Euro 2020 Round of 16 Matches

The following article provides an oversight for matches and tournaments taking place in 2020.

Euro 2020 Round of 16 Matches

July 1, 2020

Italy 4 Russia 3

 

Lorenzo Insigne ensured a two-goal buffer late for Italy to overcome a late-charging Russian side in the first Euro 2020 Round of 16 match.

 

Russia, having drawn all three matches, looked to take Italy all the way to extra time to add yet another “draw” to their repertoire.

 

Aleksei Ionov had the first shot on goal, only to miss to the right. Aleksandr Golovin had a better effort on target, bringing Gianluigi Donnarumma into play. His next attempt hit the post, but somehow the ball managed to stay away from goal.

 

Instead, Insigne went and scored after Italy countered, and Russia made a complete blunder with a throw-in, giving the ball straight to Ciro Immobile in the box, who passed to his fellow striker and into an open goal.

 

Trying to equalise, Russia started taking quick shots, only to no effect. Artem Dzyuba had a ping from the edge of the box but missed to the left of goal as he rushed the shot.

 

Down the Italian end, Federico Chiesa hit the crossbar off a free kick after Insigne had been unfairly challenged upon. The latter then tried to shoot from the rebound and poor clearance, only to miss over the bar.

 

However, it was Jorginho who scored, running unmarked into the box with the ball and firing with his left.

 

Russia could sense the game slipping away from them, and Golovin’s other defensive midfielder, Magomed Ozdoev, tried for goal, only for Donnarumma to make the necessary save after Dzyuba rolled the ball across for Ozdoev.

 

Finally, Russia had a goal in the 37th minute as Golovin ran beyond the defence and toe-poked the ball along the ground before Donnarumma could reach the through ball from Dzyuba.

 

Yuri Zhirkov then nearly equalised as he was faced alone against Donnarumma after a chip pass landed right at his running feet. However, the Italian goalkeeper made a fantastic double save to keep his side in the lead.

 

Russia had a couple more half chances before the break, only for Italy’s defence to keep them at bay.

 

Italy then put the game beyond doubt early in the second half after Guiherme went on a goalkeeper’s run, only to lose the ball to Immobile. Andrea Belotti picked up the loose ball, and for the second time in the match, an Italian had a clear path to goal.

 

Quick Russian passes brought the new substitute in Anton Miranchuk into play, only for the Russian to barely miss to the right of goal. Instead, Roman Zobnin brought the match back to a goal after waiting by the right wing and running through to score. Though Donnarumma did get a fair amount of purchase on the ball, the ball did trickle over the line.

 

Insigne swapped wings to bring about uncertainty amongst the Russian defence, and nearly paid off as he took a swipe for goal, only for Guilherme to make the save.

 

Mario Balotelli came off the bench and won a penalty off a challenge in the air, and Insigne ensured that two-goal buffer again for the Italians.

 

However, Dzyuba kept the Russians in the match with a curling right footer in the 83rd minute. A final tense few minutes meant Italy had to attack to keep the Russians away from their attacking half, and only Insigne had a ping for goal before the final whistle blew.

 

Italy now tackles the winner of Turkey and Sweden in the Quarter Finals, while Russia will look forward to the Nations League, starting in September.

 

July 1, 2020

Belgium 1 France 2

 

France looked to overcome a dominant Belgium, making changes in their midfield.

 

Belgium, though, sought an early goal by working down the left wing; however, crosses were inadequate and easy pickings for Hugo Lloris. Romelu Lukaku had the first shot on goal with his head after the Belgians swapped to Kevin de Bruyne’s side of the field and earned a quality corner kick that found Lukaku’s head.

 

De Bruyne had a free kick fly straight to the goalkeeper, and Lukaku had his shots closed down. However, Belgium caught France on a fast break in the 36th minute, with Axel Witsel rushing through midfield. His pass found Lukaku streaking into a one-on-one against Lloris, and his deft chip snuck under the crossbar and into goal, gaining the crucial lead for the Belgians.

