Right, it’s time to shift focus to Copenhagen and the first last 16-tie of the day, Croatia v Spain. Niall McVeigh is ready and primed to guide you through it here. Thanks for all your contributions in this blog. Enjoy the evening’s football. Bye!
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A health official in Finland says he hopes fans in the country won’t travel to neighbouring St Petersburg for Friday’s Euro 2020 match between either France or Switzerland and Croatia or Spain. The Finns saw a spike in coronavirus cases that has been traced to supporters returning from Russia. Finland played two of their group matches in St Petersburg but football fans are now being urged to stay in the country. Helsinki University Hospital doctor Markku Makijarvi says “I hope that it is now clear to everyone that the rest will be watched from Finland.” More than 200 cases of the virus have been reported among people who have arrived from neighbouring Russia in recent days and nearly 500 people have been quarantined. Health officials say these cases either were football fans or people who took part in the traditional mid-summer celebrations. At least 2,000 Finns are estimated to have traveled to St Petersburg for the earlier games.
“I know it’s still not time to talk about England,” writes Admir Pajic, with impeccable timing, “but I have done a little research for my Facebook-page ‘The Football Knights’ (meaning I was going through every English penalty shoot-out and penalty-related moments at big tournaments since 1990) and I have come up with the conclusion that – prior to the game against Colombia at World Cup 2018 – English goalkeepers got away with their serial inability to save a penalty. For instance, two English goalkeepers (David James and Paul Robinson) faced 12 Portuguese penalties at Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 respectively. They got zero saves from that dozen attempts (Portugal did miss the goal with three attempts). Joe Hart wanted to scare Italians at Euro 2012 and instead of that looked like a man who accidentally became invisible and was desperately trying to make people notice his presence. Should England just score an own goal if the game is a draw in the 120th minute?”
It would be a novel way to avoid penalty shootout heartache, Admir. My recent experience of watching penalties has been that players seem to be getting much better at taking them and goalkeepers are hampered by the knowledge that their back foot is being studied by some VAR-bod to the extent that they’re often slower to move left or right. My bet is that if the game goes to penalties it will be a high-scoring defeat for England this time round. Something like 6-5 to Germany on pens?
Some views on what England might do against Germany. “I’m going to bet that Southgate goes with the same starting line-up as against the Czech Republic - and that will probably be the right decision,” reckons Francis Mead. “Jordan Henderson may come on if change is needed. He’ll leave Mount out because isolation tips it away from him.”
And what of Germany? They looked a damn sight more effective with Leon Goretzka on the pitch against Hungary. My bet is he’ll replace Leroy Sané, who had a bit of stinker last time out. He even did a Matthijs de Ligt-style handball in one desperate moment as he tried to make up for giving the ball away down the other end.
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If you wanted to make a statement in the summer of 1984 you might have worn shoulder pads, grown a mullet with blonde highlights or pulled braces over a Frankie Says Relax T-Shirt. But if you were Michel Platini, you scored goals, nine of them, in just five tournament games to set a record that it took Cristiano Ronaldo five tournaments to beat. Let Steven Pye guide you through them:
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Croatia fans continue to flow into Copenhagen and appear to be turning it into a giant red and white chequered bouncy castle. Spain supporters appear to be few and far between. Given the relationship Spain have had with their fans in Seville, perhaps they’ll be glad to feel far from home, mind.
Croatia fans are out in force in central Copenhagen. Seem to outnumber Spain supporters by quite a bit. #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/uur6YG9hOI
— Mattias Karén (@MattiasKaren) June 28, 2021
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Thanks Rob. When the Czech Republic knocked the Netherlands out of the European Championship, most experts thought Denmark’s path to the semi-finals got a little bit easier. Not Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand. “I would rather have played the Netherlands,” Hjulmand told Danish broadcaster DR. “Now we’re facing a team for the first time (in the tournament) that I think can match our own intensity.”
Denmark will face the Czechs in the quarterfinals on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan. Hjulmand’s team beat Wales 4-0 in the round of the 16 before the Czech Republic ousted the Netherlands 2-0, a result that many viewed as a surprise after the Dutch impressed during the group stage. Hjulmand, though, pointed out that the Czechs employ a similar style to his own team, which is based on a collective performance rather than relying on individual stars. “We have worn our opponents down gradually and have played with a high intensity in our press and transitions,” Hjulmand said. “Now we can’t be surprised that we face a team that has the same work ethic and the same intensity in their pressing.”
