarumma were some of the other notable performers at Euro 2020.
However, as is the case at any major tournament, a few star names failed to get going at Euro 2020, despite arriving off stellar club seasons. On that note, here's a look at five such players who failed to arrive to the party at Euro 2020:
#5 Wojciech Szczesny (Poland)
Poland no. 1 Wojciech Szczesny had a campaign to forget at Euro 2020. The Juventus custodian conceded as many as six goals in just three games as Poland finished bottom of their group to make a hasty exit from the tournament.
Szczesny also endured the ignominy of becoming the first goalkeeper in European Championship history to score an own goal.
The 31-year-old failed to stop Robert Mac's effort, with the ball ricocheting off his shoulder and into the net in Poland's 1-2 defeat to Slovakia in their Euro 2020 opener.
His heroics did help Poland take a point off Spain in a goalless draw. But Szczesny was arguably at fault for not doing enough to keep out Viktor Claesson's injury-time winner for Sweden after the Poles had recovered from a two-goal deficit to restore parity.
Five years ago, he played only one game at Euro 2016 due to injury, while at Euro 2012, Szczesny saw red and ended up featuring in only one match.
#4 Ruben Dias (Portugal)
Much was expected of Ruben Dias as he arrived at Euro 2020 after winning the Premier League Player of the Season in Manchester City's triumphant campaign.
The upbeat 24-year-old, who was touted as one of the best centre-backs in the game, had remarked on the eve of the tournament:
"It was also a very tiring season, but Iām always a very focused player and I focused on the individual elements, on the physical aspects for instance and little by little I became more prepared, and Iām ready to be at the highest level and in order to win the Euros we have to be at the highest level."
But Dias' performances at Euro 2020 left a lot to be desired. He was sloppy in defence, with Portugal conceding seven goals in four games, and was particularly found wanting in his aerial challenges.
The Manchester City defender endured a nightmarish outing against Germany, netting an own goal. Dias also came out second-best against key opposition players like Karim Benzema and Adam Szalai during the tournament.
He was also culpable for failing to prevent Thorgan Hazard from netting the winner for Belgium in the Round of 16, which led to Portugal's early exit from the competition.