 

Belgium went into the break with 63 percent possession, and France needed to come up with a different plan to halt their opponent’s dominance across the field.

 

Belgium kept up the pressure, but eventually France found the gaps in midfield, mainly working down the left flank. Antoine Griezmann, in the 66th minute, managed to outsmart his defender and cut a ball back at a 45-degree angle to an advancing Moussa Sissoko. The midfielder struck first time and powered the ball into the back of the net.

 

Three minutes later, Kylian Mbappé set up Griezmann for his own goal as he shot from a similar range to Sissoko, earning France an unlikely lead.

 

Griezmann, on fire, nearly set up Paul Pogba, only for Thibaut Courtois to make the crucial save. From there, France turned the possession game on its head, and defeated Belgium at their own tactics, holding firm to a come-from-behind victory, and progression to the last eight, where they face Wales or Serbia.

 

July 2, 2020

Turkey 0 Sweden 1

 

Sweden and Turkey made minor adjustments to their starting eleven and how they positioned on the field.

 

Sweden had the upper hand early, with Mikael Lustig having the first proper shot on goal, needing Fehmi Mert Günok to make the save. Mahmut Tekdemir had the first for Turkey, only to miss to the left of goal.

 

Sweden targeted the Turkish right and left backs, while Turkey waited for the counterattack. However, offsides seemed to halt both sides’ advances. Eventually, Marcus Berg managed a shot on target, only for Günok to make a straightforward save as he leant down to parry it away. From the corner, Sebastian Larsson’s header almost made it, and Emil Forsberg tried a fluky shot from the rebound. Still, the score remained 0-0.

 

That changed in stoppage time as Forsberg’s first shot was blocked, before he hit the inside of the left-hand post with his second and into goal, and Sweden had the crucial lead.

 

Larsson attempted a second as he cut back in from the right flank, only his shot had little power or purchase. Late in the seconds before halftime, Okay Yokuşlu received a yellow card for a rash challenge, though nothing came of the advantage to Sweden.

 

The minutes ticked by in the second half as Turkey struggled to get in dangerous territory, with only Hakan Çalhanoğlu having any sort of shot. Cenk Tosun’s aerial effort amounted to nought as the Swedes clamped down on any Turkish attacks.

 

Finally, substitute Kenan Karaman slid a run through the Swedish defence, and as he neared the box, leant back, and shot with his right. It was a shame, as he missed to the left. Karaman looked like a man possessed as he stole the ball again and ran to the top of the box. This second shot hit the outside of the right-hand post and sailed out of play.

 

That was that, and Turkey, devastated, will rue their lack of ingenuity, while Sweden will go on to play Italy in the Quarter Finals.

 

July 2, 2020

Wales 2 Serbia 2 (4-5 on penalties)

 

Wales, having drawn every match, tackled Serbia high on their success in the group stages.

 

Wales made changes in formation and personnel as they needed a win. However, Serbia started the strongest in possession and attack, and had the early goal in the thirteenth minute via Dušan Tadić, who slotted in the goal from an initial Danny Ward save.

 

Wales looked to level ten minutes later, with Daniel James putting the perfect through ball to Gareth Bale, now on the right wing. The talisman smacked the ball against the underside of the crossbar, only for the ball not to cross the line.

 

Bale had a second attempt in the 38th minute, only for the Serbian goalkeeper, Vladimir Stojković, to keep the ball away from goal. This was after Branislav Ivanović earned a yellow card.

 

Bale finally scored off a counterattack after Tadić’s effort was closed by Ward and his fellow defenders. Wales quickly worked down the right flank, then cut back in and gifted Bale a through ball, from which he made no error, tucking the ball into the bottom right-hand corner.

 

James also received a yellow card for a late tackle.

 

After the break, Stojković made a blunder as he ran out to play sweeper, only to pass the ball straight to Bale. The Welshman made no mistake with an open goal, and Wales had come from behind to take the lead.