I’m off to grab some a bite to eat so i’ll hand over the reins to Gregg Bakowski. I’ll endeavour to return quicker than Koke …
When you're late to training...
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 28, 2021
🇪🇸 Koke 😅@SeFutbol | #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/Cb3g1XTaQn
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Marcus Rashford believes Jadon Sancho can play a major role in England beating Germany – even if he does not get on the pitch. The Borussia Dortmund winger played his first six minutes of the finals as a late substitute in the 1-0 Group D win over the Czech Republic last week, and been overtaken by Bukayo Saka in the battle with Phil Foden for the right wing spot. But speaking on the Official England Podcast, Rashford said Sancho could be England’s most valuable asset because he plays in the Bundesliga …
He’s played a lot of football against them, more than the rest of us. I’m sure he knows the players, their characteristics, strengths and weaknesses and he’s definitely someone that can exploit them.
If one thing doesn’t quite work we have a big opportunity to change things and adapt in the game. Adaptability is one of the biggest skills in football and there’s a lot of times in a game where you have to change or tweak something slightly to hurt your opponents. The fact that he’s played against them a lot, he’s hurt them a lot as well, it will be a big factor for us.”
Cristiano Ronaldo may be on the way home but he still leads the race for the golden boot after scoring five goals in four games. Patrik Schick is one behind with a quarter-final against Denmark to come, while Romelu Lukaku and Emil Forsberg are the only players on three still in the tournament.
Check out the full top scorer chart here …
The France fans are gathering on the streets of Budapest before tonight’s match against Switzerland, and professing their love for everyone’s favourite footballer …
👀 Known as NG to his team-mates...
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 28, 2021
Respected by his opponents 👍
🇫🇷 Why everyone loves N'Golo Kanté 😀👇@nglkante | @FrenchTeam | #EURO2020
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Kylian Mbappé has always struck me as a nice guy and positive role mode but apparently not everyone thinks so. The former France international Jérôme Rothen piled into what he perceived to be Mbappé’s inflated ego on Friday. “I think Deschamps can no longer manage it and it is problematic,” he said, referring to his status as preferred set-piece taker. “It’s astonishing that he lets Mbappé do so many things and not be totally focused.” Mbappé hasn’t scored yet, but his blistering pace and mesmerising step-overs spread panic which creates space for the likes of Karim Benzema – and according to Nick Ames, our man on the ground in Budapest, the pair are getting on like a house on fire in training.
Read Nick’s story here …
Sweden v Ukraine has been perhaps the least discussed tie of the last-16 ties but Mikael Lustig cannot wait, reports the Associated Press. The Sweden defender was a frequent visitor — and winner — at Hampden Park in a successful eight seasons at Celtic until leaving in 2019. “It’s amazing. I haven’t been back since I left,” Lustig said ahead of returning to the city and a stadium where he won four Scottish Cup finals. “All my friends in Glasgow, be there!”
About 10,000 fans are expected at the storied 52,000-capacity stadium for Tuesday’s match, but few will be able to travel from the two nations because of quarantine rules required by Scottish authorities. Sweden’s midfielder Albin Ekdal said: ‘It is bad planning to put it in a country where no one else is allowed in.” But Lustig thinks the yellow army will find a way. ‘There are many Swedes in the UK. I hope they get there. I have many friends in Glasgow who can solve it.”
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Elsewhere in the world of sport Geraint Thomas has crashed at the Tour de France and it looks like he may have broken his collar bone. Barry Glendenning has all the details from stage three …
And they’re playing at Wimbledon …
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Some interesting thoughts below the line about England’s team selection against Germany, with Mason Mount’s potential return to the team a hot topic …
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Monday’s Euro 2020 Fiver has arrived. Frank de Boer, look away now.
You can get the best daily email in football sent direct to your inbox by signing up right here …
Karen Carney’s exclusive column has just dropped, and the former England winger reckons Gareth Southgate should move to a back three and unleash Marcus Rashford on Germany.
