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This is when it starts to get really interesting. Real-life jeopardy. Proper drama. The group stages had their moments but the straight knock-out nature of finals football conjures up a whole different level of emotion.

Four players from Elland Road were present - on pitch or bench - for the first round of knockout football. All either watched or took part in some outstanding games.

However, as with knockout football, there were mixed fortunes as four became three.

The Yorkshire Pirlo put in another rock-solid performance on Tuesday evening, playing the full 90 minutes as England beat Germany 2-0 at Wembley to go through to the quarter-finals. Koch was an unused substitute again and, unfortunately, failed to knock up any minutes in this years Euros.

It was Englands - and Phillips - night in the end, beating the Germans in a major tournament finals for the first time since 1966. Phillips is the first Leeds United player to do so since the late great Jack Charlton.

Early scepticism was rife as Gareth Southgates team selection came out, opting for a back three with both Declan Rice and Phillips in a midfield two. But the duo, despite both picking up yellow cards in the first half, dominated the midfield battle against Leon Goretzka and Toni Kroos in a solid display from the Three Lions.

Southgates tactical switch up worked perfectly however, and England seemed relatively comfortable throughout, packing in the central areas whilst also successfully nullifying Germanys rampaging wing-backs, Robin Gosens and Joshua Kimmich, who have provided Die Mannschafts biggest threat in the group stages.

Chances fell equally to both sides in the first half. For England, Raheem Sterling went close with a curling shot before Harry Maguire had a header that went straight at Manuel Neuer. Whilst Kai Havertz came closest to scoring for Germany, his well struck half-volley tipped over by the sublime again Jordan Pickford.

The second-half was a much more docile affair until, in the 75th minute, Sterling cut in from the right, before laying the ball into Harry Kane who subsequently fed Jack Grealish on the left. Grealishs low cross found the onrushing Sterling who tapped home from close range.

Thomas Muller was handed a great chance by Sterling just six minutes later and ended up clean through on Pickfords goal, but the Bayern Munich forward, somehow, slipped the ball wide of the post.

After that snap chance, however, it was England who continued to pose the biggest threat, and when Kane nodded in another fantastic Grealish cross four minutes from time it was 2-0, and game over.

Englands win takes them into a quarter-final clash with Ukraine on Wednesday, in Rome, knowing a win sets up a semi-final clash with one of Denmark or the Czech Republic.

For Koch, this tournament will be looked back upon as a learning opportunity and an opportunity to settle into a national camp that he will likely have many successful tournaments with.

Phillips reputation amongst England fans grows and grows with each passing minute. He is still yet to miss a minute of this finals and his partnership with Rice gets better and better. Jordan Henderson - previously a shoe-in for the starting XI - will struggle to find a spot.

Roberts was finally handed his first major tournament minutes for Wales on Saturday, coming on as a sub for Kieffer Moore in the 78th minute. It was to be a bittersweet experience, however, as Wales crashed out in spectacular fashion, losing 4-0 to Denmark in Amsterdam.

Rob page opted for the regular front three - Gareth Bale and Dan James either side of Moore - for the first knockout game of the tournament. They, along with Aaron Ramsey from midfield, started the game with real purpose, breaking the Danish lines and creating a few early half-chances.

But Denmark made a notable tactical adjustment after around 20 minutes, pushing Thomas Christensen up from a back-three into the base of the midfield, and from there managed to gain control of the game.

It didnt take long for Denmark to convert their control into a goal, and when Joakim Mhles ball found Mikkel Damsgaard Wales looked vulnerable. From there, Damsgaard offloaded to Kasper Dolberg who turned Chris Mepham and fired into the bottom-right corner.

From that point onwards Kasper Hjulmands side controlled the game, reducing Wales to just one shot on target amongst an array of speculative long-shots. Dolberg added a second just after the break when Neco Williams terrible clearance fell to him six yards out, although Wales will feel aggrieved not to have won a free-kick in the build up.

Roberts came on with 12 minutes to go, although by then a demoralised Wales side struggled to provide any service for the 22-year-old who managed just five touches, all of which were successful passes and part of some slick link up play.

