The round of 16 didn’t bring about many shocks at all however there were a lot of scares for the favourites. England gets lucky with a 95th-minute wonder goal from Bellingham to ignite a comeback against Slovakia. Portugal relied on penalties to get past Slovenia and Spain fought back after an early goal from Georgia. Turkey put on a chaotic show and powered past Austria whilst France bore watchers to beat Belgium.
Switzerland v Italy: (2-0)
My Man of the Match – Dan Ndoye
Pre-tournament Italy would have been the resounding favourites for this matchup however, based on group-stage performances, the Swiss were seen as the better team. This was backed up throughout the game where Switzerland dominated and generally played the better football. Throughout the first half, Italy were not aggressive in their press at all and in possession, they lacked any real outlet. Players struggled to reach the pitch and were stiff in formation and game plan. This Swiss however were superb. They pressured the opposition
high up the pitch, attacked with pace and defensively kept their shape well. The use of midfielders/wingers are wing-backs gives a lot more attacking potency to the Swiss side and is vital in making the pitch wider. Especially on the right-hand side when Dan Ndoye is utilised. His work rate is immense and can constantly be seen sprinting up and down the touchline on that side of the pitch. He offers a real goal threat and is difficult for the opposition to get passed. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet during the match but looks like a danger for any team. The second half of this game painted a very similar picture. Italy did get forward a little more than in the first half but still had very few outlets with the exception of Chiesa. Since he came on the pitch, he looked like the only Italian player who was willing to get forward and try to create a chance. Switzerland did well in weathering this however as they were still far more dominant and kept their defensive shape superbly throughout.
Germany v Denmark: (2-0)
My Man of the Match – Jamal Musiala
This was a very evenly matched game which turned out to be fairly chaotic and controversial. 2 disallowed goals and a penalty given dubiously made this an unhinged match to watch. Of the disallowed goals, Germany’s was harsh however in retrospect was probably a correct call and Denmark’s was also harsh but also correct. The main piece of controversy comes in the handball given for Germany’s penalty. Although it did strike his hand, you have to ask questions about whether it firstly changed the trajectory of the ball and secondly, benefitted the defender in any way. Yes, it did strike his hand and you will see
those be given as penalties a majority of the time, but it was a very unlucky call and Denmark will feel that lost the game. Germany made a few changes to the team that they fielded during the group stages but they did seem to make a difference. The implementation of Sane on the right-hand side was effective and created more outlets on the wing for Germany. In addition, David Raum played as a left-back and is very good going forward. He puts a very dangerous cross into the box and looks like the kind of player who has the energy to burn. However, man of the match has to go to young lad Jamal Musiala. He is such a special talent and is certainly not short of confidence. He seems to have taken the mantle of main attacker for Germany with every attacking movement coming through him. The young talent is not scared to run with the ball as he attempted 9 dribbles throughout the game and deserved his goal. It was a superb finish and showed the level of skill he has to calmly slot it away into the bottom corner.
England v Slovakia: (2-1 AET)
My Man of the Match – David Hancko
England has a miraculous way of making every game they play dull. Their entire game plan for the majority of the game was to pass the ball around the backline and hope that if the wingers do get the ball, they can hopefully create something themselves. Slovakia aren’t exactly the most exciting team themselves however that is to be expected with them being the underdogs. They set up well, pressed the ball at the correct times and attacked with speed when they did win back the ball. Their overall fitness levels for the first 90 minutes are hugely impressive and their work ethic is exceptional. They never give up and in all honesty, deserved to win the game. Following Jude Bellingham’s dramatic equaliser, Slovakia looked spent and just didn’t have the squad depth to put up a real fight in extra time. Their hearts will be broken but they should still be proud of even getting to the knockouts. On the winning side, England will claim that they “fought to the very end” and “showed real togetherness to win that game” but in reality, they were not good enough and required individual skill to get them out of a tight spot. In the end, it wouldn’t surprise me to see England play the same way throughout the tournament as it hasn’t led them to lose as of yet. They play constant sideways passes, lack any creativity, seem very susceptible to counterattacks and don’t seem to be gelling as a team. One impressive performance out of the many for Slovakia was David Hancko’s. The left-back pocketed Saka throughout the game and was a defensive machine for Slovakia. He made 6 tackles, made 3 clearances and had a massive 12 ball recoveries. He showcased his defensive talents throughout and deserved to be on the winning side.