Germany flood numbers forward, attack with six and press aggressively so hitting them on the counter is a smart option. France, Portugal and Hungary made the most of the problems Löw’s defence have exhibited. Switching to a back three, which could become a five, being compact and hitting quickly on the break will be the best way to liberate England’s attackers.
Pace to get beyond the defence will be important for England, which is why Marcus Rashford should be in the starting lineup. Bukayo Saka impressed against Czech Republic but the Manchester United striker has the right attributes in terms of speed and finishing to make a potentially match-changing impact. Having Rashford and Raheem Sterling either side of Harry Kane would allow the England captain to drop deep and have the runners go beyond him, which is similar to what he has done for Tottenham. If you look at the joy Kylian Mbappé had against Germany, when he played down the sides, not to mention the Portugal goal where they countered from the corner, that’s where Sterling and Rashford could be devastating against a creaky defence.”
Read Karen’s column here …
Mike MacKenzie has emailed in to argue that Gareth Southgate would be wise to restore Jordan Henderson to centre midfield. “I’m a Liverpool fan,” he admits, “but still I think England need Henderson’s experience and qualities, especially given Germany’s midfield.” I guess Kalvin Philips would be the man to make way for Henderson, if as seems likely, Southgate is wedded to Declan Rice as his midfield anchor. Henderson’s passing may be slightly more progressive, but is he fit enough to provide the running power needed to help the full-backs counter the raids of Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens down the flanks?
What a day to be Frank de Boer? First Crystal Palace, then 4-3-3, now the Czech Republic. Trouble and strife seems to follow him wherever he goes. You could debate all day about whether Matthijs de Ligt deserved a red for his not so sneaky handball, but the Dutch simply did not perform. Defeat in the last 16 was always going to bring out the knives, especially after the joy of the group stage, and so it’s proved. Bart Vlietstra has rounded up the reaction in the press to a very Dutch exit …
Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell trained away from the main group as they prepare to leave isolation just before England’s Euro 2020 clash with Germany, reports the Press Association. Gareth Southgate has no fresh concerns to contend with heading into the last-16 ties with Germany but a decision needs to be taken on the availability of the two Chelsea players. Asked if he can realistically consider them for Tuesday given they only leave isolation at midnight, Southgate told ITV:
Well, that’s what we’ve got to take into account, really. There’s not only the training part of that but the psychological part of that as well, of course. They’ve had to spend a lot of time in a room on their own, so very difficult situation firstly for the two boys. You come to a major tournament, you want to be a part of everything and they’ve had to isolate through this period, which is of course difficult for anybody. And for us we’ve just got to make that decision as we progress.”
Would you throw Mount straight back in? Do Saka and Grealish deserve to stay in the starting XI? Should Foden reclaim his place? Is it time for Henderson to return to centre midfield? Would you consider dropping Kane? Let me know your thoughts.
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More good news coming out of the Denmark camp, where Kasper Hjulmand expects Simon Kjær to be fit for the quarter-final match against the Czech Republic. The Denmark captain went off in the win against Wales with what looked like a thigh injury. Hjulmand revealed Kjær is still undergoing treatment but the centre-back should recover in time for Saturday’s game in Baku, Azerbaijan. “They’re working on Simon and we all think he’ll be ready,” he said. Can Denmark win it again? For Eriksen? This is my favourite moment of the tournament so far …
The rise, fall and eventual explosion of #Den fan noise for Andreas Christensen’s piledriver is just sublime pic.twitter.com/jyA0kFs4Lt
— James Dart (@James_Dart) June 21, 2021
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You feared the worst when Kevin De Bruyne limped out of Belgium’s win over Portugal last night but Kristof Terreur has just tweeted some positive news. Maybe the Manchester City maestro will be back for the mouth-watering quarter-final against Italy on Friday …
Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard will be assessed later today (scans). A video of the Belgian FA reveals that De Bruyne walked quite comfortably off the plane last night, carrying two suitcases. No protective boot. No limping. pic.twitter.com/B4Uv0EraYt
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) June 28, 2021
You can read Kristof’s pre-tournament guide to Belgium here …
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A banner threatening Rafael Benítez if he joins Everton has been left near the former Liverpool manager’s family home, reports Andy Hunter. A banner reading “We know where you live. Don’t sign” is understood to have been placed near the home Benítez shares with his wife and two daughters in Wirral.