Two late goals, firstly from Mhle and then from Martin Braithwaite, bookended a debatable Harry Wilson red card and piled on the misery for Wales who, despite failing to create anything of substance past the first 25 minutes, will regard themselves unlucky to go out with a 4-0 defeat.

Roberts himself will likely be left dispirited by his lack of minutes and couldve easily featured more often after a promising, if inconsistent, season with Leeds.

Leeds Spanish defender had the pleasure of witnessing the game of the tournament so far on Monday - debatable come 10pm that same night, when Switzerland knocked France out on Penalties - as his side beat Croatia 5-3 after extra-time in Copenhagen after finishing the 90 minutes at 3-3.

It will seem bittersweet, however, as he was once again an unused substitute and is still yet to make an appearance at the finals. Luis Enrique opted to start Aymeric Laporte and Eric Garcia in the middle of a back four.

Spain started the better of the two sides and predictably dominated possession, with early chances spurned by Alvaro Morata and Koke.

It was to be Croatia who took the lead though, and in bizarre circumstances. Pedris challenging back-pass to Unai Simon was completely missed by the Spanish goalkeeper, who turned and watched as the ball trickled into an empty net.

Spain kept their heads, however, and went into half-time at 1-1 after Pablo Sarabia fired in a loose ball from 15 yards.

Cesar Azpilicueta put Spain 2-1 up with a powerful header on 57 minutes before Ferran Torres brilliant run and finish looked to have ended the contest with 13 minutes still to play.

Croatia were not ready to give up, and with five minutes to go Mislav Orsic fumbled home after a series of chances, with goal-line technology adjudging the ball to have just crossed the line. Game on.

Spains centre-backs looked vulnerable to crosses all game and when Orsics cross found Mario Pasalic inbetween Laporte and the subbed on Pau Torres, Pasalic tucked home for 3-3 and extra-time.

Spain again managed to level themselves during the brief break and looked far superior during the first half, with two goals in that 15 minute spell, firstly from Morata who smashed home clinically. Mikel Oyarzabal then slotted home a Dani Olmo cross from a tight angle to make it 5-3.

Spain rode out the final 15 with relative ease and the win puts them into a quarter-final game with Switzerland on Tuesday.

Llorente will be desperate for an opportunity as Spain go into the latter stages of the tournament. He is the only outfield player yet to make an appearance for Spain.

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Euro 2020 Leeds watch - Round of 16: Knockout jeopardy as Leeds players drop from four to three - Through It All Together

With a couple of minutes to play in Budapest, the French midfielder Adrien Rabiot looked squarely at Sergio Oliveira, his Portuguese opponent, and advised him to back away. Like everyone else in the stadium, Rabiot had heard the news. The group stage of Euro 2020 was effectively over. Both France and Portugal were through to the knockout rounds. There was no need to run or to chase or to press. Now was the time for watching the clock.

It had not, for either team, been a straightforward evening. The game had oscillated Portugal led, then France, then Portugal struck back and so had their fates, dependent to some extent on the outcome of the groups other game, between Germany and Hungary in Munich. At one point or another, each of the four teams had believed they were going through.

Only once Leon Goretzka had secured Germany a point against Hungary was it all settled. Hungary would be the fall guy; the three favorites all had safe passage to a round of 16 that offers a suite of intriguing encounters and two particularly mouthwatering ones: Portugals encounter with Belgium in Seville on Sunday, and Englands welcoming Germany to London on Tuesday.

The jostling for position is, now, at an end. The real business starts here.

The reigning world champion, France, may not have sailed through its group with quite the ease of some of its challengers Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy all posted perfect records but that does not quite tell the whole story.

The caliber of its opponent, first and foremost, was notably higher: France dropped points to Portugal, the defending European champion, and a Hungary team one good enough to come within a whisker of beating Germany roared on by a fiercely partisan home crowd.

Just as significant, particularly in its final game, France managed to give the impression that it has more to offer as and when necessary. Whenever Rabiot, Paul Pogba and the rest needed to lift the rhythm, they did so seamlessly. It is probably worth noting, too, that Kylian Mbapp has not scored yet, a ceasefire that will not hold forever.

