Euro 2020 has reached the quarterfinal stage after an exciting round of 16, which ended with the exits of defending European champions Portugal and 2018 World Cup winners France. Our writers share their thoughts on some big questions.
What were the highlights of your round-of-16?
Gabe Marcotti: The sheer drama of most games: Croatia's return against Spain, Switzerland's return against France, Ukraine's winner against Sweden, Belgium and Italy both feared. And there was a ton of breathtaking skill, too, though I think I liked Paul Pogba's goal (and celebration) best. Shaded in all this is in my opinion one of the best stories of the tournament, Denmark's race to the quarter-finals. And while the England vs Germany game was a bit boring, sometimes football is all about the result and that's okay too.
Mark Ogden: The day that gave us Spain vs Croatia and France vs Switzerland will go down as one of the most memorable and exhilarating in any tournament. But I was fascinated at Wembley for England's 2-0 win against Germany, and to see and hear the burst of joy and relief congratulating the goal of Harry Kane - England's second - that confirmed victory. England had not beaten Germany in a knockout match in a tournament since 1966, and this has weighed heavily on previous teams. But the victory was an encouraging one, and it seemed that 55 years of suppressed despair had been left on the final whistle.
James Ollie: Being at Wembley to watch England beat Germany in a tournament knockout match for the first time in 55 years. The stadium may have been half-full, but it has never been too loud for international stability. There was a real feeling that anything was possible, in what is certainly one of the most entertaining knockout tours of all time. Spain's win over Croatia would be a few defeats in the game form of the tournament, but Switzerland's comeback against France was more dramatic as they were down 3–1 with nine minutes to go.
Julian Lawrence: In terms of pure drama, and even though it broke my heart, France vs Switzerland was just extraordinary. It will forever be a classic in the history of the euro. It was everything: upset, penalties, Karim Benzema's control of his equalizer, Swiss comeback, Didier Deschamps' tactical wobble, confidence. Another highlight was Raheem Sterling feeling like home again at Wembley and driving the Germans out of London. Spain vs. Croatia was crazy, too, another classic. Credit to Alvaro Morata and Luis Enrique for never giving up and believing in himself and his team - it paid off.
Rob Dawson: Spain vs Croatia and France vs Switzerland were both exciting games. If you're neutral, you can't beat a fight of late. In terms of individual moments, it is difficult to overstate England's victory over Germany. In his post-match interview, Gareth Southgate talked about seeing his old teammate David Seaman smiling on the big screen at Wembley and hoping he managed to jot down some memories of Euro '96, when He missed the shootout against Germany in the semi-finals. And England went out. You could tell that something was lifted off his shoulders, and it was visible across the country.
Tom Hamilton: We have been very impressed with the matches of this round. Each was fascinating and exhilarating in its own way, Spain's 5-3 win over Croatia was a stunning sight of a game, and then later matched by Switzerland's penalty shootout victory over France. Pogba's goal was spectacular, as was Thorgan Hazard's winner for Belgium against Portugal. Also, think of Benzema's Dennis Bergkamp-esque first goal against the Swiss while falling into the haze of France's exit. And it's impossible not to catch up with his latest hero, Kasper Dolberg, on a trip to Denmark through these Euros. But after all that he has suffered in this tournament, you had to smile when Morata scored against Switzerland. He has been in the spotlight all through this championship – better for worse – and he deserves his goal.
Do you need to revise the last match-up you predicted before last 16?
Olley: Er, just a little. France was my clear pre-tournament favorite even in the difficult half of the draw, and Switzerland seemed the perfect springboard into the later stages. To make it worse, I thought the Netherlands would go on after three Group C wins. Italy against Belgium is very close to the call, but Austria caused the Italians problems and Belgium's more firepower could win the day. The responsibility of reaching the final from the second half rests with England.
Laurens: I need to revise my last match-up because I predicted the France vs Germany final and they are both finished! It's easy to call a side a draw now: England will go to the final because no one in that bracket can stop them. The other side of the draw is hard to predict. I will go this time for Belgium to make it to the finals. He has learned a lot from the 2018 World Cup and the semi-final loss against France. Now this group of players is ready for their first final and first trophy in a major tournament.
Dawson: My prediction was France vs England, but before that it was bottled up after France went 3-1 against Switzerland with 10 minutes to go. England should make it out of the bracket of Ukraine, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Even though Belgium have had their toughest quarterfinal against Italy, they still have players arriving at Wembley on 11 July.
HAMILTON: Okay, my shouting for France to reach the final and win the whole thing sounds a little silly now, so let's move on to the Italy-England match at Wembley on July 11th. I told Denmark to go too far in the tournament from the start and they can still surprise us all and win the championship while Belgium are ticking up well, but I fear an injury may derail their bid. can take off. Italy have been superbly coached by Roberto Mancini, and with England riding the crest of the wave after their win over Germany, it could be a very tasty match in the final.
Marcotti: I had Belgium vs Germany, so obviously I need to revise Germany as they lost. Logic suggests England at this point, but I'd still like to believe in a Danish fairy tale, so I'll go with them. I'm less confident about Belgium after Kevin de Bruyne's injury, but I think I should stick with them.
Ogden: I predicted the France vs England final before the round of 16, but wouldn't have been surprised if England had lost to Germany. France losing to Switzerland was never in the equation, and the loss of the world champions has opened Euro 2020 wide. After Les Blaes is out, I'm going to Belgium to reach the finals instead - but it all depends on De Bruyne and Eden Hazard's fitness for the quarter-finals against Italy.
Which coaches have influenced you and who have struggled?
