We’re moving on to the business end of the Euro 2020 tournament with the quarter-finals just wrapped up and it did not disappoint fans one bit! Before the tournament took place, some fans were apprehensive about the overall quality, especially considering stadiums would not be packed to the brim with fans, and players being burnt out after playing too many fixtures for their respective clubs.
However, those doubts were cast aside once the opening fixtures proved why we all love the beautiful game and the Euro 2020 has moved from strength to strength since then. In case you missed out on the quarter-final fixtures and failed to catch up with the football news in its aftermath, don’t worry because we have you covered!
Here is SPOGO’s analysis of all the results in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
Ukraine vs England
It’s a common belief amongst strikers that all it needs is a single goal and the rest will follow and that’s exactly what former England striker Michael Owen echoed on Twitter after Harry Kane netted the winner in the Three Lions clash against Germany and he was right! The match had scarcely begun when Kane opened the scoring after four minutes at the Stadio Olimpico after going nearly eight hours without finding the back of the net for his country. Admittedly, Ukraine was one of the easier opponents England could have faced in the quarter-finals but, in a tournament of surprises, Gareth Southgate’s men were not complacent and thoroughly executed their job to perfection. Another Harry scored a powerful header at the beginning of the second half (Harry Maguire) before Kane netted his second of the night and Jordan Henderson added the cherry on top with a fourth goal around the hour mark. Manchester United and England left back Luke Shaw continued his fine form with two assists as the Three Lions prepare themselves to face Denmark in the semi-finals on Thursday, July 8th at 12:30 am IST.
Belgium vs Italy
In a clash of the two titans, Italy emerged the winners as they eliminated the number 1 ranked team Belgium in a sensational 2-1 victory. Two first half goals from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne gave the Gli Azzurri the edge over their opponents to take them through to the semi-finals. While this Italian side may not boast of the star power of previous teams, Roberto Mancini’s men have proved time and again that they are a well coached, drilled and a compact unit that are extremely difficult to defeat, the proof being that Italy have won 13 consecutive games and remain unbeaten for 32. After this win, another blockbuster clash awaits us when Italy face Spain at the Euro 2020 semi-finals at the Wembley stadium on Wednesday, 7th July at 12:30 am IST.
Also read: Everything you can expect from the Euro 2020 quarter-finals
Switzerland vs Spain
By far the most interesting match in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, the two sides fought to the death for a place in the semi-finals against Belgium. Spain started the match strongly when Jordi Alba’s shot took a big deflection off Denis Zakaria into the back of the net in the eighth minute. However, the Swiss were already on a high, having defeated world champions France in a penalty shootout and did not give up easily. Their attempts paid dividends in the 68th minute when veteran Xherdan Shaqiri scored after a defensive disaster by Luis Enrique’s team. Despite Switzerland’s Remo Freuler being sent off in the 77th minute, Spain could not find an equalizer and the game moved onto extra time and penalties. In a nail-biting conclusion at St. Petersburg that left fans at the edge of their seats, Spain emerged the winners after Mikel Oyarzabal’s winning penalty led his side through with a 3-1 victory.
Czech Republic vs Denmark
The reason why football is widely considered to be the ‘beautiful game’ is because of fairy tale stories such as Denmark’s Euro 2020 campaign. The tournament started on the worst possible note for Danes, with Christian Eriksen collapsing during the opening match due to a cardiac arrest as Denmark lost against their Nordic cousins Finland to now reach the semi-finals after a nervy win against the Czech Republic in Baku. Goals from Thomas Delaney and Kasper Dolberg were all it took for Denmark to go through to the semi-finals, having now scored an impressive 10 goals in their last three matches in a fantastic turnaround that began with two defeats. This is the first time Denmark has reached the European Championship semi-finals since their historic win in 1992 and the inspired side will hope to give a fight against tournament favourites England.