Nor, as yet, has an obvious contender emerged to Frances air of superiority. Germany, Portugal, Belgium, England and Spain the group of teams that would expect to profit from any slight hesitation on the part of France have yet to hit their stride. The teams that have impressed, Italy and the Netherlands, seem a little too young or a little too fragile to last the course. This is still Frances tournament to lose.

Roberto Mancini has his wish. On the eve of Euro 2020, Mancini, Italys coach, declared that he wanted his team to win over a public scarred by a decade of disappointment by having fun. His players have duly delivered.

Italy has won all three group games. It has played thrilling, inventive soccer, backed by a raucous and partisan crowd in Rome. It is despite relatively stiff competition from the Netherlands the most compelling team in the tournament, the one that it is most rewarding to watch. It is also yet to concede a goal, because deep down, it is still Italy.

That early promise is no guarantee of later success, of course. Every European Championships has a side that wins hearts and minds early on the Czech Republic in 2004, the Netherlands in 2008 and Italy in 2016 only to fall as soon as the level of difficulty ratchets up.

Mancinis team should have enough to breeze past Austria in the first knockout round, but Belgium, its most probable opponent in the quarterfinal, would provide a sterner test. Those two sides are an intriguing contrast: more than any team, Italy benefited from the postponement of this tournament. The yearlong delay because of the pandemic granted Mancinis young side invaluable experience. It may have proved too callow had the competition been held, as scheduled, in 2020.

The converse is true of Belgium. Roberto Martnezs team also has won all its games, but it has done so with none of the verve or panache that has marked Italys progress. Belgium slumbered past Russia. It played in fits and starts to see off a spirited Denmark, and then roused itself late to swat aside Finland. Belgium is the worlds top-ranked team, but it also has the oldest squad in the tournament. It has the air of a team whose moment has just passed. Italys, you sense, is yet to come.

Nobody is under any illusions that the current format for the European Championship is perfect. It is cumbersome and it is unwieldy and it is, at times, unsatisfactorily inconclusive. Switzerland won on Sunday night, but only knew the meaning of its victory on Monday. Ukraine lost on Monday, but had to wait until Wednesday to discover its fate.

But that is not to say that the tension does not have its benefits. Only one of the final round of games the Netherlands win against North Macedonia was devoid of it; the Dutch had already won their group, and their guest in Amsterdam had already been eliminated. The 11 remaining matches all had something riding on them, whether that was settling the matter of who won the group or identifying which teams would qualify for the knockouts.

That balance between benefit and drawback continues in the round of 16. On Saturday, Wales faces Denmark in Amsterdam. Both finished as the runner-up in their groups. But so did Austria, and it must play Italy.

The need to squeeze in two games in the round of 16 between second-placed teams, to make the whole format work, has the effect of unbalancing the draw. That has been mitigated a little this time by the fact that Spain could not top its group, thanks to Swedens late winner against Poland, and will face Croatia in Copenhagen. But the consequence is clear: Some teams have a much more challenging route to the final than others.

On one side of the draw, for example, Belgium must first face Portugal, then endure a potential quarterfinal with Italy, before meeting Spain perhaps in a semifinal. On the other, both England and Germany have cause to curse a difficult first knockout round matchup, but the prize for winning is a rich one: a quarterfinal against Sweden or Ukraine, and then most likely the Netherlands in the semifinals.

An uneven draw is not necessarily a bad thing. It means there is a route to the latter stages for nations that would, in other formats, expect to be dispatched far earlier. That is to be welcomed. A little randomness, after all, never hurt anyone.

But it also rather exposes the logic that it does not matter when you face the major powers: To win the tournament, after all, you have to play them at some point. The problem is that, sometimes, you have to face more of them than others.

Switzerland Punches Above Its Weight Again

And so, there they are again, like clockwork. Just as was the case in Brazil in 2014, France in 2016 and Russia in 2018, Switzerland has made the last 16 of a major tournament. Quietly how else would the Swiss do it? the country is enjoying a golden era.

It is not, in truth, an especially enthralling one. It is easy to deride the Swiss, as well as that other great recidivist qualifier for the knockout rounds, Sweden, as little more than cannon fodder for the traditional powerhouses in the round of 16. Neither team plays an especially adventurous style though the Swiss victory against Turkey had no little style about it and neither particularly captivates the imagination.

