Switzerland lay in wait for a new rival in the quarterfinals of the UEFA European Champion. After vanquishing Italy in the round of 16, their new opponents will be the triumphant team between England and Slovakia in a knock stage tussle of their own this evening.
Sunday June 30, 2024
The quest for the quarterfinals spot enters a second day as England and Slovakia square up at Veltins-Arena in Schalke this evening at 18h00.
England goes into this round of 16 tie with a favourites badge owing to their top-players selection from top clubs in the best elite leagues emanating across Europe. According to former English players, the English have not hit top gear.
However, England finished top of Group E without a loss. That works to their advantage regarding positive air in the team and carrying the momentum into the knockout stage.
On the other side of the coin, Slovakia qualified by virtue of being one of the 3rd-place best finishers. Although the team lost one game, it accumulated four points just enough to earn them entry to the round of 16. And tonight, Slovakians are up against a star-studded team.
They need to be at their best and come out slinging guns blazing to upset the apple cut. This tournament is yet to see the finest English performance. Thus, will this match in particular trigger an onslaught against the unpredictable Slovakians?
Surely Slovakia did not get this far by fluke and will be out there to compete. But if the English come out fired up, Slovakia may retreat to defensive mode. Nevertheless, this is an elimination phase of the tournament where the pendulum can swing either at any given opportune time.
Therefore, it should be grand football entertainment before the enthusiasts of the beautiful game. And it has the potential to be a fascinating spectacle.
The heroes between England and Slovakia will face the in-form Switzerland on Saturday July 6, 2024 in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
Switzerland struck a 2-0 knockout blow to Italy in the second phase of the UEFA European Championship in Berlin last night.
Tonight – Sunday, June 30 EURO 2024: Spain vs Georgia
The sublime Spanish will face the impressive Georgians at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne tonight at 21h00.
Georgia has been one of the surprise teams so far in this 17th edition of the UEFA European Championship to make it to the round of 16. The small nation finished 3rd in Group F and had a better points tally in the four 3rd-placed best finishers. In their last group match, the Georgians defeated the resplendent Portuguese by 2-0. Should they continue from this magnificent performance, Spain must be very vigilant.
Conversely, the Spaniards have been stupendous in style and absolutely effective recently. They won all three group stage duels; thus, they are a force in this tournament. True to form, they will prance out in their nonchalant swag and mesmerise their rivals in possession football.
Therefore, an intriguing game between two proud nations slugging it out looms large. As ever, competitions of this magnitude are never short of extravagant displays. The match winner between Spain and Georgia will go head-to-head with host-nation Germany on Friday July 5, 2024.
Germany beat Denmark 2-0 in the round of 16 in Dortmund last Saturday night.
Round of 16
Results – Saturday, June 29 EURO 2024”
Switzerland 2-0 Italy
Germany 2-0 Denmark
Monday, July 1 EURO 2024:
France vs Belgium at Merkur Spiel Arena (Dusseldorf) – 18h00
Portugal vs Slovenia at Deutsche Bank Park (Frankfurt) – 21h00
Tuesday, July 2 EURO 2024:
Romania vs Netherlands at Allianz Arena (Munich) – 18h00
Austria vs Türkiye Red Bull Arena Leipzig (Leipzig) – 21h00