Dawson: Luis Enrique showed how strong a character he is by sticking with Alvaro Morata when the easy decision would have been to succumb to outside pressure and choose someone else. It paid off, and not only because Morata scored Spain's fourth goal in their 5-3 win over Croatia. His all-rounder performance was superb, especially the way he kept the ball up and brought the others into the game. Kylian Mbappe missed the decisive penalty for France against Switzerland, but Deschamps should take most of the blame for the result. There was no need to change his system and it put France on the back foot from the very first whistle.
HAMILTON: Casper Hjulmund of Denmark has been my star of the tournament. He has managed to navigate everything thrown at his side, and yet he plays amazing football and has a real shot at winning this tournament. Luis Enrique has lived up to his coaching philosophy and it has eventually paid off, while England's Southgate and Italy's Mancini have both made bold choices that have paid off. But for those who have struggled, look no further than the managers already back home in France's Deschamps and Germany's Joachim Low. Both teams have been worse than the sum of their parts.
Marcotti: Mancini, tactically, has been extremely influential in the way he rebuilt Italy and this group of players. Luis Enrique is also very nice, although the choice of his personnel leaves me scratching my head at times. And given what Denmark has done, I have to give a shout-out to Hujulmand, from a human-management standpoint. On the flipside, Frank de Boer lived up to the expectations I think. I knew Lou was going to struggle, I didn't expect it to be to such an extent. As for Deschamps, I've been a critic for a long time, so I can't say I'm surprised, but switching to the back three was such an extreme choice (and an extremely bad one), I can't let it go without mentioning. .
Ogden: Vladimir Petkovic has been in charge of Switzerland since 2014, but he rarely makes headlines or receives praise. Perhaps Deschamps and France underestimated him before their meeting in Bucharest as Petkovic propelled the Swiss to a famous victory with a tactical game plan and smart use of substitutions. The Swiss are well organized, but they also have flair, and it's all down to Petkovic's astute coaching. To those struggling, Lou seemed like a man out of ideas during Germany's brief stay at the tournament. He has overshadowed a period of success during his 15-year reign, but he should have left after a group-stage exit at the last World Cup.
Ole: Southgate deserves credit for tackling this tournament with a clear plan. This has caused panic among some England fans, mainly because it is not what one had expected: a squad full of attacking potential has prioritized safety-first football and defensive stability. It's not pretty—and there remains a doubt that the balance may go too far the other way—but it's highly effective. Contrast this with Germany's Low, who had talented players at his disposal but did not turn them into an effective unit during the tournament, although still looking for a way to score four goals from Portugal. Equally, Deschamps' decision to switch systems and personnel against Switzerland clearly contributed to France's surprise exit, given that they went back into a more dependable 4-4-2 shape in the second half. But how much improved, only till then failed to tighten things up. stop the game
Lawrence: Let's start with the disappointments. France's failure lies on Deschamps. He picked the wrong strategy and the wrong players against Switzerland. Fernando Santos's choice for Portugal was just as bad against Belgium, while De Boer failed as the Netherlands' opponents leveled up, and it was still only the Czech Republic. But for Luis Enrique to always believe and nothing to change for Spain, to Mancini and Hjulmund to give Italy and Denmark a real identity, and to Roberto MartÃnez and Southgate to deal well with the immense pressure so far Well done.
We have seen nine goals of our own; Why any theory?
Ogden: When you consider individual goals, it can be nothing more than a bizarre coincidence that so many runs have been scored. For example, there is no direct comparison between Martin Dubravka's own goal for Slovakia against Spain and the failure of Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon to connect with Pedri's back-pass against Croatia. Lack of familiarity with tournament ball may be a minor factor, but a ball is a ball - it is round and moving, so blaming the ball would be looking for excuses.
Marcotti: I think it's just sample size and randomness. The goalkeeper's own two goals were odd mistakes. I don't think there's much to read in domestic leagues other than that, even with big deflections, aiming gives a little more pleasure, possibly because it's suitable for both attackers and defenders. UEFA seems a bit more rational in that regard.
Ole: A cynical could argue that this is the result of a weakening in quality, resulting from an increase of 24 participants, who were given the second-highest number of goals (three) at Euro 2016, when the format was first changed. . But elite nations have been heavily involved. And Portugal's two 'scores' came from overloads in wide areas and the defenders were left with no choice. To some extent, the same is the case with Germany's Mats Hummels against France. It could happen anywhere - Dubravka is unlikely to make the same mistake he did against Spain for the rest of his career. Ditto Simon's mistake for Spain against Croatia.
Lawrence: Is there a rational explanation? not necessary; More bad luck and bad drama. There were moments of pure insanity, with Dubravka hitting the ball into his own net or Simon controlling the ball before thinking about his pass. And pure mediocre moments like when Hummels and Juraj Kucka couldn't fix their feet. Merih Demiral, Rubén Dias and Rafael Guerreiro are all really good players but they were victims of great crosses. Wojciech Szczeciny and Lukas Herdecky were unlucky as the ball bounced off the woodwork at them.
Dawson: It's an anomaly. You can't account for mistakes like Dubravka or Simon. Play the same tournament again nine times and you won't get the same number of goals. It's one of those things that can happen in football.
HAMILTON: A large number of players in this tournament will undoubtedly suffer from mental fatigue after this never-ending season, and hence it may impact some decision making at crucial moments. Some of their own goals - Demirel and Hummels in their respective openers - can be accounted for in the poor position. Some have been downright unlucky: Szczeni could do nothing about his goal against Slovakia when the ball hit his post to hit him and go inside. Then you had Croatia's awkward opener against Spain, as Pedri's back-pass went past Simon. There doesn't seem to be any uniting factor between the nine, other than bad luck and pressure, the staples of football's misfortune.