But that should not detract from what an achievement it is for two countries admittedly extremely wealthy ones with a combined population of less than 20 million people to stand so tall, so consistently among the superpowers of Western Europe, the countries that have effectively turned developing young soccer players into an industrial process.

And nor should it disguise the fact that the inability of two of Europes most populous nations Turkey and Russia to do the same is a quite extraordinary failure. Turkey has not even been to a World Cup since its third-place finish in 2002. It made the semifinals of Euro 2008, and has not played a knockout game since.

Russia was a semifinalist in 2008, too, and it enjoyed a stirring run to the quarterfinals in its home World Cup three years ago. But those finals-free runs represent a paltry effort for two countries with such a vast reservoir of talent.

The causes of those respective failures are not uniform Russia does not export players, Turkey does not develop nearly enough of them but there is one binding thread: Both Russia and Turkey are isolationist soccer cultures, resistant to the cutting-edge thinking and best practices that emanate from the leagues to their west. More than anything, both need to import ideas. They could do worse than to start their learning journey by looking at the Swiss, and the Swedes.

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Euro 2020: What We Learned in the Group Stage - The New York Times

Its been a while since I last went to a football match. 479 days to be precise.

The last one was as about as good as it gets really. Marcelo Bielsas Leeds United in their promotion-chasing pomp, a sold-out Elland Road starting to believe it was actually going to happen after Luke Aylings best Tony Yeboah impression, and a 2-0 win in a Yorkshire derby.

That turned out to be the last weekend of regular, sold-out football across the UK. When promotion eventually arrived after a 16-year wait, agonisingly made three months longer, it was celebrated in living rooms and streets across Leeds. But the stands were empty.

I cling to the memory of that last match against Huddersfield like a comfort blanket. Theres a melancholic edge to it now when I think about leaving, looking out onto the empty pitch with an ominous feeling it might be the last time for a while, or how little I thought of Leeds great Norman Hunter walking past the press box with a brush of my shoulder, as happened most matches. Just over a month later, he died after contracting the virus.

Going out and staying out afterwards still remains the last Saturday night that felt normal. Like Arab Straps First Big Weekend in reverse.Ive been back to the same bars again since, albeit with masks, QR codes and two-metre distances. Its not the same.

Its been a long 479 days. Ive become depressingly accustomed to football as a purely televised spectacle. Leeds first season back in the top flight was pure joy, but despite watching every minute of every game live, I couldnt help but feel like Id kind of missed it.

Every weekend increasingly felt like Groundhog Day with the snippets ofCelestes Stop This Flameon Super Sundays indents gradually bludgeoning my psyche. Im still pretty sure every Sunday teatime across the various lockdowns was spent watching Manchester United play out a much-hyped but ultimately dire 0-0 draw naff all else to do though, might as well watch it.

Old colleagues could still get into the press box, while reduced capacity games came in fits and starts, but there were no real pangs of jealousy. It never looked as though I was missing out on the real thing. When I envisaged finally going back, I imagined a sell-out, the steel of the stadium vibrating, a deafening roar to meet the first kick-off after belting out Marching On Together. I imagined a Saturday. An actual one.

A fifth-full Hampden Park, with no-doubt disappointed and disinterested local neutrals robbed of a glamour tie, was not that.

But it was an opportunity not to miss. Ive seen Ukraine at every major tournament theyve ever competed in, having beenraised as a second-generation member of the diaspora. Most of my family holidays as a kid were spent following Zbirnya or Dynamo Kyiv with my dad and brother.

There were haphazardly arranged weekends away I was 15 when we didnt book a hotel and ended up sleeping in a doorway in Rome and letters to school explaining the cultural importance of going to Ukraines first and only World Cup appearance in 2006. When Valeriy Lobanovskyis Dynamo were in the UK, we were there. Be it Wembley, Old Trafford or Barry Town.

Even before the pandemic, the budget airline vibe of the continent-wide Euro 2020 didnt really appeal.

