How a technicality impacted final Euro 2024 group standings

Slovenia's Petar Stojanovic.

In a stunning turn of events, a technicality decided the final standings in Group C of Euro 2024.

England topped the group while Denmark and Slovenia finished second and third, respectively, with three points each. The latter two countries were level on points, head-to-head, goal difference and goals scored, with even the final tiebreaker — disciplinary points — unable to separate them. Both Denmark and Slovenia finished with six yellow cards apiece.

To further complicate matters, Denmark and Slovenia were in the same qualifying group and finished with the exact points (22 apiece) en route to Euro 2024. Even more amazingly, their goal records were strikingly similar, with Denmark netting 19 goals and conceding 10 to Slovenia's 20 and nine.

So, why exactly did Denmark finish second over Slovenia?

Brace yourself for this.

According to UEFA, Slovenia's technical director Milivoje Novakovic was reprimanded for unsportsmanlike behavior in the 70th minute of their Group C opener against Denmark on June 16. As a result, Slovenia finished below Denmark in disciplinary points.

Essentially, a non-player's actions tipped the scales in Denmark's favor.

It was earlier speculated that Denmark got the second seed because of their 2-1 victory over Slovenia in a Euro qualifying game in November 2023.

Some believe the outcome could be a blessing in disguise for Slovenia, who qualified for the knockout stages of a major tournament for the first time in their history. Why? Because Denmark will face the red-hot Germany in the Round of 16. Slovenia may have dodged a huge bullet.

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