 

Serbian nearly equalised with a through ball that just kept rolling until Filip Đuričić had a swipe, only for Ward to get enough on it to keep his goal intact. Ward was needed again from the corner as Đuričić headed for goal.

 

The next minutes were hard fought in the middle before Serbia finally got the advantage and worked for multiple corners down the right wing. On the second attempt, after the first was cleared on the line, Đuričić managed to find the gap between the right-hand post and the defender standing on it, despite the attempts to keep the ball from crossing the line.

 

Marko Grujić and Aleksandar Mitrović nearly won the match for Serbia in stoppage time, only for the former to be saved by Ward and the latter to just miss to the right.

 

Immediately in extra time, Serbia made the most of their momentum, only for substitute Sergej Milinković-Savić to miss to the left from a tight angle.

 

Down the other end, Joe Allen had two attempts before also missing to the left, after his first was blocked.

 

Serbia’s Mitrović had a ping with his left saved and Tadić ran down the right flank before firing across the face of goal. Đuričić nearly scored, but somehow Ward managed to keep it away from crossing the line. Đuričić had another attempt, more likely to score, and again the Welsh goalkeeper kept the ball out. Substitute Nikola Milenković also missed the target as Wales breathed a sigh of relief, hoping to progress the match to penalties.

 

Bale scored the opening goal, and Tadić’s effort was saved, giving Wales the crucial advantage. Ramsay kept up the advantage, before Milinković-Savić got Serbia’s first penalty. Daniel James scored, and Kolarov made it 3-2. Tom Lockyer pipped a fourth for Wales, and Đuričić ensured Serbia stayed in the contest. However, Wales had two shots saved, Sam Vokes and Ben Davies both unable to breach the line. Nemanja Radonjic scored and Serbia wins with a come from behind in the penalties, after Aleksandar Prijovic scored Serbia’s fourth.

 

July 3, 2020

Portugal 3 Spain 3 aet (4-2 on penalties)

 

Portugal and Spain looked to advance to the Quarter Finals, with the winner playing against the recipient winner between Germany and Romania.

 

Spain nearly scored inside two minutes as Sergio Busquets set up Mikel Oyarzabal, only for the chip shot to miss to the left of goal.

 

Instead, it was Busquets who scored, tucking with his left foot into the bottom left-hand corner of the goal.

 

Bruno Fernandes sought a quick equaliser and shot from a tight angle, hitting the side netting.

 

Rodrigo tried to make it two goals for Spain, only for his chip shot to also miss, though Oyarzabal’s earlier shot at least went close.

 

Álvaro Morata then tried as he cut back in from the left flank, only for the goalkeeper, Rui Patrício, to make the necessary save.

 

Instead, in the twelfth minute, Cristiano Ronaldo equalised, shooting from a 45-degree angle and not giving David de Gea a chance to save it.

 

Oyarzabal should have scored in the twentieth minute, only for his header to go across the face of goal.

 

A tight tussle in midfield ensued, before André Silva managed a shot on goal in the 37th minute.

 

Rodrigo had two more half-chances for Spain, only to be closed as he went for the shots.

 

After the break, Portugal went on the early attack, with Bernardo Silva’s shot needing a de Gea save with his right foot.

 

Down the Spanish end, Rui Patrício saved Rodrigo’s shot, before halftime substitute Iago Aspas missed to the right of goal.

 

However, the Portuguese goalkeeper could not keep out Rodrigo’s next effort as the right footer sailed into the back of the net after Spain worked down the middle of the field.

 

Portugal threw caution to the wind and brought João Félix on at left back, in the hope of strengthening their attack down the left wing. It started to pay off, though André Silva’s eventual shot flew away over the crossbar.

 

De Gea then closed down Ronaldo as he entered the 18-yard box after a great through ball from Portugal’s other substitute, João Mário. João Mário then had his own opportunity, only to take the shot too quickly and miss to the left of goal.