Seeing Ukraine, Poland and France get transformed for three weeks, whole cities commandeered by thousands of fans is what makes international tournaments special. Jetting in and out to Amsterdam and Bucharest didnt have the same appeal not least with potential periods of quarantining and all the additional logistics headaches. Id made peace with the fact that it wasnt going to happen.

But thanks to a stroke of luck, Ukraine were heading to Glasgow for their first knockout match since 2006. Suddenly there was nothing stopping me.

READ:Andriy Shevchenko: From national hero to Europes next top boss?

Andriy Shevchenkos men were exceptional in qualifying but disappointed come the tournament. A spirited two-goal comeback against the Netherlands kicked things off with a bang, but ultimately counted for nothing in a 3-2 defeat, while they were second-best in a 1-0 defeat to an irritatingly good Austria.

Only a narrow 2-1 victory over the lowest-ranked side in the competition, North Macedonia, was enough to see them sneak through as one of the better third-placed teams.

Had they performed better, they would have had to face Italy or the Czech Republic, while it was only Swedens injury-time winner against Poland that set up a clash between the blue & yellow brethren. Had Poland completed their comeback against Sweden, Ukraine wouldve been eliminated, while if it remained a draw it would have meant facing Spain.

Somehow, not only were Ukraine through, but they faced opposition they had a chance against. Sweden was a good omen, too; the last clash between the two nations was among the most joyous occasions in Ukrainian football history as a 36-year-old Shevchenko scored twice in a comeback 2-1 victory at the sold-out Olympiyskiy in Kyiv in the Euro 2012 opener.

Until this year, Shevas brace were the only goals Ukraine had scored in a European Championship. The only game that didnt end in defeat. Now Ukraines greatest player was hoping to have the same influence from the dugout.

I was there, donning an old blue & yellow Leeds away shirt, and thanks to a ton of messages, tweets and posts in Leeds Facebook groups, was made aware Id been spotted on telly, peering over Sheva in the nervous final minutes. The shirt fits quite a bit tighter nine years on, but I had to wear it again as a lucky charm.

After four hours of trains over the Ribblehead viaduct and incredible views of the North Yorkshire countryside, I was in sun-soaked Glasgow. As I schlepped through town to give my Ukrainian contact cash for the ticket he sorted me, the streets and outside seating of all the bars and restaurants were full of blue & yellow shirts. Scottish authorities denied fans from Ukraine and Sweden the ability to fly in, but thousands of UK-based fans like myself were able to make it.

Id hoped to meet fans from the sizeable Ukrainian community from Bradford at a beer hall theyd booked out, but by the time Id sorted my ticket and dropped my stuff off at my cheap hotel, England-Germany was about to start. I wasnt sure how seriously to take the note on my ticket telling me to arrive at Hampden Park two hours before kick-off, but I headed there anyway to watch the early evening kick-off in a sports bar not far away.

From the 15-minute train out, or the short walk around the Mount Florida suburbs, youd barely be aware there was a game on that night. Im agnostic when it comes to England, but I didnt want to miss Leeds Kalvin Phillips on the big occasion.

There was a novelty in watching Englands biggest win in 25 years in a little pool hall in Glasgow but, save for a couple of old blokes straight out of Still Game sat in front of me supporting Germany, it wasnt exactly hostile. Pockets of England fans werent made to feel unwelcome.

It was disappointing to arrive at the ground having missed out on any real sense of build-up, but Id have a chance for that after the match, right? Wrong I hadnt bargained for the stricter restrictions north of the border and 11pm curfew on pubs. Not to mention the classic mistake of forgetting off-licenses up there cant sell booze after 10pm.

Sitting alone in the ground no food, no drinks for an hour, looking across to the opposite stand with a few stray bodies didnt exactly scream huge knockout game. Such a sparse attendance brought back memories of Leeds lowest moments of the Ken Bates era. Southend in the Carling Cup, anyone?

But eventually I found a couple of fans I knew, and the Ukrainian fans clustered together in one end, ignoring the social distancing guidelines, to make the most of the occasion and create as good an atmosphere as could be expected in their end of the ground.

