Twenty-four became 16 and now 16 have become eight. The European Championships have hit the business end of the tournament with the quarter-finals beginning Thursday and ensuring four mouth-watering encounters.
The first knockout phase - Round of 16 - produced some memorable matches, with Iceland knocking England out making the biggest headline of the tournament so far.
Host nation France also survived a scare as they came from behind to beat Ireland 2-1. Italy ejected defending champions Spain as Conte's men dominated and won 2-0. Favourites Germany also made it safely to the quarters along with Wales, Belgium, Portugal and Poland.
With most of the European giants – barring Spain and England – making it to the last-eight stage, it remains far from simple to predict who will reach the semi-finals.
POLAND vs PORTUGAL
Poland and Portugal's progress to the last eight is nothing short of a surprise. The Poles booked their place in the quarters after beating Switzerland on penalties while Portugal rode their luck against Croatia as a 117th-minute goal from Ricardo Quaresma was enough to see Cristiano Ronaldo & Co through.
Both the sides got five days of rest before they meet on Thursday and should be fresh for the kick-off. Not to forget, the game will feature two of the game's best finishers on either side of the pitch - Robert Lewandowski and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The duo, though, has not been able to set the stage on fire yet - and both of them will be looking to prove a point. On paper, Portugal are the better team but Poland have enough talent to give the Portuguese a run for their money.
Prediction: Portugal 2 - Poland 1
WALES vs BELGIUM
After topping a group that also had rivals England in it - Wales, who are appearing in the tournament for first time since 1958, have already surprised many by their style of football.
Although they lost to England in the group stage, since then they have outclassed Russia 3-0 and were a far better side in the pre-quarters against Northern Ireland despite winning only 1-0, that too via an own goal.
But against Belgium in the quarter-finals, they will face one of the surprise but serious title contenders. Belgium lost to Italy in the group stages, but they are one of the few sides who appear to be peaking at the right time. They were outstanding during their encounter against Hungary and their star man Eden Hazard looks to be in deadly form.
The star players to watch-out in this one will be Gareth Bale and Hazard. Bale has been Wales' inspiration in this Euros and his form will be key to their chances in the quarters.
Prediction: Wales 0 - Belgium 1
GERMANY vs ITALY
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the match everyone will be looking forward. In short, the match of the quarters.
The World Champions eased past Slovakia in the Round of 16 and are looking dangerous. On the other hand, Italy were clinical in their 2-0 win over Spain and will be up for the German challenge.
Germany, though, look stronger of both the teams;; but Italy, who were written off before the start of the tournament, have started to believe in themselves and are looking calm and composed.
Germany have never beaten Italy in past meetings in the tournament, so the history is against them. These two teams have served up classics in the past, and with both sides gaining momentum, we can expect another thrilling tie.
The players to look forward in this one will be Germany's Thomas Mueller and Italy's Eder.
Prediction: Germany 2 - Italy 1
FRANCE vs ICELAND
There are question marks over Didier Deschamps' France despite them being one of the strongest team on paper.
They have done their job superbly so far and will be expected to continue it against Iceland. Iceland have been the story of the tournament so far. The Iceland players were not expected to go beyond the group stage but they have already beaten all the odds and produced the upset of the tournament by knocking the 'Three Lions' out.
By the look of it, France will be considered to have the easiest of the quarter-finals draw, but Iceland have nothing to lose and they will surely be giving the hosts a tough time.
France's striker Antoine Griezmann will be the man to watch out for in the match.
>Prediction: France 2 - Iceland 0
Comments
0 comment