New Delhi: UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16 is now behind us. We have our last eight of the tournament with many of the heavyweights still competing for the title. The pre-quarters saw the exits of defending champions Italy, perennial dark horses Belgium, tournament’s favourite underdog Georgia and surprise package Romania. The were some thrills and spills in the previous round and we expect some more from here on.
As we head towards the business end of the competition, we have an array of quality fixtures ahead of us with two of the four games being rematches of previous UEFA Euro editions finals. The quarter-final round will send some shockwaves toward us with two of Spain, France, Portugal, and hosts Germany will exit the tournament from this round, ending their dreams of another European triumph.
Dive in to find out who faces whom in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Euro 2024 and see how they fare up against one another heading into this hugely important round of fixtures.
1) A Clash of Titans
The last time these two sides met was in the 2022 FIFA World Cup (Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
Two of the tournament’s favourites face off against each other in the quarter-finals as two titans of European football in Spain and Germany will battle it out to reach the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2024. Germany saw off Denmark with a comfortable 2-0 win while Spain demolished Georgia 4-1 in the previous round. These are two teams that have looked the best till now in the tournament and it’s a shame that only one of these talented bunch of players will move on to the next round.
A rematch of the UEFA Euro 2008 final, this is sure to be a tactical battle between the two managers, Julien Nagelsmann and Luis de la Fuente. They both have contrasting CVs as Nagelsmann has had a short yet successful club career and the Germany job is his first foray into International management. Meanwhile, de la Fuente hasn’t had great success in club football but has done a good job with the Spanish youth teams.
Both teams are almost impossible to differentiate on paper as they both have a solid defensive foundation, they have a set of midfielders that complement each other and in attack, they both have two exciting young players being supported by a tall, experienced striker. This game has the potential to be the best match of the tournament and the fans are sure to be in for a treat.
2) Heavyweight Strugglers vie for a Semis Berth
This is a rematch of the UEFA Euro 2016 final where Portugal beat France to win the trophy (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
Moving from two of the best-performing favourites to two of the worst-performing favourites, France and Portugal will vie for a spot in the last four. These are two teams that have two of the biggest individual stars of the tournament, Kylian Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, but neither have managed to get going in the tournament. Just a single goal between these two superstars of European football doesn’t say much about either of them.
France and Portugal should consider themselves lucky to still be a part of the tournament at this stage as their performances haven’t warranted a last-eight finish for either of these teams. Portugal required a last-minute defensive error to win against Czechia, they won comfortably against Turkey but that was because the Turks had a horrible night defensively. After that, they lost to Georgia and needed penalties against Slovenia to qualify.
Meanwhile, none of the French players have managed to score from open play yet and they somehow find themselves in the last eight of the tournament. Kylian Mbappe’s penalty against Poland was the only goal scored by someone playing for Les Blues as they have had to rely on own goals for both their victories till now. While the match looks to be a thriller on paper, the performances of both these teams have been far from that.
3) Will the Fairytale Run Continue?
Switzerland are high on confidence after outclassing Italy in the previous round. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
The surprise result from the last round meant that Switzerland knocked out the defending champions Italy to book their place in the quarters. The Swiss army will be high on confidence, buoyed by their performances against Italy and Germany, against whom they were minutes away from a victory. They will face a stern test once again as they now face the team Italy beat in the finals of UEFA Euro 2020, England.
England were on the brink of elimination and were saved by a last-minute wonder-goal by Jude Bellingham as the Real Madrid star produced an audacious over-head kick to keep his country’s chances alive. Facing a determined Switzerland side, their job won’t be any easier than it was against Slovakia and another upset could be on the cards in this fixture.
England remain the firm favourites to proceed to the semi-finals but they will need to massively improve on their showings till now. While the stature of this game makes it an important one, this is also a chance for Switzerland to keep their fairytale run alive while a loss for England could mean the end of Gareth Southgate’s tenure.
4) Will history repeat itself?
Ronald Koeman (Third from left) Has achieved European success on German soil before (Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
For all the talent the Dutch have possessed in their ranks till now, they only have one trophy to show for it, the 1988 UEFA Euro Championship. The Dutch enjoyed their only International success on German soil as that edition was hosted in (West) Germany as well. Their current manager, Ronald Koeman was a part of that 1988 championship-winning squad and he will be hoping for history to repeat itself for him and his side.
Netherlands will face Turkey in the quarter-finals with the Turks themselves looking to make their first semi-final appearance since 2008. Vincenzo Montella’s side have been on a great run in the tournament, winning three of their four fixtures till now which is more than their opponents. This will be a contest between two evenly matched sides and both will be optimistic about their chances.
The way Netherlands played against Romania in their 3-0 win, it looks like they’ve finally realized they’re playing a major tournament and will require more of the same against Turkey. The cresent-stars produced an entertaining encounter against Austria and they will be aiming to shock an improved Netherlands side that can still struggle against quality opposition.
Dive in to find out who faces whom in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Euro 2024 and see how fare up against one another heading into this hugely important round of fixtures. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