To do this to someone’s family, outside the family home, is an absolute disgrace.
— The Bobble (@ElMuchachoEFC) June 28, 2021
A step too far completely. We’re better than this as a fanbase 🔵 pic.twitter.com/Z7Wrcr7T8i
Read the full story here …
Some football news away from the Euros for a minute and Arsenal women have appointed Jonas Eidevall as their manager. The 38-year-old joins from the Swedish side Rosengård and was the “standout candidate” to replace the departed Joe Montemurro, according to Arsenal’s chief executive, Vinai Venkatesham.
He will bring the style of football that Arsenal fans want to see. He’s someone who likes to play on the front foot, high-tempo, attractive, attacking football.”
Suzanne Wrack has the full story …
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The rain is falling here in London after a night of thunderous downpours so it can only mean one thing: Wimbledon’s starting. Djokovic, Murray and Kenin are in action on day one and you can keep up with all the goings on in SW19 right here with Daniel Harris …
It’s been a funny old year for Kai Havertz. A £72m move to Chelsea, a Covid infection, murmurings about wasted money, a Thomas Tuchel rescue act, the winner in the Champions League final and now the chance to “upset England”. You wouldn’t bet against it would you?
For anyone who has missed the fact that if England beat Germany on Tuesday they will win Euro 2020, here is how the draw is “opening up” …
Morning all. So the draw has opened up for England, everyone keeps saying, but right now it looks like the winner will co e from the other half of the draw. Italy survived a tough examination from Austria and Belgium dug deep to see off Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo thought they were lucky to win, but if Kevin De Bruyne hadn’t got injured early in the second half surely his connection with Romelu Lukaku would have put the match to bed earlier.
🗣️ "[The ball] didn't want to go in today."
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 27, 2021
🇧🇪🆚🇵🇹 Thibaut Courtois & Cristiano Ronaldo after the final whistle...#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/oBDyZG3f8j
Right, Rob Bleaney is going to take over for a little while now. I’ll leave you with him.
France’s mounting injuries could mean a switch from a back four to a three-man defence when they face Switzerland later on. The Swiss head coach, Vladimir Petkovic, will not make any special plans to target this weakness, though, and instead looks set to stick with the same team and formation that destroyed Turkey in the group stage. If Switzerland do beat France, it will be their first-ever knockout-stage win in the Euros.
I don’t think this affects us. These are problems for Didier Deschamps but he has so many good players to chose from. We have to test ourselves, prepare to find our own game and deliver. With all due respect to our opponents, we will try to advance tomorrow because at this stage you cannot go back. The only way is forward. For sure the game against Poland at Euro 2016 we deserved to progress, and on penalties you need to be lucky. We learnt from that game, and also from the defeat against Sweden in the 2018 World Cup. What is important is to keep the right attitude and believe in our strengths. With opponents like France if you give 100% and they give 100% then that’s just not enough. We have to go beyond our limits, beyond 100% and hope France stay a few percentages under us.
Meanwhile, the Switzerland captain Granit Xhaka seems to be preparing for penalties: “We will need to do our best for 120 minutes, and then we’ll see if it’s enough. What we want is to advance after three times eliminated in the Round of 16. This team is ready to make history.”
Spain beware! Luka Modric scored a sumptuous goal with the outside of his boot against Scotland and he’s been at it again in training. All hail the new master of the trivela!
🎥 Practice. Makes. Perfect.
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) June 27, 2021
🤩 @lukamodric10 #BeProud | #EURO2020 | #Vatreni🔥 pic.twitter.com/ITQQoBFIlU
I think I’ve seen Modric give the ball away once in three games. He’s one of those players who sees football through a different lens. He also looks in incredibly good shape for 35. When he was at Tottenham he credited his dad for giving him strong legs. Those genes are certainly coming to the fore in this tournament.
My father is strong in his legs, and I think I get that from him. I am stronger there than in my upper body, but that is what gives me a low centre of gravity. It makes it harder for opponents to get me off the ball.
