Euro 2020 Semi Final Matches

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

Euro 2020 Semi Final Matches

July 13, 2020

France 3 Germany 4

 

Germany and France produced one of the matches of Euro 2020 with the former winning in a seven-goal thriller.

 

Both sides felt around the field in possession, looking for a weakness in tactical nous. Moussa Sissoko had the first shot go wide from a free kick after a handball just outside the box.

 

Germany then broke down the French defence in the 28th minute after possessing the ball for long periods, mainly down the right wing. Leroy Sané crossed the ball into Timo Werner, who had a volley effort hit the inside of the post and across the line, giving the Germans the early lead.

 

Germany continued exploiting the right wing, and soon they had a second goal. Marco Reus guided his header to the open side of the goal after Serge Gnabry made a long run and cross to perfection.

 

The French could see no other way to goal and had to defend with might. However, Sissoko managed to sneak beyond the German defence and, with a chip pass by Olivier Giroud, he managed to draw back a goal.

 

Reus nearly gained his second from the restart, only for Hugo Lloris to close what seemed a certain goal. Lukas Klostermann, who had stayed up front after the corner, also had a ping but with little to no power behind the shot.

 

Down the French end, Antoine Griezmann made the most of tiny opportunities, only for Mac-André ter Stegen to save the dinky shot with his left foot after over-diving.

 

Florian Neuhaus, who had come off the bench earlier in the second half, needed to leave after a collision. His replacement, Emre Can, looked set to ruffle the feathers of the match.

 

However, the French found a way to goal down their own right wing, and Kylian Mbappé crossed to Sissoko running from the left wing. His shot was blocked, but managed to hit a hand, and a penalty was awarded. However, ter Stegen saved Sissoko’s spot kick as he leapt to his right, knocking the ball away with his open right hand.

 

In the 69th minute, Giroud and Mbappé combined, only for the latter’s shot to come from the tightest of angles.

 

Instead, the Germans caught the French on a counterattack and Reus ran deep into the box before the save of his shot found Sané alone in front of goal, and the German made no mistake.

 

With the score 3-1, France needed to take as many shots as possible. Sissoko had a weak shot stopped before he was the catalyst down the left wing, leading to the ball falling to substitute Blaise Matuidi. He ran to a position away from his closest defender and somehow managed to curl his right footer around the defender and the goalkeeper, giving France a slim hope at a place in the Final.

 

Mbappé then passed to Giroud, whose shot may have had no power, but since it was out of reach of ter Stegen, seemed to want to enter the goal, only to miss by centimetres.

 

Sissoko should have equalised in the 84th minute as he ran free of any marking man onto a choice through ball, but the ball thudded the woodwork.

 

Then, as France attacked, they were caught out, and Germany cut passes back in from right midfield to gift Player of the Match Reus a quick around-the-body shot, and a chance at winning Euro 2020.

 

Mbappé scored a consolation goal, going himself from the kick off, catching the German defence already thinking about the next and last match. Still, Germany celebrated as the final whistle blew, knowing they would have a real shot against the winner of Sweden and England.

 

July 14, 2020

Sweden 1 England 2 aet

 

Harry Kane came close in the eighth minute of the match against Sweden with a header off a Jordan Henderson corner, smacking the crossbar, before Marcus Rashford earned a yellow card for his follow-up attempt.

 

Down the Swedish end, Robin Quaison needed his shot blocked as he left footed from outside the box.

 

The match became end to end football as Kane could have also scored, only for Robin Olsen to close his advance. Sebastian Larsson ran onto a through ball from the right midfield that needed a Jordan Pickford save.

 

Marcus Berg pinged a shot as he ran onto a ball guided to him by Quaison, only to miss to the left of goal. Sweden had most of the possession for the rest of the half but could not produce another shot. Instead, it was Rashford who had the last shot of the half, powering over the bar as he was closely followed by the Swedish defence.

 

After the break, Ross Barkley caught the Swedes off guard when he countered with a looping ball over the defence to a free Kane, who made no mistake with his left foot as he tucked the ball into the low corner of the goal.

 

Danny Rose nearly set up Kane for his second with a back pass, only for Robin Olsen to make the necessary first save, and the follow up with Raheem Sterling closing in on the rebound. Rashford then won two headers from two corners but with not enough purchase on them.

 

Ross Barkley earned a yellow card in the lead up play to Sweden scoring, as Berg took a shot that deflected off an advancing Pickford. Kristoffer Olsson, quiet for much of the tournament in comparison to the Qualifiers, caught the rebound with his right foot and equalised the match.

 

Kane could only last 70 minutes due to the injury from the Quarter Finals and was taken off at a crucial moment in the match.

 

Emil Forsberg tried to gain the lead for Sweden with a long-range shot, only to be halted by Pickford’s diving left hand save.

 

Down the English end, Sterling shot from a tight angle, only for Olsen to make the necessary save. Luke Shaw then set the corner on the head of Dominic Calvert-Lewis, only for the youngster to miss to the right of goal. Again, Calvert-Lewis had a chance with his head after Sterling won the ball coming out of defence, only to miss to the same side again, though he had far greater pressure on him this time.

 

Sweden’s Olssen and substitute Emil Krafth should have scored the winner late in additional time, only to both shoot over the top of goal. Instead, the match drifted into thirty minutes of extra time.

 

Early on, the two other Swedish substitutes up front, Alexander Isak and Jordan Larsson, combined, only for the latter’s shot to being about a Pickford save.

 

Instead, Rashford set up a cross for Calvert-Lewis, and finally he got on target, gifting England the lead.

 

Forsberg, though partially injured, tried to get his side back in the match with a long-range shot, only Pickford was up to the task. However, England managed to keep the ball down the other end, and came away with the extra-time win, and will face Germany for the ultimate continental prize.