This year's Euros are keeping us on our toes, especially after an exciting Round of 16 which seen all teams from the group of death get eliminated. Meanwhile some other teams such as Italy, found it difficult to get past underdogs Austria, but eventually came out on top. Denmark on the other hand are playing with their heart and soul for their country and teammate Christian Eriksen after a stunning 4-0 win to the Welsh. Croatia vs Spain was another dynamic match which we saw end 5-3 in favour of Spain during extra time.
So let's see who were the winners and losers of this knockout phase of the Euros, and who everyone will be facing in the Quarter finals this weekend. Wales 0-4 Denmark
Denmark are not to be me messed with during this tournament, and it would not surprise me if they manage to go very far. Despite the fact that they started off their campaign with a horrible incident, they were able to pick themselves up again and now they face Czech Republic in the Quarter Finals.
Wales had to end this year's Euro campaign earlier than that of 2016, as they were beaten 4-0 and had to finish off their campaign with Harry Wilson being red carded after a mistimed challenge on Joakim Maehle at the 90th minute. Star of the Match, Kasper Dolberg, put his side in front during the first half with a great goal as he shot from a few centimeters away from the edge of the penalty box. Three minutes after the second half commenced, Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite tried assisting Dolberg but the fall was found by Welshman Neco Williams. Failing to clear, the Liverpool defender passed the ball to the ex-Ajax forward who found the net once again and made it 2-0 for the Danish. Maehle and Braithwaite went on to make it 4-0 in the last six minutes of the match, showing the Welsh their way out of the Euros. Denmark is not a side to be underestimated, in my opinion the whole team could have been a star of the match. Against Wales, they had a great set-up of Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel between the nets, and then a great back three which consist of Chelsea's Andreas Christensen, AC Milan's Simon Kjaer and Southampton's Jannik Vestergaard. In the middle, you'll find players such as 24-year old Joakim Maehle, who is leaving his mark on football thanks to the role that he plays with Atalanta while Thomas Delaney needs no introduction for those who follow Borussia Dortmund and German football. Jens Stryger in the middle is another player who holds great experience, and has been a great part of a strong Udinese side this season while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is making an even better name for himself, especially after moving to Tottenham last season. In the front, besides Braithwaite and Dolberg, you'll also find Mikkel Damsgaard. The 20-year old is about to be the next Serie A prospect that catches the scouts' eyes, as he gaining experience in the Italian game with Sampdoria, after he joined them last season from Danish side, Nordsjaelland on a transfer fee of €6.75 million. Italy 2-1 Austria (aet)
Credits to Austria for this match, because they gave Italy a real hard time, and it is fair to say that they did deserve to go through, but they found themselves unlucky unfortunately. This can still be considered as a milestone for the Austrians though, as this is the first time that they ever made it through the group stage and onto the Round of 16.
On the other hand, it was a wake up call for Italy not to get too overconfident just because the stats are showing positive results. Italy have been recovering from not making it through to the 2018 World Cup, and this campaign is all about redemption. They were considered as underdogs for the reason that they have been missing from the big international stage, but this Euros can show that the Italians are still a huge part of the footballing world, and their type of play has its impact. Mancini decided to bench Locatelli and Chiesa for this match, and it was not until they conceded a goal at the 67th minute that he decided to start making some changes to his starting 11. Luckily for Italy, the goal was ruled offside, and they held on to a goalless draw until the final 90 minute whistle. It was a dreadful time for Italy who were facing a threatening Austrian side who were on the verge of qualifying for the Quarter finals, but going into extra time, the Italians pulled themselves together and substitutes Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina made it 2-0 for the Azzurri. Austrian sub Sasa Kalajdzic tried giving his side some hope as he found the net at the 114th minute, but Italy gave it all they had got to make sure that they secure their place in the quarter finals. Now they face an even bigger threat, Belgium, but forward Eden Hazard will be missing out on injury, but that does not mean they do not have strong players to replace him. Netherlands 0-2 Czech Republic
Some are surprised by how far the Czech Republic are going, but they do have a good record on an international stage and they have always produced some quality footballers. The last time that they made it through to the quarter finals was in the 2012 Euros, when they were beaten 1-0 by Portugal thanks to a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now, they went on to win against the Netherlands, who were not favourites to win the tournament but were to win this match. The teams went into the second half with a goalless draw, with Netherlands being on top of the stats. Czech Republic were doing great to defend any goal scoring opportunity from the Dutch and play the ball forward. Matthijs De Ligt was having a great game for the Netherlands at the back, and it surely made it difficult for Schick up front to find a goal. The trouble started for the Dutch during the second half, when De Ligt was sent off for handball at the 55th minute, and so they lost one of their strongest men at the back. That is when Czech Republic took the opportunity to take an advantage of the Netherlands having ten men and one of their stars out, and went on to open to the score at the 68th minute. A header from Tomas Holes gave the Czechs more confidence to then Patrick Schick joining the scoreboard at the 80th minute with a lovely strike assisted by Holes himself. Czech Republic - Tomas Holes
Holes was without a doubt rewarded the Star of the Match award. The Slavia Praha midfielder put his side in front and then nicely assisted Schick to double the score. He had a great game in which he was agile and creative against a strong Dutch side that eventually lost its tempo when they conceded and also went a player down.
