Euro 2024: Tired stars, tears and tearaway teens

Spain were both the winners of Euro 2024 and its exception, a team that managed to play at a high level throughout. Elsewhere, there were memorable moments that stood out despite many big names struggling to deliver.

What were the standout moments?

The tournament was decided by a piece of clinical Spanish brilliance, finished by substitute Mikel Oryarzabal. And it was the Spaniards who shone brightest throughout. Before that, Lamine Yamal stole the semifinal show with a spectacular effort against France that meant he became the youngest scorer in European Championship history. Just another entry for his list of records.

Jude Bellingham's overhead equalizer for England in the dying seconds of their last-16 tie with Slovakia was a moment of high drama while Kvicha Kvaratskhelia's early solo effort set Georgia on the path to the group stage's biggest shock a win over Portugal that confirmed their qualification for the knockouts in their first international tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo's sobbing after a missed penalty only to then score in the shootout against Slovenia brought equal measures of schadenfreude and adulation, while fellow veteran Luka Modric missed a penalty, scored, then watched as Croatia went out in the group stage. For hosts Germany, the opening night 5-1 win over Scotland was as good as it got, and the tournament's biggest win, but defeat to the eventual winners saw Toni Kroos and Thomas Müller bid farewell to the international stage with tears in their eyes.

What was the football like?

Spain aside, it was a fairly mixed bag. Turkey, Germany, Austria and a handful of other sides had moments of quality but there were long stretches of the tournament, particularly in its middle section, where much of the play was conservative and slow. A format that sees only eight of 24 teams knocked out is likely a contributory factor, particularly for teams who won their first game. Indeed, the tournament saw a total of just 117 goals, or 2.30 per match. Of those, 10 (8.5%) were own goals, which perhaps tells its own story.

A number of players, and teams, looked tired. Given the demands on players, which have led the players' union to sue FIFA, this is perhaps not surprising. 'It's so tough these days with the crazy schedules,' said Bellingham, who has played 63 matches this season, after the final. 'Then coming together for the end of the season for one last tournament. It's difficult on the body. Mentally, physically, you're exhausted.'

With FIFA's Club World Cup and UEFA's Champions League both set to expand over the next year, it appears to be a situation that will only get worse.

Who were the star players?

Perhaps partly as a result of this player burnout, this was a tournament where the big names failed, by and large, to live up to their billing. Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and Cristiano Ronaldo failed to score from open play while Harry Kane struggled throughout. Instead, it was the next generation who took on the mantle. Yamal was the story of the tournament, while Arda Güler, 19, excelled in Turkey's run to the quarterfinals.

Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz continued the theme for Germany while Spain's Dani Olmo became one of the standouts despite not starting a game until the quarterfinal. Cody Gakpo led the way for the Netherlands and was one of six men awarded the golden boot alongside Kane, Olmo, Musiala, Georgia's Georges Mikautadze and Slovakia's Ivan Schranz.

From a defensive perspective, William Saliba impressed for France, Pepe defied his 41 years for Portugal and Stefan Posch played a key part in an Austria side that topped a group containing France and the Netherlands.

What was the atmosphere like?

For the most part, excellent. Turkey's exciting run to the quarterfinal was boosted by the huge diaspora population in Germany while the Netherlands fans bounced their way across the border. A few isolated incidents aside, there was little of the crowd trouble that has, from time to time, marred other tournaments.

Outside of the stadiums, fan parks across Germany were packed out, particularly for games involving the home nations, and Scotland's fans managed to make a huge impact in a short space of time.