The experience wasnt what I remembered it, but Id forgotten what it was like to get a panoramic view of the whole pitch and a better view of each sides shape and the tactical thinking behind them. The match wasnt a classic; it had a cagey play-off feel, with neither side taking risks and focusing on minimising mistakes. But it was hard-fought and competitive, and there were genuine moments of quality in the set-up for both of Ukraines goals.

For the myriad ways in which the whole experience was made immeasurably worse by the restrictions, the thrill of seeing a move develop and end with the ball in the back of the net remains just as pure, the celebrations just as good. Not least a 121st-minute match-winner, the second-latest goal in Euros history, nodded in by Dnipro strikerArtem Dovbyk after a perfect cross whipped in by Manchester Citys Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Extra-time had been an attritional bloodbath, and you fear for Ukraines legs when it comes to facing England, but Dovbyks header instantly became an iconic moment in Ukrainian football, destined to be replayed in years to come.

But upon seeing the videos of people celebrating in the streets of Kyiv, I couldnt help but recall the famous line from Irish columnistCon Houlihan: Italia 90? I missed it I was in Italy at the time.

After the adrenaline rush of the late winner, it was quite a comedown to return to central Glasgow one of the most fun, alivecities Ive been to on previous visits resembling a ghost town, offering no alternative but to go straight back to the little room of my hotel. I couldnt even get a battered Mars bar, let alone a pint.

The post-match experience was a reminder of how dismal the times were living through are. A window into a world in which property developers turn every last city centre corner into flats and subsequently extinguish any signs of nightlife.

It was a genuine privilege to be there to witness Ukraines victory. It was much better than nothing. But getting a taste only made me more desperate for the real thing. Roll on next season, packed-out grounds, and matchdays that last from the morning until the early hours again.

By Nestor Watach

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Away Days: 479 days later, a trip to the match at last; now I want the real thing - PlanetFootball

Italy is hoping this is the start of a new golden generation after missing the World Cup three years ago; Austria is hoping its current golden generation can reach the Euro quarterfinals for the first time ever. The Euro 2020 Round of 16 continues with the top team from Group A against the runner-up from Group C. Read on for our Italy vs Austria prediction, preview and viewers guide.

LONDON, England (Reuters) Italy stormed into the last 16 scoring more freely than in past European Championships, but it is their near-impenetrable backline that makes them favourites to beat Austria in Saturday's knockout game and head deep into the tournament.

Italy won their first two games 3-0 - after never netting three before at the Euros - then also beat Wales 1-0 in their final group fixture despite resting senior players.

A solid Italian defence is nothing new.

So-called "catenaccio" (doorbolt) backlines from the 1960s and 1970s made Italian club teams feared opponents and gave the nation a reputation for defence. "The perfect game would end 0-0," Italian journalist Gianni Brera famously quipped.

Now the Italy defence is again one to be feared.

In three Euro 2020 games, the Azzurri have faced only 12 shots, on or off target.

Further back, Italy have kept a clean sheet in each of their last 11 matches in all competitions, going 1,055 minutes - 17 hours and 35 minutes - without conceding since a Donny van de Beek goal for the Netherlands last October.

One more clean sheet will see them equal their record of 12 consecutive games without conceding, set between 1972 and 1974.

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has had little to do all tournament, could overtake Walter Zenga's record of the second-longest run without conceding 936 minutes on Saturday. Dino Zoff's all-time record of 1,143 unbeaten minutes could then be in reach.

Alongside his national run, no goalkeeper kept more clean sheets than Donnarumma's 14 in Serie A in 2020-21.

This is Austria's first appearance in the knockout stages of the Euros, and their first in the knockouts of any major tournament since the 1954 World Cup, when they reached the semifinal. So they will be keen to make an impression.

Fiery striker Marko Arnautovic is more than happy to ruffle some feathers, but Italy's rearguard will relish the competition.

One worry coach Roberto Mancini does have is over the fitness of Giorgio Chiellini. He and Leonardo Bonucci are normally Mancini's go-to centre-back partnership, with the club teammates possessing 214 Italy caps between them.

But there is plenty of experience a key component of an Italian backline in reserve. Francesco Acerbi, who played alongside Bonucci while Chiellini had a long injury layoff in 2019-20, is capable of seamlessly stepping in.

