THE GROUP OF DEATH (A DEATH OF...)
June 23, 2021. Portugal versus France, the 89th minute. Antoine Griezmann slips by two defenders before firing past Rui Patricio to seal a dramatic last-gasp 3-2 victory that gives Les Bleus a place in the last 16 as group winners. Germany will go with them as runners-up, while Portugal – the 2016 winners – will be joining Hungary on the first flight home. Moments after the final whistle, Cristiano Ronaldo & Co trudge off the pitch; in the media mixed zone, there’s one phrase on everybody’s lips. Portugal have just become the group of death’s latest victim.
This is a fictional scenario, of course, but one that could be played out at Euro 2020 this summer. Certainly, these scenarios have claimed many scalps in the past.
The forerunner of a now-omnipresent phrase can be traced back to the 1958 World Cup in Sweden. Then, the local press labelled Group Four, with Brazil, England, the Soviet Union and Austria, as ‘ (‘The Battle of.
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