EURO 2024 - Quarter Finals: The Roundup
- William Russell
- Jul 10, 2024
- 6 min read
We're down to four teams and three games remaining at the European Championships 2024, as we hope to see a continuation of the high standards we've seen so far for the semi finals and final of the tournament.
Penalty shootouts, late goals and quick turnaround were the themes of the quarter finals, as we saw Spain, France, the Netherlands and England qualify for the final four of the tournament.
I analyse the four quarter finals and assess what the results and performances of those games means heading into the final three matches of the season.
Match 1 - Spain 2-1 Germany (aet) - hosts out thanks to last minute winner from Mikel Merino
Spain and Germany played out a cagey affair that was eventually settled right at the depth thanks to a Mikel Merino header, as Spain qualified the semi finals and solidified themselves as the firm favourites to win the tournament.
It was Spain who took the lead thanks to Dani Olmo, who, having come onto the pitch to replace Pedri early in the first half due to an injury, was fantastic and showed that despite having flaws in his game, he is good enough to play for a top quality side such as Manchester City, who are rumoured to be showing an interest in him.
Olmo slotted low in the bottom corner after a cut back from Lamine Yamal, one of the players of the tournament to date, but Germany equalised thanks to Florian Wirtz.
The game went into extra time, with Spain mostly defending as Germany attacked, with Niclas Fullkrug missing a few decent chances to score.
But just as the vast majority of people were settled for a penalty shootout, Spain struck a late blow, as Merino powered a header past Manuel Neuer from a clipped Olmo cross.
Spain reasserted once again that they’ve been the best performing team at this tournament, by showing their capabilities of pulling a win out of the bag against an equally good team in Germany.
Once again, it was substitutes who made the difference for Luis de la Fuente’s side. Olmo from the bench was player of the match, and Merino scored the winner, to give two obvious examples.
But Ferran Torres played well too, offering a fresh option on the right hand side when he replaced Yamal on the hour mark. Mikel Oyarzabal also looked good operating more as a false nine rather than the typical striker role that Morata was playing in.
Germany, meanwhile, made some questionable alterations. To bring off Ilkay Gundogan when he was playing well in the heart of midfield somewhat disrupted Germany's flow, that they only regained when Thomas Muller came on to provide another body in attacking positions.
In the five games this tournament, however, their general performance levels have been higher than any team other than Spain. They will take encouragement, with a young squad led by a world class manager, that they can challenge for the World Cup in 2026.
Spain face France, arguably the poorest team to reach a Euros semi final in recent years, in their final hurdle before the final next Sunday, which based on performances so far in this tournament, should be a convincing victory for them.
Match 2 - Portugal 0-0 France (3-5 on penalties) - France fortunate to progress as they triumph over Portugal on penalties.
Just a few days after their spot kick triumph, Portugal crashed out in the quarter finals Joao Felix was the unlucky player to miss his penalty in a 5-3 shootout defeat.
France, who once again, offered next to nothing going forwards, dispatched their five spot kicks very well, despite captain and penalty take Kylian Mbappe being substituted off at half time of extra time.
Portugal were the better said, as they defended well with Ruben Dias and Pepe keeping the French attackers out, with one brilliant block from Dias coming to mind.
They built the play up well, but didn't have enough penetration in the final third, with Cristiano Ronaldo once again failing to make much of an impact on the game.
It has been a final Euros to forget for Ronaldo, who, at the age of 39, might well regret not taking a leaf out Toni Kroos' book and retiring - at least from international duty - whilst still at the top of the game.
France won't be confident going up against the mighty Spain in the next round - it's imperative that they improve their attack and find a way to get the best out of Mbappe in order to stand any chance of shocking Spain with a victory.
On paper, the two sides are even, but the game is undeniably going to be more dominated by Spain, unless something drastic changes for Les Bleus.
Match 3 - England 1-1 Switzerland (5-3 pens) Saka shines as improved England win on penalties.
England qualified for the semi finals for the third time in their last four tournaments under Gareth Southgate, thanks to a penalty shootout victory.
