The Blueshirts are huge underdogs in the semis, after being virtually gifted a match against Robert Lewandowski's Poland
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Estonia didn’t have to do too much to reach the Euro 2024 play-offs – all it took was victories over Malta and San Marino.
Ranked 123rd in the world, the mysteries of the Nations League decreed that they should get a play-off spot over the likes of Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden – when only two League A teams failed to qualify for the Euros automatically, the regulations gave one of the spare spots to the best minnow from League D.
Step forward Estonia, who topped their three-team Nations League group, against not-particularly-auspicious opponents. Malta were twice defeated 2-1, while San Marino were beaten 2-0 and 4-0, ensuring that the Blueshirts were League D’s best group winners – in the other group, which was a little stronger, Latvia and Moldova took points off each other.
Fernando Santos, manager of Poland (Image credit: Getty Images)
Estonia followed up their Nations League success by finishing bottom of their Euro 2024 qualifying group behind Azerbaijan – picking up one point from eight games and losing 5-0 at home to Sweden, who in turn lost twice in the Nations League to Erling Haaland's Norway, who didn’t do enough to earn a spot in this week’s play-offs. Er, at what stage do the play-offs rules start to look a bit silly?
Poland will be licking their lips for Thursday’s semi-final at the Stadion Narodowy in Warsaw, despite a miserable Euros qualifying campaign that saw them win just three times in eight matches, scoring only 10 goals. They lost away to Czech Republic, Moldova and Albania, drawing at home to Moldova too, prompting the sacking of Portugal’s Euro 2016 winning manager Fernando Santos.
Even Robert Lewandowski, a perennial contender for top scorer in qualifying over the years, found the net just three times. Given that the Barcelona man is now 35 years old, are they too reliant on their ageing star?
Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