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All eyes will be on Wembley at 5pm BST tomorrow when England take on Germany in the last 16. One of the decisions Joachim Löw will have to make before the game is whether he plays Jamal Musiala in midfield. It was Löw who persuaded the 18-year-old to represent Germany instead of England and there is now pressure on him to start the Bayern Munich youngster, particularly after Germany’s lethargic showing in midfield against Hungary. Here’s Andy Brassell’s take on how it came to be that Musiala could end up helping to knock out the nation that made him:
Here’s a nice picture of Musiala alongside Jude Bellingham, now of Dortmund, who he could face in midfield if Gareth Southgate goes for youth over experience.
Bayern’s Jamal Musiala and Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham catching up before today’s game. Former teammates at youth level with England...but Musiala will now go on and represent Germany! (📸 Times Sport) pic.twitter.com/vlt7Z8LQRu
— Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1) March 6, 2021
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Felix Brych came in for a bit of criticism for using his whistle as often as he might have in the Portugal-Belgium match. It was the kind of liberal approach to refereeing you might expect to see on Hackney Marshes not the last 16 of a major international tournament. “Brych is a referee I usually have no issue with, but I found it mystifying that Portugal ended the game with all 11 players still on the pitch,” emails Kári Tulinius. “For a while it seemed like they had decided to do Italy a favour by hobbling as many Belgian players as possible. Which would be a big favour, as the understudies are a huge step down from the first 11.”
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Spain will have Aymeric Laporte in the centre of their defence in the early-evening last-16 tie against Croatia. He scored his first goal for his newly-adopted nation in the 5-0 thrashing of Slovakia. As he wheeled away high on emotion he roared “Vamos!” Having been born in Agen and represented France up to Under-21 level he probably imagined he would have been screaming “Allez!” after scoring at the Euros but he was largely ignored by the senior team (he was called up three times but left in the stands on some occasions and injured before joining the squad on others) and switched allegiance to Spain before Euro 2020. Sid Lowe has spoken to the Manchester City centre-back, who says he doesn’t care what critics think about him swapping nations.
I’ve always been very clear that I’m going to be with those that want me, not those that don’t. I’m not saying France didn’t want me, but I’m grateful to those that ‘bet’ on me. Spain did and I’m trying to return that faith.
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So what about last night, then? Belgium’s 1-0 win against Portugal was not the heavyweight classic many hoped it would be but it still had plenty of tension, especially in the second half when Portugal bombarded Spain in direct fashion and Pepe injected some needle into the last 15 minutes with some classic darks arts. But Roberto Martínez’s side showed some steel to battle through, though injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard will be worrying with their quarter-final against Italy hurtling into view on Friday. De Bruyne, especially, was missed when he went off. The craft in midfield was lacking and against an Italy defence that will give away little, they will be desperate to get the Manchester City playmaker fit again. “With Kevin, it’s the ankle – he couldn’t really turn in the second half,” said Martínez. “With Eden it’s the muscle, but we have to wait for a diagnosis.” Both will have scans today.
And here’s Jonathan Wilson on how Cristiano Ronaldo showed he still has much to give, even at the grand old age of 36:
Preamble
Good morning. So we now know we’ll have a mouthwatering quarter-final between Belgium and Italy under the lights in Munich on Friday night, with Czech Republic and Denmark making the long journey out to Baku for their last-eight tie on Saturday. Who will join them in the quarter-finals? Today, we have Croatia v Spain at 5pm in Copenhagen followed by France v Switzerland at 8pm in Bucharest. Spain finally found form with a 5-0 win in their final group game but it came against a shambolic Slovakia side. And their preparations for the match against Croatia have been overshadowed by the ongoing abuse of Alvaro Morata by some Spain fans which manager Luis Enrique has called “a crime”. Luka Modric was majestic against Scotland and will be their best hope of stitching together a team performance good enough to take his side past Spain and into the last eight. La Roja will do well to keep an eye on Nikola Vlasic, too, who was a real handful against Scotland and a constant source of energy and invention.
At 8pm, the world champions, France, are heavy favourites to beat Switzerland but the underdogs have been feisty in this tournament so far. Could the Swiss upset the odds as Czech Republic did against Netherlands on Sunday? I’ll bring you the latest news ahead of this evening’s games and I’ll also bring you the reaction to Sunday’s matches, in which the holders, Portugal, were knocked out by Belgium, for whom victory came at a cost with injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and captain Eden Hazard.
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