Spain v Georgia: (4-1)
My Man of the Match – Rodri
Georgia surprised everyone, especially the Spanish, with their early goal and demonstrated why they were to be taken seriously. They are so quick on the counterattack and possess players who are technically gifted on the ball. They ran the Spain defence ragged and created a few decent chances for themselves. However, all hope for Georgia was shattered once Spain turned it on. They attacked and attacked for the entire game and never seemed to let up. They mustered 35 shots with 13 on target and were bound to score eventually and really should have scored even more. Their squad depth became even more
prominent at the end of the game as 2 substitutes in Oyarzabal and Olmo linked up to get Spain's 4th goal. Spain dominated the midfield and kept the ball constantly in the opposition’s half of the pitch. Rodri was especially impressed as he always does. He was spraying balls all over the pitch and every 3 passes seemed to come back to him. With 109 completed passes, he was the driver of the midfield and was the best player on the pitch. As seen on the passing map, he was not restricted to a short pass and was willing to spray the ball wide. In addition to getting himself a goal, he also made 2 key passes, made 3 tackles and won 100% of his duels in an all-around majestic midfield display. He is the kind of player who will constantly put on 8/10 displays and never really get the plaudits he deserves. If Spain does go on to win the Euros (I think they will) then he has to be in the conversation for the Balon D’or. If Modric won it, then there is no reason why Rodri can’t as he has been the best midfielder in the world for the last year and has been vital in both Man City’s and Spain's teams.
France v Belgium: (1-0)
My Man of the Match - Aurélien Tchouaméni
This was a very poor game and neither team deserved to win. France looked just about the most likely to score but it wasn’t a game to demonstrate both sides talents. France dominated possession and certainly had more chances but none were exactly clear-cut. Mbappe tried his best to create but never really threatened the goal and relied on a massive deflection to take the lead late in the game. For Belgium, Lukaku was man-marked out of the game and De Bruyne struggled to get a foothold in the end. Doku tried his best but still needed polishing up and was dominated by Kounde for large parts. The 2 centre-backs of Belgium did well in being able to restrict France and stop them from creating any big chances. However, man of the match goes to Tchouaméni in the midfield for France. He put on a strong performance and was the main man in the midfield for the French. With 4 shots he was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet for France and if he was more composed he could have slotted one away. In addition, he made 2 tackles, contributed to 9% of the possession on the pitch and made 3 key passes.
Portugal v Slovenia: (0-0, Portugal on penalties)
My Men of the Match – Jaka Bijol and Vanja Drkusic
This wasn’t a match of chances but more a match of defensive excellence. Slovenia did superbly well to keep a clean sheet and this is down to the centre-back pairing of Bijol and Drkusic. They were physical, aggressive and overall dominant in every aspect. Between them, they won 15 duels, and 8 tackles and made 15 clearances. The one dampener on their display was the conceded penalty but Slovenia goalkeeper Oblak was equal to it and took the game to penalties. This defensive masterclass allowed Slovenia to counter effectively and if not for Portugal keeper Costa, Slovenia would have won the game. Costa
even saved all 3 penalties in the shootout and was vital in scraping a win for Portugal. Portugal played a solid game but doesn’t seem to be living up to the pre-tournament hype. This has to be put down to their lack of goals from their forwards, especially Ronaldo. Age has got to him but he doesn’t seem to want to accept it yet. He is greedy and becomes selfish in the opposition’s half of the pitch. He would take shots when he shouldn’t and when it came down it, he bottled the big chances. A one-on-one which he put straight at the keeper and a penalty miss is not what is expected of the goalscoring galactic. Due to his ego, it is difficult to sub him off or even get him off-set pieces. If Portugal wants to progress further, I feel they will need to take risks and potentially experiment without him on the pitch.
Netherlands v Romania: (3-0)
My Man of the Match – Xavi Simons
Both teams played well in this game but following the early Dutch goal, the Netherlands dominated and were the far better team. They created a lot of chances and attacked well with each player playing a very fluid role. Simons especially was superb being the striker and was a real threat for Holland. He managed to get himself 2 assists and looked like the player he was hyped up to be. He was confident on the ball, creative with his passing and was a goal threat for the majority of the game. He made 3 key passes, attempted 4 dribbles and created 1 big chance. Another player for the Dutch who did well was right-back Denzel
Dumfries. He got forward for large parts of the game and created an overload in attack. He played the majority of his game in the opposition half as seen on the heatmap and was a constant threat going forward. He was unlucky not to get an assist in the game but was vital in this victory for the Dutch. Romania didn’t put up the greatest show and after the first goal, they almost fell back into their shell. They struggled to get out of defence and didn’t test the Netherlands keeper enough. Pre-tournament I spoke about how they were defensively sound but when their defence fails, they can struggle going forward. They were never seen as a goal-scoring giant but they will feel they should have done better against a weak Dutch defence.
Turkey v Austria: (2-1)
My Man of the Match – Merih Demiral
Turkey were the surprise package of this round of fixtures as they put up a strong display against a good Austria side. Many (including myself) expected Austria to win their side of the bracket and get to the final but the Turkish maniacs proved everyone wrong. Turkey were superb from set pieces and that won them the game. Guler constantly put great balls into the box and Demiral was always there to meet them. He was an aerial threat all game and was a machine in both boxes. He won 6 aerial duels in the game, had 3 headed shots and even made 17 clearances. He is now the Turkish top scorer of the tournament and will be making people question why he moved to the Saudi League. Austria kept on attacking throughout the game but didn’t get too far. They didn’t get enough shots on target and create enough clear-cut opportunities. Sabitzer was dropping too deep to get on the ball and Baumgartner just couldn’t get past the Turkish keeper. It was a surprising match but the Turkish history makers will have the confidence to go all the way.
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