We have got our last 16, and it is going to be an exciting knock out stage. The group stage was full of surprises and so today we will take a look at who shined and who the teams will now be facing in order to secure their place in the semi-finals.
Group A
Italy topped their group at the Euros with nine points, being unbeaten so far in all three matches and have not conceded a single goal. The Azzurri look strong to go into the Round of 16 in which they will face Austria, who are determined to progress and make their country even more proud after they managed to save themselves during the group stage for the first time in their footballing history.
Italy beat Wales 1-0 thanks to a goal from Matteo Pessina at the 39th minute. Despite this, the Welsh still made it to the last 16 as they finished in second with four points. Below them, Switzerland also qualified through third place with four points, thanks to their goal average. A 3-1 win against Turkey, who have not managed to grasp a single point during this competition, saw them qualify and now will face current World Champions France. Italy - Federico Chiesa
The Juventus forward finally got a start. He has been an essential part of the Juventus squad this season, as the Bianconeri struggled in the Champions League and even to qualify for it for next season.
Chiesa had one of his best seasons in Serie A as he shined with the Italian giants, and has also been essential for Italy during their qualifying journey. Having not qualified for the 2018 World Cup, Italy had to go through a shift of players and staff, and Federico Chiesa has been a pillar of this transition. The right winger is an agile and a great box-to-box player, which has been incorporated very well in the Italian squad. One should notice how Mancini is is setting up players with great chemistry thanks to their mutual clubs, as we have seen between Locatelli and Berardi in the match against Switzerland. For the match against a strong Wales side, Mancini set up Chiesa with his teammate at Juventus, and also during his time at Fiorentina, Federico Bernardeschi. Wales had some great goal scoring opportunities but the Italian defense was too strong for them, and the link up between the Juventus duo helped Italy to maintain a strong defensive front and present and offensive threat at the same time, which is after all what the Italians specialise at. Chiesa was great to watch against Wales, and we hope that Mancini chooses him more for his starting eleven, because the 23-year old is not one to mess with on the field. Switzerland - Xherdan Shaqiri
Without a doubt, the midfielder is one of the best for his country, and is a great leader on the pitch to help this side maintain hope that they will finally achieve a great result. The match against Turkey surely gave them some confidence but now the real test is against France.
Scoring two goals for his country, Shaqiri was a key figure during this match and did not give the Turkish a break. He surely made life difficult for them which is what earned him the Star of the Match award. Moving from Stoke City to Liverpool in 2018, the 29-year old only had 14 appearances during this year's Premier League season. It seems that he had not been having the best of times with Liverpool, who also had to deal with their struggles this season, especially due to several injuries suffered. A great Euro campaign can show his domestic club that he is worthy of being a regular for the Merseyside club. His two goals gave Switzerland their second win in which they scored more than a single goal in a Euro match. The last and only time that they managed to score more than one goal was back in 2008, in a 2-0 win against Portugal. The Swiss has now also scored in four major tournaments for his country which are the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, the 2016 Euros and this year's Euros. A win against France, will surely make him a hero for his country who is still trying find ground in international football. Group B
The group that had gotten us all very emotional after what happened to Christian Eriksen, but now not only he is recovering and feeling better, but he will surely be supporting his teammates in the Round of 16. After having to play a match after their teammate had a cardiac arrest which could have been seriously fatal, and then suffering another loss of 2-1 to a strong Belgian side, the Danish came out stronger than ever against Russia, to beat them 4-1 and find themselves in second place with three points and a good enough goal average to be above Finland and Russia.
Belgium topped the group with nine points after they won each match, the last one being a 2-0 win to Finland, who their third place finish with three points still did not suffice to find themselves in the Round of 16. Belgium will now be facing Portugal, and it will be exciting to see Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku go head-to-head against Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo. Belgium - Jeremy Doku
So far, we have not heard much about Jeremy Doku but if Roberto Martinez chooses him again to play for Belgium and he keeps up his performance just like he did against Finland, he will surely be making headlines this summer. The 19-year old right winger is coming from his first season with Ligue 1 side Rennes who finished sixth. After joining the French side on a €26 million transfer fee, he managed 20 appearances in which he scored twice and also registered two assists.