In knockout rounds, it is often the best defences that emerge victorious, given the nerves of the occasion stemming free-flowing, attacking football.

Protected brilliantly by Jorginho in midfield, and with the ever-reliable Donnarumma behind them, Italy's backline is set up to make any opposition struggle. Austria must hope for a rare off day if they are to have any chance of springing a surprise.

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Italy vs. Austria Prediction/Preview: Can The Azzurri Keep Their Scoreless Streak Alive? - The18

1) Belgium (up 2)

Were presented with the toughest of tests in the last 16 in the shape of the reigning champions, Portugal, but won a surprisingly feisty encounter 1-0 thanks to Thorgan Hazards sumptuous strike. The veterans Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Vermaelen (combined age: 100 years) coped admirably with everything Portugal threw at them in the kind of game they may have lost a few years ago. We had to show an incredible mentality, Roberto Martnez said. Everything was about being disciplined and tactically astute. That is what a winning team needs. The injured Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard may miss out against Italy but Belgium feel they have a squad that can cope with that.

The 2-0 win against Germany was vindication for Gareth Southgate and his tactics. True, England did not create many chances before Raheem Sterling scored the opener but neither, frankly, did Germany and once England were in front there was no stopping them. The back three worked well and so did having Jack Grealish spring from the bench in the second half. They now have to play away from Wembley for the first time as they face Ukraine in Rome but Harry Maguire said they are ready: We dont get carried away. If you dont play to a level you will get punished. If we dont perform we will lose.

Gone was the fluency from the group stage so Italy had to rely on their willpower to get past Austria, winning 2-1 at Wembley after extra time. Perhaps the many changes before the third group game had unsettled Roberto Mancinis team and perhaps the selection of Marco Verratti ahead of Manuel Locatelli was a little negative. But through they are and Federico Chiesa did everything possible to secure a starting place against Belgium in the quarter-finals with a scintillating substitute appearance and a goal 25 years after his father scored at the Euros.

What a rollercoaster ride it has been for Luis Enrique and Spain. There were the two opening draws, the two missed penalties, the abuse of lvaro Morata and his family and then the release in the shape of a 5-0 victory against Slovakia. The last-16 game against Croatia packed a lot in too with Unai Simns horrible mistake, Spain being 3-1 up with five minutes remaining yet still having to play extra time, and finally Moratas goal and a 5-3 win. It seems as if all this has got the group of players closer together and that can only work in their favour. Now Switzerland await.

The 4-0 win against Wales felt like the first game of the Euros where Denmarks focus was completely on the football. Of course this championship will always be about Christian Eriksen, and his teammates will want to win every single game, every single tackle for him, but the players now sense a chance that they can go very far indeed in this tournament. That has, at least from the outside, felt secondary until now. It was impressive how the team responded to losing two starters, Yussuf Poulsen and Daniel Wass, and carried on as if nothing had happened. One of the replacements, Kasper Dolberg, scored twice.

The Swiss had gone out in the last 16 in the past two tournaments and they were expected to depart again at the same stage given they were facing the world champions, France. However, Vladimir Petkovics side were outstanding as they took the lead and responded to missing a penalty that would have put them 2-0 up to take the game into extra time and penalties. The striker Haris Seferovic, oft-criticised, now has three goals in the tournament, two of them coming against France.

This is a dream, the best game of my life, said Tomas Holes, who gave the Czechs the lead against the Netherlands, a game they won 2-0 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Denmark. The Czechs have been extremely organised and there is danger up front in the shape of Patrik Schick, who also scored against the Netherlands. The Dutch were so poor after the sending-off of Matthijs de Ligt that it is difficult to judge how good the performance was but Holes could not have been more pleased. Tactically we played a great game when it was 11 v 11 and 10 v 11, he said. We never gave them any space to play and we were rewarded. We played as a team and with some great individual performances.