 

Thirteen minutes remained for Portugal to grasp an equaliser, de Gea made the save of the match as he stopped André Silva’s chip shot. However, as the clock ticked into stoppage time, João Félix won the ball in midfield, played a quick one-two before firing into the back of the net.

 

The match, needing another thirty minutes, saw Ronaldo take on the whole Spanish defence and score with ease, giving his side the crucial lead.

 

Juan Bernat nearly drew the match level again, with his header off a corner smacking the crossbar. Instead, Player of the Match Iago Aspas slid home Spain’s third goal with his left foot as he snuck it under Rui Patrício.

 

Rodrigo nearly won the match for Spain in the 113th minute, dribbling around the Portuguese with ease before his left footer hit the outside of the post.

 

João Félix had a header off a corner late, though it was too far out and de Gea made the save look easy.

 

In penalties, Ronaldo scored to left for Portugal, while Rodrigo scored to the right.  Bruno Fernandes hit the post, and Thiago Alcântara had his shot saved.

Gonçalo Paciência, Xavi and Andre Silva scored, though Juan Mata had his shot saved. João Moutinho pocketed to the left and Portugal won!

 

July 3, 2020

Germany 3 Romania 2

 

Germany and Romania took on the sixth Round of 16 match. Serge Gnabry had an early attempt, though he cut across the shot too far.

 

Timo Werner had an attempt from a similar position, only for the Romanian goalkeeper, Ciprian Tătăruşanu, to parry the ball to safety.

 

Instead, Marco Reus broke the ice after Leroy Sané found him in between the Romanian central defenders.

 

However, Romania had the better in midfield, and soon had an equaliser. The ball fell to George Puşcaş, who chipped with the outside of his foot to outsmart an oncoming Marc-André ter Stegen.

 

Nicolae Stanciu then gave the Romanians the lead, covering the rebound and snagging Romania’s second. Germany fumbled around in defence and gave a whiff of hope to the Romanians. Stanciu was poised to take the shot from just inside the box initially, only to have the ball taken out from under his feet. Alexandru Chipciu then reached the ball first - the shot was partially blocked, which ter Stegen then parried away. Stanciu then headed for home, only to hit the post, before he followed up with the shot on goal and the lead for his side.

 

Reus tried wrestling back the match on his own, only to hit the woodwork with the outside of his foot. Defender Lukas Klostermann also had a ping, only there was no power behind the shot. Right before the break, Sané took a shot that required a choice Tătăruşanu save.

 

Still, Romania went into the break with the lead. Wayward shots, however, started the second period, until Werner passed to Sané, and again, Tătăruşanu was up to the task.

 

Stanciu nearly had his brace when an accidental through ball found him and he took a ping one-on-one against ter Stegen. The German goalkeeper, however, came out on top.

 

Instead, Germany earned a penalty via Ionuţ Nedelcearu’s reckless, yellow-carded tackle. Gnabry made no mistake from the spot, and the match was level again.

 

Tudor Băluță injured himself while taking a shot that ter Stegen saved, before the Germans countered and scored via substitute Julian Brandt.

 

Stanciu kept attacking, this time with his head, only for ter Stegen to make the save.

 

Both sides put their bodies on the line in a desperate attempt to score again, only no more goals came. The Germans won 3-2.

 

July 4, 2020

England 4 Montenegro 3

 

Fatos Bećiraj had the early chance for Montenegro against England as they sought an upset. From the resulting corner after the ball came off an English defender, Stefan Mugoša rose above his opponents to head over the top of goal.

 

England looked dangerous down the wings, only for Montenegro to easily clear the crosses. Mugoša, though, had a ping down the other end that should have resulted in something more; Jordan Pickford made the easiest of saves.

 

Down the other end, Declan Rice had a long-range shot thwarted by Danijel Petković, and Aleksandar Boljević missed with his left foot. Bećiraj should have scored minutes later, only for Pickford to make the save.