The 28-year old has spent his career playing in Czech Republic and so is a pillar of his country's footballing association. He is one of Czech Republic's strongest players that is incorporated well with the team of small names that make up a big and strong side. As put by UEFA Technical Observer Dusan Fitzel, "[Tomas Holes] decided the match with his goal and his assist for the second goal. He was excellent across the midfield as a screening midfielder. He played it safe in an important position." Croatia 3-5 Spain (aet)
With Pedri opening the score and putting Croatia in an advantage with his own goal, he officially made these Euros the most European Championship with own goals scored in it.
Croatia fought till the end, and that is how they got the draw at the fourth minute of extra time in fact thanks to a goal from Mario Pasalic, but Spain got the upper hand in extra time and it saw them go through to the quarter finals. Spain has not started off their campaign well and were thought to be making their way out of the tournament sooner. Having lost players such as Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta and so on, Spain had to go through a shift of players which are of a younger generation. Players such as Pedri, Ferran Torres and Oyarzabal are new to the tournament and the squad. They all player for different domestic clubs, and so Luis Enrique had to figure out a way how to make these players complement each other. It took time, but eventually he is starting to get results and a great Euros campaign too. Now Spain face yet another test against Switzerland, who are not going down without a fight after they are having one of their best ever major tournament campaigns. France 3-3 Switzerland (aet, Switzerland win 5-4 on penalties)
It was a surprise to everyone on how the World Champions were eliminated so early from the tournament, and by Switzerland. But the French did not seem to be lucky this time and a strong and determined Switzerland side saw them eliminate one of the best footballing nations.
The highlight of the night for everyone was Kylian Mbappe, who is known as one of the best youngest forwards in Europe, missing the last penalty that eliminated France from the Euros. Well, even the best miss out on opportunities sometimes and there was nothing that the 22-year old could do to stop 32-year old Yann Sommer from performing an incredible save to his penalty. Meanwhile, Switzerland are better than ever before, especially as now they are bringing up new youngsters that hold more experience such as Breel Embolo. Another player that you should keep your eyes on is Kevin Mbabu. The 26-year old defender plays for Wolfsburg and is having a great campaign. He had exceptional performances in all four matches that he featured in, and he will surely make it difficult for Patrick Schick and co to go through the defense and score. Switzerland - Granit Xhaka
The 28-year old captain is not a man that needs many introductions. We all know how strong his presence can be in the midfield, especially the Switzerland one. Together with another great Swiss name, Xherdan Shaqiri, he is leading his side to a great Euros campaign, which can see his country reach a new milestone.
Making it to the semi-finals will surely show how Switzerland came far in football, after so many years trying to come out as one of the big footballing nations. Currently playing for Arsenal, Xhaka is a great midfielder who helps his side to move forward and create opportunities. His presence gives the players the determination that they need to keep fighting, just like they did against France, and keep them all in line and organised throughout the match. He assisted Siwtzerland's third goal which came at the 90th minute and sent them to extra time, which shows how strong and dominant Xhaka was on the field until the very last minute, alongside his teammates. England 2-0 Germany
It was a solid performance from the English as they dominated Germany to a 2-0 win and see themselves in the quarter finals. The first half was pretty levelled between the sides, with both of them being great offensively and defensively.
In the second half, the English came out stronger and the home support surely was in their favour. With Raheem Sterling opening the score at the 75th minute, Tottenham striker Harry Kane doubled the score soon after as he scored his first goal of this year's tournament. This loss and elimination from the Euros, saw Joachim Low bid farewell after coaching the German side for 15 years. The German boss had made it clear that he will be leaving his position after this year's campaign, and despite not progressing much through the Euro 2020, Germany has a lot to thank him for, mostly the 2014 World Cup victory. Meanwhile, England fans cannot stop singing that it is coming home, especially after realising that they have finally won to Germany in a knockout phase, the last time happening in 1966 when they had brought the World Cup home. Could history actually be repeated? England - Harry Maguire
The English captain, who is highly criticised because of previous incidents happening when he was on holiday or because of some poor performances for Manchester United, was surely praised after his performance against Germany.
The 28-year old helped keep the tempo going as he showed great leadership on the pitch, and defended very well against a strong German attack consisting of Timo Werner, Thomas Muller and Kai Havertz. From the defensive line he successfully brought play forward and helped to create some great goal scoring opportunities for England, which saw their results in the second half. England are yet to concede in this year's tournament, and Maguire's soliditiy at the back is surely an asset to keep this great feat going. Sweden 1-2 Ukraine (aet)
Two of the underdogs went head-to-head and the best came out on top. These sides were exciting to watching considering that they both offensively strong and do not play much at the back, giving fans exciting football to watch to keep them on their toes.
Andriy Shevchenko is one of the biggest footballing names in Ukraine and in Europe, mostly remembered for when he formed part of AC Milan's dream team that won several titles such as the Champions League final against Juventus in 2003. In 2006, Shevchenko led his country to their first ever World Cup quarter final, and now 15 years later, in his role of a coach, he led Ukraine to their first ever Euros quarter final. With players such as the Star of the Match Oleksandr Zinchenko, Roman Yaremchuk, captain Andriy Yarmolenko and more, he is leading Ukraine to one of their best ever major tournament campaigns. If they win against England on Saturday, they can see themselves in their first ever semi-final, and that will surely put the Ukrainian side on more headlines, and earn the country more recognition when it comes to footballing affairs.
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