Four games of the Euro 2020 Round of 16 are in the books. Four teams have advanced while four others are going home. We have already seen some surprising results, and there are still four matches left to play in the Round of 16.
On Saturday, Denmark and Italy booked their spots in the final eight. Denmark beat Wales while Italy beat Austria. On Sunday, the Czech Republic eliminated the Netherlands while Belgium beat Portugal. The elimination of the defending champions marks the second consecutive Euro in which the defending champions have suffered elimination in the Round of 16.
Lukaku and Ronaldo shared a moment of respect as soon as the final whistle blew 🤝 pic.twitter.com/3UqyjINtx3
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 27, 2021
With two heavy favorites out of the tournament, things truly get interesting, especially with England taking on Germany on Tuesday. Additionally, Belgium takes on Italy in the quarterfinals while Denmark squares off against the Czech Republic. The winner of France and Switzerland will meet the winner of the match between Spain and Croatia.
At this point, anything can happen.
It’s safe to say that Denmark and the Czech Republic are the true dark horses of the tournament. Only one of these two worthy contenders will earn a spot in the final four. The winner of that match will face either Germany, England, Sweden, or Ukraine. In Denmark’s case, after losing Christian Eriksen in the opening game, their chances haven’t been very high. However, they have prevailed and seem to be doing just fine.
Belgium is dealing with several injuries. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne suffered an injury against Portugal and his status against Italy is unknown. In addition, Eden Hazard reportedly picked up a hamstring injury. Without two key players, Belgium’s chances decrease significantly.
As for the Netherlands and Portugal, it’s unfortunate that their run in the Euro 2020 ended this way. It’s more frustrating for the Portuguese side, as they were the defending champions. In the Netherlands’ case, they were hoping to build for the future. The Dutch had missed out on Euro 16 and the 2018 World Cup and suffering a shocking upset only adds to their grieve.
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