 

Marcus Rashford then sent a long ball to the running Raheem Sterling, whose shot required the save from Petković.

 

Instead, Luke Shaw dreamt his way through the Montenegrin defence and scored, sliding the ball under the goalkeeper in the 37th minute.

 

In the second half, Mugoša had the first attempt, stealing off an English defender and having a low shot for goal, though it went straight to Pickford.

 

Down the other end, England exploited the left back being out of position and Sterling found the head of Harry Kane, gifting the English a second goal.

 

Bećiraj could have gained a goal back, found alone in the box, only he muffed the shot to the right of goal.

 

Instead, the front three of Rashford, Kane and Sterling combined to give the latter a goal, and England’s third. The former two worked down the left wing, with Kane crossing into Sterling, and the talisman made no mistake with his head.

 

Mugoša gained a goal back for Montenegro, thundering the ball into the top right corner, clipping the underside of the bar in the process.

 

Sterling and substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in one of his early matches for England, both had misses for a fourth England goal.

 

Instead, it came in the 74th minute as Sterling scored after cutting back in from the right wing and pushed the ball along the ground, out of reach of the goalkeeper.

 

Player of the Match Mugoša failed to give in and scored his second goal, looping from long range into the back of the net.

 

With five minutes to go, substitute Drasco Bozović was found with a looping chip pass, and he hit the ball with such power that Pickford had no chance to reach it.

 

Only a goal in it meant a tense final few minutes. However, England kept possession and won the day, albeit not having a great few final minutes after being 3-0 in the lead.

 

July 4, 2020

Ireland 1 Switzerland 2

 

England Quarter Final opponent would be the winner of Ireland and Switzerland.

 

Glenn Whelan had the first ping at goal, only to hover the ball over the bar. David McGoldrick also had his header rise too high and miss over the bar.

 

Down the Swiss end, Admir Mehmedi had a shot blocked as the Irish goalkeeper, Darren Randolph raced out to slow the Swiss talisman down. From the corner, Denis Zakaria ‘s shot brought Randolph into the match again.

 

Down the other end, McGoldrick had a couple of attempts, with the latter hitting the woodwork. Jeff Hendrick then volleyed the clearance, missing the goals but not by much.

 

Hendrick tried again for goal in the 24th minute, this time from a tighter angle. Yans Sommer made the important save, sending the ball against the post before it was cleared.

 

The match soon became like tennis, back and forth, with neither side able to penetrate the defence. Right before the break, Switzerland earned a controversial penalty, in which Zakaria had the ball taken away from him by Richard Keogh, only for Randolph to be sliding in. His wayward dive on the ball instead took out Zakaria, gifting Switzerland the penalty and earning a yellow card in the process. However, the crowd were cheering for him as he dove to his right and made the crucial save from Zakaria’s spot kick. Ireland failed to clear the resulting corner, and Granit Xhaka was found alone, and he gave Switzerland the lead.

 

After the break, Mehmedi had a shot with his left foot fall straight to Randolph. Zakaria nearly found Remo Freuler, who missed to the left of goal. Mehmedi also should have scored as a through ball found him alone, only for his chip shot to to also miss to the left. Instead, it was Xhaka who found Haris Seferović, and the head of the striker found the inside of the right-hand post before the ball fell over the line.

 

Three minutes later, however, James Collins went on a run, and scored on his own, hitting the back of the net with pure power.

 

Whelan then nearly equalised from long range; his shot flew over the bar.

 

Down the Swiss end, Zakaria managed to get his head on a difficult cross, only to pop the ball straight to Randolph.

 

Xherdan Shaqiri then set up Seferović for the perfect volley, only Randolph again made a crucial save.

 

Down the Irish end, McGoldrick had a ping from a tight angle. Then Shaqiri and Seferović combined again, only for the former to have a weak shot at goal.

 

In the end, Switzerland held on, and knocked Ireland out of the contest.