His involvement in the pitch is key and he displayed a great performance for Belgium during his first ever match in the Euros. He started off his professional career with the youth team of the Belgium club Beerschot. He later on joined Anderlecht youth, one of the best sides in Belgium and progressed through the ranks there before moving to France. He was given his international debut in a 2-0 win over Denmark during the Nations League when he was only 18 years, three months and nine days old. He featured for two minutes as a substitute for Youri Tielemans, and then went on to start in a 5-1 win to Iceland, in which he also scored his first goal. Doku is a creative player, who is able to come up with some great opportunities for his teammates and also himself to score. He did miss out on some opportunities to find the net against Finland, but considering it was his first match, one can say that he is an exciting prospect to look out for during these Euros, if given the chance by Roberto Martinez of course. Denmark - Andreas Christensen
What a year the Chelsea defender is having. On Monday, he surely came through for his country, not only scoring one of the best goals that we have seen so far in the Euro Cup this year, but also an important goal which helped Denmark improve their goal average, get three points and make it to the Round of 16, despite the difficult campaign that they started off too.
The Champions League winner only managed 17 Premier League appearances this year, but with him in the back, Chelsea recorded nine clean sheets. Also, in the Champions League, in seven appearances, he helped the London side maintain five clean sheets, including the final to rivals Manchester City which ended 1-0. The other two matches ended in a 1-1 draw which were to Krasnodar in the Group Stage and Real Madrid in the semi-finals. The 25-year old is rock solid in the back and is a great team player which helps to boost his team up. With Simon Kjaer along his side, Christensen is learning how to be a great leader in defense and is already showing the potential to lead his side to bigger milestones in the future. Group C
Austria saw themselves achieving their best ever place in a major tournament's group stage, as they won 1-0 to Ukraine and finished second with six points. During their campaign so far, they only lost to the Netherlands, who won every match, topping the group as they earned themselves another three points thanks to the 3-0 win to North Macedonia.
Unfortunately, the Macedonians were eliminated after their first ever Euro campaign. The substitution at the 69th minute in which Tihomir Kostadinov came onto the pitch, saw the best Macedonian player, Goran Pandev play his last ever match in the red and yellow shirt. It was a heart-touching moment for the 37-year old who in 2010, lifted the Champions League trophy and celebrated the treble with Inter Milan alongside players such as Samuel E'eto, Javier Zanetti, Mario Materazzi, Wesley Sneijder and the list goes on. Despite the fact that The Netherlands and North Macedonia were opponents for that night, the Dutch displayed a class act where Dutch captain, Georginio Wijnaldum, gifted Pandev a Dutch shirt with his name on it and the number 122 which represented the number of appearances which he capped for his country. Austria - Florian Grillitsch
This is the first Euros that the Hoffenheim player is competing in, and he is yet to find his feet, but the match against Ukraine was a great one for him and will surely boost his confidence as he is set to face Italy, one of the best defensive sides in this tournament so far.
Grillitsch is not a player that we hear of everyday. He started his professional career in 2008 with Pottschach before moving to St.Polten to join their youth academy. He came up through the ranks with the Austrian side and eventually he got recognised by the Bundesliga side, Werder Bremen. In 2013, he joined the U19 side before eventually making it to the senior side in 2015. He immediately became essential for his side, as he made 25 appearances in his first Bundesliga season with Werder Bremen. In 2017, he then moved to Hoffenheim on a free transfer and signed a contract which so far keeps him there till June 30th 2022. Despite the fact that he is a defensive midfielder, he can of course play an offensive role. In his defensive position, he finds it easy to switch to offensive play and lay balls for his teammates to score, or even score some himself. During this season, he played as an attacking midfielder four times, three times in the Bundesliga and once in Europa League. He managed to find the net twice in the position in Hoffenheim's Bundesliga fixture against Augsburg. Having such a midfielder which can basically fill up any position in the midfield is essential. He covers a lot of ground, and so he is essential to helping Austria finally have a successful major tournament campaign, like they're already having. The Netherlands - Giorginio Wijnaldum
After having his breakout season in 2015 with Newcastle and being named the Netherlands Footballer of the Year, Wijnaldum signed for Liverpool and has been essential ever since. Now, that chapter is coming to an end as he aims at joining Paris-Saint Germain after the Euros, but first he needs to lead his country to victory, like he has been doing these last three matches.