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Andriy Shevchenkos side march on, beating Sweden 2-1 in their last-16 encounter after Artem Dovbyk scored the winner in the last minute of extra time. They were much improved on the poor performance against Austria in their last group game and they frustrated the Swedes with their deep defending and quick counterattacks. The win came at a cost though with several players injured, including the captain, Andriy Yarmolenko, and it remains to be seen if he is fit to face England in the quarter-finals. With this performance and commitment, our team has deserved the love of the whole country, a pleased Shevchenko told uefa.com after the game.

The champions went out at the last-16 stage, paying the penalty for finishing third in their group and facing Belgium in their first knockout game. They were not terrible in that encounter but neither did the result feel harsh. It is rare to see Fernando Santos and the rest of the team as tactically flummoxed as they were in the 4-2 defeat against Germany, with Bernardo Silva hooked at half-time, and there were several players who looked below their best after draining club seasons, Bruno Fernandes only one of them. Cristiano Ronaldo did his bit, scoring five goals, but they could not defend their title.

They did what they had to which was to get out of the group and nearly more. There was a sense that Croatia were getting better and better as the tournament progressed. They were a class above Scotland in their final group game and then produced a magical comeback against Spain to take the game into extra time. They had chances to go ahead before finally succumbing 5-3. The coach, Zlatko Dalic, was criticised back home but said he would continue in the role and try to take the nation to the 2022 World Cup. We have nothing to be ashamed of, he said. We made some simple mistakes, which you cant afford against the likes of Spain because they will punish you. But its part of growing up.

Franco Fodas side can be proud of themselves. Austria had never progressed from the group stage of a European Championship but they did so here and then pushed Italy all the way in the last 16. Few had given them a chance against Roberto Mancinis swashbuckling side but they took the game into extra time and rallied once they went 2-0 down, too. In the end, Italy held out for a 2-1 win but Foda remarked: Even after 2-0 behind the team kept believing. That was very impressive. We had a good dynamic. Defensively we were very solid.

What a strange tournament for the world champions. They emerged from the group of death as winners and were given a last-16 tie against Switzerland, only to implode and go out on penalties. The game against Switzerland showed just how small the margins are at this level. Switzerland equalised in the 90th minute through Mario Gavranovic and even after that Kingsley Coman hit the bar in regulation time. I am responsible when things go badly, Didier Deschamps, the manager, said. I am with them, they are with me. We will need time to manage this.

Sweden dominated the second half against Ukraine, in which Emil Forsberg hit the bar and a post, and looked to have enough in the tank to put pressure on their last-16 opponents until the defender Marcus Danielson was sent off early on in extra time. Just before that, the coach, Janne Andersson, had made a triple substitution to try to win the game. This is brutal, he said after Ukraines winner in the 120th minute. Overall, Sweden will be pleased with their performance, with Forsberg in particular having an outstanding tournament.

Joachim Lws 15-year reign in charge of the Nationalmannschaft ended with a whimper. Germany started brightly against England at Wembley but faded in the second half and did not threaten particularly after the home side had gone ahead (apart from the good chance gifted to Thomas Mller). Lw will be criticised for some strange substitutions towards the end (is Emre Can really the answer when you are chasing a game?) and, apart from the scintillating win against Portugal, this was a poor tournament for Germany. They will be better under Hansi Flick.

Won all their three games in the group stage and looked in a decent position to go far in the tournament but folded like a house of cards once Matthijs de Ligt was sent off eight minutes into the second half against the Czech Republic. Frank de Boer failed to reorganise his troops and on the pitch the players lacked belief. On Tuesday De Boer left his post, saying: The pressure is only increasing and that is not a healthy situation for me, nor for the squad. Georginio Wijnaldum scored three goals and Denzel Dumfries had a good tournament but this feels like a lost chance for the Dutch.

There was to be no repeat of the heroics from 2016 and they were well beaten by Denmark. Wales started well in their last-16 game but seemed to run out of steam after about 25 minutes and could have no complaint about the result. Rob Page has done well as an interim coach and said after the defeat: Were a young group, well bounce back and move forward. Weve just said to them: Youll become bigger and better for this experience. The biggest stars, Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, did not produce against Denmark and maybe a season of bit-part roles at their clubs caught up with them in the end.

Originally posted here:
Euro 2020 power rankings: Belgium and England on the up for last eight - The Guardian