Breel Embolo had put Switzerland in the lead, but Bukayo Saka’s finish from the edge of the box found the bottom right corner drew England level just five minutes later.
The game itself was reasonably cagey, with England the better of the two sides in terms of ball dominance and chance creation.
This was largely due to a drastic system change, which saw Bukayo Saka operate at right wing back in a back five, with Kieran Trippier partnering him on the other side.
This let Phil Foden take up a more advanced central position, this time slightly right of centre with Bellingham drifting more towards the left, where he could link up closely with Saka and cut inside on his left foot and play incisive passes forward.
Along with Saka and Kobbie Mainoo, Foden was one of England’s best players in the first half, but as Saka and Mainoo continued to impress, the Manchester City number 47’s impact on the game decreased through time, and he was substituted before the penalty shootout.
Harry Kane was also replaced after a collision, meaning England had to face spot kicks without their skipper and number one penalty taker.
Added time was mainly uneventful, other than a few decent saves from Jordan Pickford, who ended up being England’s hero in the shootout.
He saved Switzerland’s first penalty from Manchester City’s Manuel Akanji, and with Saka, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Ivan Toney and Trent Alexander-Arnold all tucking their effort away emphatically, England qualified for the semi finals, where they’ll face the Netherlands.
For the most part, their performance was good, but there are crinkles that need to be ironed out, including the maintenance of performance for an entire match.
Despite all the attacking firepower they had on the pitch, England didn’t look like scoring after Saka’s equaliser, as they focused on keeping their opponents out.
They still need to find a way of getting the best out of their key players. Foden has improved, but hasn’t been as sparkling as he was last season for City, whilst Bellingham and especially Kane have not hit anywhere near the heights of their club form.
But against the Netherlands, they’ll be confident of reaching the final, despite their stuttering form, as their side on paper should beat the Dutch if they take their performance up another notch.
Netherlands 2-1 Turkey - Dutch come from behind to win late on
The Netherlands came from behind to win, in a frantic match that tournament dark horses Turkey will be disappointed to have lost considering the chances they squandered.
Eventually, after a strong start, the quality on display for the Dutch became too much for Turkey to handle, as a crazy ten minutes saw them come from 1-0 down to go 2-1 up.
Netherlands have some quality players, and like Spain, Germany and England, they have strength in depth.
Micky van de Ven has come on to replace Nathan Ake in the Netherlands's last three matches, to add an injection of pace off the bench.
He's played well every time he's come on, but so has Ake, who, with a notorious record of keeping Saka quiet when playing at club level, will fancy his chances of locking down England's right hand side.
If they're to beat England, the Netherlands will need to bring their defensive A game, whilst also staying potent in attack.
If England persist with their 3-4-2-1 formation, they'll likely be outnumbered in midfield due to the Netherlands playing three technically able yet workmanlike and hardworking central midfielders.
Cody Gakpo can't outpace Kyle Walker, but he can outmanoeuvre him based on his remarkable performances at the tournament so far.
And in Wout Weghorst, the Dutch have their stereotypical super sub number nine that can hold the ball up and pop up with a goal in decisive moments.
But England, who have improved throughout the tournament, will be hopeful of a win against an inconsistent side to qualify for their second consecutive European Championships final.
Player of the Round - Quarter Final: Dani Olmo (Spain)
Team of the Round - Quarter Final: Spain
Goal of the Round - Quarter Final: Bukayo Saka (England) vs Switzerland
Game of the Round - Quarter Final: Netherlands 2-1 Turkey
Best XI of the Round - Quarter Final:
GK: Jordan Pickford (England)
RB: Joao Cancelo (Portugal)
CB: Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands)
CB: Ezri Konsa (England) LB: Marc Cucurella (Spain) CM: Vitinha (Portugal) CM: Rodri (Spain) RW: Bukayo Saka (England) CAM: Arda Guler (Turkey)
LW: Dani Olmo (Spain)
ST: Wout Weghorst (Netherlands)
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