In fact, he found the net twice against North Macedonia, which made him worth of the Star of the Match award. The midfielder has been essential so far in his country's campaign for the Euro, and even scored in their opening match against Ukraine who posed as a threat. Wijnaldum is not new to us football fans, we all know what a leader he can be and how dominant he can be on the pitch. Many have been doubting till where the Netherlands will make it through in this tournament, but with Wijnaldum's presence in the centre of the field, and players such as Matthijs De Ligt, Stefan De Vrij, Frenkie De Jong, Memphis Depay up front and more, the Dutch are not the ones to mess with. Group D
Patrick Schick could not find the net this time against England. Bukayo Saka showed how good he is during the match against Czech Republic by displaying his box-to-box skills as he helped to defend the three points and also create goal scoring opportunities. A goal from Raheem Sterling in the 12th minute was enough for England to top the group and qualify for the Round of 16 to face Germany. Meanwhile, Czech Republic made it through third place and will now be facing the Netherlands.
On the other hand, Croatia finally showed some dominance in the Euros against Scotland, as they won 3-1 thanks to goals from Nikola Vlasic, Luca Modric and Ivan Perisic. The Scots could not stop the Croatian attack and saw themselves eliminated from the tournament, as Croatia now head to Copenhagen to face Spain in Parken Stadium. England - Bukayo Saka
If there were any doubts about Saka starting for England, well now they are surely gone. The 19-year old got his debut and first start in a major tournament and he surely left his mark already on this Euros campaign. With Mason Mount having to isolate for having close contact with Scotland's Billy Gilmour, England had to introduce new faces in their midfield. Jack Grealish was also another English star who made his debut in a major tournament for England, and he got on well with Saka by his side.
Saka's involvement was crucial for England in order for them to stop a strong Czech Republic side from scoring. Both players were praised for how well they got themselves involved and tried to keep the play upfront and leave England out of danger from conceding as much as possible. Saka is coming from a great season with Arsenal, as in 32 Premier League appearances he scored five goals and registered four assists. By the end of the season, he was voted Arsenal's Player of the Season and now the Gunners are surely excited not to only see their star shine in the Euros as he tries to bring it home, but also for him to keep his form running for next season. Croatia - Nikola Vlasic
The 23-year old is one of the upcoming talents that Europe should be keeping its eyes on. Currently playing in Russia for CSKA Moscow, he was also voted as the Player of the Season for the club in the difficult season of 2019/2020.
You might remember Vlasic from his time in the Premier League with Everton in the season of 2017/18 when he joined the side on a €10.8 million transfer fee from Croatian side Hajduk Split. During that season, he only managed 12 Premier League appearances, but was given more playing time in the Europa League. He featured in all six group matches for Everton, and scored against Apollon Limassol in both legs while also recording an assist. Unfortunately for Everton, they were eliminated from the group stage and so Vlasic did not have enough time to showcase what he can do on the pitch at such a young age. A season later, Everton sent him on loan to CSKA Moscow, with whom he surely shined. In 25 Premier Liga appearances he scored five goals and registered five assists, while in the Champions League, despite getting eliminated in the Group Stage, he scored three goals and registered two assists in six appearances. One of these goals was that against Real Madrid, which was the only goal scored in that match and awarded CSKA Moscow three points against such a side. Can the Euros give Vlasic an opportunity to play football with a bigger club or will he remain in Russia, where he is happily making a name for himself? Group E
In my opinion, this was one of the most underestimated groups at the beginning of the Euros but it turned out to be one of the most interesting. Let's start off with Sweden who one can describe as underdogs in this competition. Topping the group with seven points is already a great start to the campaign, as they drew to Spain, beaten a strong Slovakian side 1-0 and then went on to win against Poland 3-2, who are normally considered as one of the strongest sides in a competition like this, especially with Robert Lewandowski up front. Surprisingly, Poland got eliminated from the compeition after finishing last with a single point.
Meanwhile, Slovakia started out very strong in this tournament, but a 5-0 loss to Spain ruined their goal average and they could not even make it through to the Round of 16 through third place. Spain on the other hand, had to face some obstacles with not having their full squad available because of a Covid-19 outbreak in their camp, but they overcame the hurdle and went on to achieve a second place finish with five points. Sweden - Emil Forsberg
The Star of the Match award had to be given to the 29-year old, who scored two of three goals for Sweden. He had also scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win to Slovakia, and so he has been outstanding for his country during this year's Euros.
