Spain he probably felt really good when Albania was drawn as his second opponent at Euro 2024 draw.

The Balkans are not an easy opponent, but it will be their second appearance at a major international competition, following their Euro 2016 group stage exit.

But then Croatia came out of the third bass drum, signaling the continuation of a latent modern rivalry.

Spain knocked Croatia out of Euro 2020 in what was arguably the game of the tournament, winning 5-3 in extra time after being stunned by a late comeback in Copenhagen. Red She also emerged victorious when the two met in the 2022-2023 Nations League final, although on that occasion she needed a penalty shoot-out to win.

On the other hand, Spain faced Italy in the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and, without a doubt, the heavyweight duel that will define European football in the 21st century will take place for the fifth consecutive eventafter the reigning champion -and the team that no one wanted in the pot four- completed the foursome.

More | So were all the Euro 2024 groups

Italy’s Euro 2008 penalty shootout victory represented a huge mental hurdle to overcome as Luis Aragonés charted his winning route to glory. With Vicente del Bosque at the helm, then came the 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euro Cup victories.

Italy ended the Del Bosque era with Antonio Conte’s superb 2-0 win in Paris at Euro 2016, while Azuri Roberto Mancini’s last laugh at Wembley in 2021.

Luciano Spalletti is the latest high-profile manager at the helm of Italy, which undoubtedly completes the Group of Death for Euro 2024. But how does Group B compare to others who have won this moniker in previous tournaments? Below, we look at some of the toughest of all time.

Euro 1996 Group C: Germany, Italy, Czech Republic and Russia

A talented Italian team was heading to England after losing the 1994 World Cup final on penalties to Brazil. Germany was also in the midst of a golden age of talent. When Berti Vogts’ side beat the Czech Republic 2-0 at Old Trafford and Italy beat Russia 2-1 at Anfield, things looked simple enough.

Pavel Nedved opened the scoring to put the Czechs on course for a 2-1 win over Italy and turn everything around. Germany beat Russia 3-0 to advance with a game to spare, with the delicious prospect of knocking out Italy in the final group stage game.

With only pride at stake, Russia went into the match against the Czech Republic (3-3), overcoming a 2-0 deficit (3-2). Then a 0-0 draw against Italy in Manchester was enough to see them through, before Vladimir Schmitcher equalized in the 88th minute. Italy could not react and bid her farewell. The fact that Germany and the Czech Republic met in the final, with an Oliver Birkhoff golden goal at Wembley, speaks volumes for the quality of the group.

Euro 2000 Group A: Germany, England, Portugal and Romania

Meetings between Germany and England in major tournaments are often seismic events. At Euro 2000, Alan Shearer scored the only header in Charleroi to give his side victory. It was the only match won by either team, since the then current champions and Three lions by Kevin Keegan were ruled out early.

Alan Shearer vs Germany

Saturday June 17, 2000
Euro 2000 Group A
Germany 0-1 England (Charleroi, Belgium) pic.twitter.com/RPnW3t1tPZ

— England Goals (@ThreeLionsGoals) July 1, 2017

England took a 2-0 lead in their first match against a very well equipped Portuguese side. Luis Figo, Joao Pinto and Nuno Gomez made sure their joy was short-lived. The next day, the Selection It wasn’t quite as overwhelming and they needed a goal from Costinha in added time to beat Romania, who drew 1-1 with Germany in their opener.

This left the door ajar Die Mannschaft, which they crushed 3-0 with a hat-trick from right winger and current Porto manager Sergio Conceição. Shearer and Michael Owen scored the goals as England took a 2-1 lead in their decider against Romania. Dorinel Munteanu equalized early in the second half but the draw England needed to progress was there until Phil Neville conceded a penalty in the dying minutes and Ionel Ganea broke their hearts.

Euro 2008 Group C: France, Netherlands, Italy and Romania

Once again, Romania found themselves in an unpleasant position and did their job admirably. France played the role of Germany 2000, a once great team that won titles now on the other side of the mountain. After a goalless draw with Romania in their first match, the Bleus They were beaten 4-1 by a Dutch side that had an arsenal of great players.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben were among the scorers in both that match and the previous one, in which they beat world champions Italy 3-0. Marco van Basten’s men gave Romania no respite and won 2-0, handing the eastern Europeans their first defeat since they were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy. Thanks to a penalty converted by Andrea Pirlo and a second-half goal by Daniele De Rossi, the Azuri They won 2-0 and ended France’s woes.

Efforts to escape this Group of Death saw the Dutch, who lost 3-1 to a lively Russia, and the Italians, who fell to a Spain destined for immortality.

🇳🇱🆚🇷🇺 THE ONE Andrey Arshavin appeared against Holland at EURO 2008 🔥#EURO2020 | #ThrowbackThursday pic.twitter.com/zzup14qF20

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) January 9, 2020

Euro 2012 Group B: Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Denmark

Four years later, another devilish draw didn’t go so well for the Netherlands. The defeated 2010 World Cup finalists were stunned by Denmark in their first leg (1-0), with a goal from Michael Krohn-Dehli. The often mischievous Mario Gomez came to the party for Germany with the winning goal against Portugal in his first game and a 2-1 win over the Dutch.

Portugal’s opening defeat put them in trouble and they were drawn into a table tennis duel with Denmark, which was tied 2-2 in the final stage thanks to a double from Niklas Bendtner. Silvestre Varela grabbed a late winner before Cristiano Ronaldo became the most expected source of goals, scoring both goals in a 2-1 comeback win over then-prominent Netherlands. Germany maintained their winning record by beating Denmark (2-1).

Portugal lost in the semi-finals to Spain on penalties, while Germany lost in the same round to Italy. If you noticed a few attacking strikers doing their thing in Group B, note that Mario Balotelli scored a superb double to beat Joachim Löw’s side.

This day at Euro 2012 🗓️

Mario Balotelli catapulted Italy into the Euro final with two goals against Germany, the second of which was absolute 🚀pic.twitter.com/pOOC3QwTqj

— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) June 28, 2021

Euro 2020 Group F: Hungary, Portugal, France and Germany

UEFA’s expansion to a 24-team format with the possibility of the third team also advancing to the round has made Group of Death scenarios seem less likely. However, this foursome gave more than themselves in the last tournament.

Hungary were the ‘stone visitors’ and came close in the end, but being able to play at home in front of a fervent Budapest crowd helped level the match against their opponents. Their opening defeat to Portugal (3-0) ended in a 0-0 draw until the 84th minute, which could have beaten them, but France needed a second-half goal from Antoine Griezmann to draw level at 1- 1 at the Puskas Arena. .

The Bleus They beat Germany 1-0 in a high-profile match in Munich, a setback Die Mannschaft responded by demolishing a strangely out-of-sorts Portugal 4-2. Ruben Diaz and Rafael Guerreiro scored before the break. France and Portugal then drew 2-2 thanks to goals from Ronaldo and Karim Benzema from the penalty spot. Germany finished second behind France but were on the brink of elimination and needed Leon Goretzka’s 84th-minute equalizer to give Hungary a 2-2 lead.

France, Portugal and Germany were eliminated in the round of 16, proving once again that the Group of Death can continue to have a deadly impact once their scheduled matches are completed.