Euro 2020 – Round of 16: Day 1

We are already at the knockout stage of the Euro 2020 campaign. The Round of 16 sees numerous exciting fixtures. Two of the most anticipated games will come on Sunday, June 27th, with Belgium taking on Portugal, and Tuesday, June 29th, when England host old time rivals Germany.

Wales are eliminated from the competition as Denmark’s inspiring journey at the tournament continues with a 4-0 thrashing of their opponents.

The crowd at Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, which was almost exclusively Danish, erupted as Kasper Hjulmand‘s side took a 1-0 lead thanks to Kasper Dolberg‘s 27th-minute curling shot from the edge of the penalty area.

The forward struck again in the 48th minute, jumping on an error from Welsh substitute Neco Williams and smashing it in from close range. The goal deflating Wales, who never looked like clawing their way back into the game, further.

Joakin Mæhle added a third goal late in the game, before substitute Harry Wilson fouled the Atalanta right-back, seeing red for the rash challenge. As if Wales’ afternoon hadn’t already gone from bad to worse, Martin Braithwaite struck a fourth in added time sealing the victory and bringing Wales’ campaign to a miserable end.

Robert Page‘s side, who will return home exhausted and disappointed, did well to get out of a difficult Group A featuring Italy, Switzerland and Turkey, but the Danish side proved one challenge too far. In time they can be proud of their efforts in reaching the knockout stage in what was only their third appearance at a major tournament.

Denmark, who haven’t made the Euro quarter-finals since 2004, will travel to Baku next Saturday where they’ll play the winner of Sunday’s meeting between the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.


Up Next:

Denmark v Netherlands/Czech Republic – Saturday, July 3rd (12pm ET – ESPN) – Baku Olympic Stadium (Baku, Azerbaijan)

The second game of the Round of 16 was the most entertaining game we have seen so far.

Marko Arnautović thought he’d won it for underdogs Austria in the second half, only to have his headed effort ruled out for offside.

Austria shocked the world when they took Italy, who haven’t lost in 31 games, to extra time. They put in a valiant effort but the Italians proved why they are on such an amazing run – Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina scored 10 minutes apart.

Chiesa showed incredible technique to bring the ball down and beat Daniel Bachmann from a tricky angle, whilst Pessina, who scored in their Group A game against Wales, doubled the lead from range. It’s the first time Italy have scored in extra time of a major tournament.

The Austrians pulled a goal back through Sasa Kalajdzic‘s header, the first goal the Italians have conceded in 12 games.

Whilst they may not feel like it right now, Austria can be proud of the way they conducted themselves throughout the competition. Their defensive game was top-notch for most of the game, frustrating the four-time world champions, whilst their forwards created plenty of opportunities of their own.

Italy will meet the winners of Sunday’s match-up between Belgium (the top-ranked side in the world) and cup holders Portugal in the quarter-finals on Saturday, July 2.


Up Next:

Italy v Belgium/Portugal – Friday, July 2nd (3pm ET – ESPN) – Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany)

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Sunday, June 27th’s match-ups

Netherlands v Czech Republic – 12pm ET (ESPN/UNIVISION) – Live from Puskás Arena (Budapest, Hungary)

Belgium v Portugal – 3pm ET (ESPN/UNIVISION) – Live from La Cartuja Stadium (Sevilla, Spain)