Forsberg is one of the main names that plays for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, in fact he has been doing so since 2015 when he joined from Malmo FF on a transfer fee of €3.7 million. He is coming from a season in which he scored seven goals and registered five assists in 29 Bundesliga appearances. The Swedish playmaker is a huge part of Sweden's set-up as he teams up with Aleksander Isak, who we spoke about last week. Such offensive players give Sweden the boost needed to be threatening, and creates a great balance throughout the field. On the back, one will find Victor Lindelof leading the pack, and with such a player who brings the ball forward from the back of the field, these attacking individuals find it easier to link up to create chances and also block the opponent from scoring when possible. Sweden are a great attacking side, which is thanks to such players like Forsberg. It comes handy when the there is more work to be done in the defensive line, but so far it is working out brilliantly for the Swedes. Spain - Sergio Busquets
Is there really need for any introductions when it comes to Sergio Busquets? The 32-year old is still a great flame in the Spanish midfield and a great leader to follow too. After overcoming Covid-19, the Barcelona midfielder was ready more than ever to help his country make it through to the Round of 16.
He did not get to find the net in a 5-0 win over Slovakia, but this win showed how such a presence of a player like Sergio Busquets makes a difference around players who some of them are experiencing their first ever major tournament such as 18-year old Pedri, who also plays for Barcelona. Coming up against Croatia in the Round of 16 is no small feat for a team, but with the right mindset that Busquests can put the players in, Spain might be able to defy all odds and still go on to have a successful Euro 2020. Group F
We can all talk about how it was expected that France, Germany and Portugal go through, but I want to point out Hungary's performances and how they did themselves proud to be fair. Everyone was going on about how these three sides were going to batter them and they are done. Well, Hungary did not go down without a fight and displayed some great football, besides they are the ones who introduced England and other countries to the tactical way of playing football.
Having held World Champions France and now even Germany to a draw of 2-2, the Hungarians saw themselves finished in this competition with two points. Adam Szalai opened the score against Germany, giving hopes of maybe earning the team three points. Kai Havertz scored the equaliser in the second half at the 66th minute, with Andras Schafer putting Hungary in the lead again two minutes later. Leon Goretzka came through for the German six minutes before full time and so Germany finished in second place of this group with four points. France and Portugal also ended in a draw of 2-2, and saw France topping the group with five points, while Portugal went through to the Round of 16 thanks to finishing off in third place with four points. Germany - Joshua Kimmich
In my opinion, one of the best midfielders that there is in the game, but not given enough recognition, maybe because some fans claim that Bayern Munich are way too dominant in the Bundesliga and that it is a "farmers' league". I do not agree, because despite their dominance, this league and other smaller German clubs produced some of the best players which are competing in this year's Euros.
Kimmich has always been an important player, both for his country and domestic club. He had his breakthrough in international football during the 2016 Euros, in which he played in the last group stage match against Northern Ireland, saw Germany win 1-0 and then went on to start in the other knockout phases till the semi-final, which unfortunately for Germany, the lost 2-0 to France. Kimmich had one of his best campaigns during the 2019/20 season, in which Bayern Munich went on to win the Champions League during a difficult season in which all football was stopped due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the circumstances, Kimmich was one of the best players that went on to shine, and still is. He is a crucial part of Low's plans for Germany and will be for any boss that will take up his position once the German manager departs from his duties as national coach. France - Karim Benzema
After six years, the French finally got his call-up for the Euro 2020 and he is making the best of it as much as he can. The 33-year old has gone through some hurdles in his career, and has started to shine again for Real Madrid as Cristiano Ronaldo left for Juventus in 2018.
Many claim that Benzema could not be as free as he wanted to because of Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid, and that is why he was not performing to the levels that people where expecting him to. In fact in the 2016/17 season he scored 11 goals in 29 appearances and only five goals in the following season, in 32 appearances. When Ronaldo left, of course the forward had to take up a bigger role and hold more responsibility for Real Madrid and so he did. He went on to score 21 goals in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons, in which he recorded 36 and 37 appearances respectively. This season he scored 23 goals in 34 appearances, and also registered nine assists. With these stats, it is no wonder that Didier Deschamps looked into taking along Karim Benzema with him around Europe for this campaign. The Real Madrid player was always known as one of the best forwards in Europe and for France, in fact he was voted France's Player of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2014, which were also his first years playing in Spain. Maybe the spotlight was all he needed to regain his confidence, and if he manages to be France's hero these Euros, he will surely be making more headlines.
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