The Euro 2024 has gotten past the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals have emerged. The last eight nations deserve to be here after a hard-fought round of fixtures. This is the business end of the Euros and this is where teams begin to make their intentions clear.
In this round, two of France, Portugal, Germany, and Spain will be knocked out, as Spain takes on host Germany, while Portugal attempts to scale the hurdle that is France.
Here are all the quarterfinal fixtures:
Spain vs Germany
Spain is looking like the favourite to win the whole thing so far, but Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany has also done very well up to this point, with veteran midfielder Toni Kroos playing out of his skin and ensuring opposition midfielders have sleepless nights for weeks to come. Luis De La Fuente’s men have the difficult task of trying to knock out the formidable hosts. Can Spain continue dominating the competition?
France vs Portugal
France scraped past Belgium in the Round of 16, with the same scoreline as the last time both countries met in a major tournament. Portugal needed penalties to get past Slovenia, but Roberto Martinez’s men were so dominant in the penalty shootout that you wonder if Slovenia ever had a chance. Didier Deschamps has his work cut out for him, especially with the added pressure of knowing how good Portugal is at penalties. Can Martinez pull off the unthinkable?
Netherlands vs Turkey
Netherlands was emphatic in its victory over Romania, who never stood a chance. Having finished third in its group, Ronald Koeman’s men made sure to show the world that they were not to be trifled with, pounding Romania 3-0. Turkey definitely didn’t dominate proceedings against Austria in the Round of 16, but got the job done. Netherlands would be the favourite for this tie, but never say never.
England vs Switzerland
England needed the closest thing to a miracle to get past Slovakia in the Round of 16, with Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham dragging the game to extra time through a weak-footed overhead kick five minutes into injury time. Harry Kane struck quickly in the first minute of extra time to put England ahead, winning the game – and the tie – for his country. Switzerland is enjoying being the nation to send the defending champions packing, with an emphatic 2-0 win over Italy in the Round of 16. Switzerland seemed to have an easier time against Italy than England did against Slovakia, suggesting that Gareth Southgate’s men will struggle and may very well be facing their exit from the competition.
