Chapter 527 The European Cup knockout rounds begin
The Italians failed to get what they wanted in the end, and they unfortunately lost to Ireland with a score of 0:1.
After the loss, the Italian players were very disappointed, and they were all downcast and worried.
They were thinking: It's over, it's over, the next game is against Spain!
But the fans who saw this scene misunderstood the reason why the Italian players were sad.
Therefore, despite the loss, Italy's reputation online is very good.
"The spirit of this Italy team is very similar to the Italy team that won the World Cup under Lippi!"
"Yeah, it's been ten years and it's time for the Italian team to recover!"
…
For Spain, neither Belgium nor Italy in Group E are actually easy to deal with.
So no matter who it is, it's pretty much the same to them.
After learning that their opponent in the knockout round was Italy, Del Bosque and the players did not have any special ideas. They just continued to practice hard and seize the time to prepare for the upcoming knockout round.
On June 22, the last two games of the European Cup group stage began.
The plots of these two games can be described as full of ups and downs!
In the match between Iceland and Austria, Iceland scored first in the first half and then gave Austria a penalty kick.
But the Austrians did not seize this opportunity, and Dragovich, who took the penalty kick, missed the ball.
However, shortly after the start of the second half, the Austrians equalized the score.
If the game ends with this score, the two teams will probably be eliminated together in the end.
At the last moment of the game, Iceland launched a desperate attack, and the head coach even replaced three players in a row.
In the end, in stoppage time, Traustasson, who came on as a substitute, completed the winning goal, defeating Austria 2:1 and gaining a valuable qualifying spot.
The other game was even more ups and downs. Hungary scored first in the 19th minute of the first half, and then Portugal equalized the score.
Only 2 minutes after the start of the second half, Hungary scored again, forcing Portugal into a desperate situation.
At the critical moment, Ronaldo stepped forward and scored his first goal in this European Cup, helping the team equalize the score.
But it wasn't enough for Portugal as Hungary once again took the lead just five minutes after Ronaldo's goal.
At this time, Portugal was pushed to the edge of the cliff, and the Portuguese fans in the stands were so nervous that they could hardly breathe.
Countless Portuguese fans are praying silently in their hearts, hoping that someone in the team can stand up and help the team escape the fate of death.
As if hearing the calls of the fans, Ronaldo stood up again.
In the 62nd minute of the second half, he scored his second goal and once again helped Portugal equalize the score!
This goal made all the Portuguese fans at the scene and in front of the TV go crazy. They chanted Ronaldo's name and almost worshiped him like a god!
It is no exaggeration to say that Ronaldo single-handedly saved the team!
Although both teams worked very hard to change the score, the 3:3 score remained until the final whistle sounded.
After the two teams tied, Hungary defeated Iceland with 5 points and 2 goal differences, and advanced to the next round as the first in the group.
Portugal, with 3 draws and 3 games, accumulated 3 points and 0 goal difference, defeated Albania and Turkey, and got the last ticket to the knockout rounds.
At this point, the list of the top 16 of the European Cup has been released, and the lineup for the next round has also been determined:
Switzerland VS Poland, Wales VS Northern Ireland, Croatia VS Portugal, France VS Ireland, Germany VS Slovakia, Hungary VS Belgium, Italy VS Spain, England VS Iceland.
After seeing their opponents in the next round, the French smiled and so did the British.
Their opponents are not strong, and the probability of defeating them to advance to the quarterfinals is very high.
The Germans were calm and relaxed, as if it didn't matter who their opponent was in the next round.
The Belgians are eager to try. Hungary's strength is neither strong nor weak, so it feels like it is quite suitable to serve as their touchstone.
The Italians looked solemn because their opponent was Spain.
…
There is still one week left before the knockout rounds, and each team is seizing the time to prepare for the game.
Spain also took the rare step of expelling onlookers and reporters and conducting closed training.
This makes the outside world very curious, and they all wonder if Spain is holding back some big move.
When the news reached the ears of the Italians, they suddenly became suspicious: Could it be that Lin Quan had really recovered from his injury and could participate in the team's training?
I have to say that Italians’ intuition is quite accurate.
The purpose of Bosque's closed training is not to let the outside world know that Lin Quan is ready to participate in the team's joint training.
As a trump card in his hand, Bosque naturally hopes to hide this trump card as long as possible.
As for Lin Quan's status, after a training match within the team, the coach and all the players on the team have no doubts.
It was obvious that Lin Quan in front of them was in the best condition.
Otherwise, he would not have been able to lead the substitute team to beat the main team 3:0!
…
On June 25, the European Cup quarter-finals started between Poland and Switzerland.
The strength of the two teams is very close. Poland has a top shooter like Lewandowski, while Switzerland has extremely good defensive capabilities.
This makes this game very exciting!
In the 39th minute of the first half, the Polish team took the lead in scoring. In the second half, Switzerland used a counterattack opportunity to tenaciously equalize the score.
Neither team scored again and the game entered overtime.
In overtime, the two teams still failed to achieve anything, and the game was eventually dragged into a brutal penalty shootout.
In the penalty shootout, Xhaka, the Swiss player who took the penalty in the second round, deceived the goalkeeper, but his shot hit the post and flew out of the baseline.
It was precisely because of this conceded goal that Switzerland unfortunately lost in the penalty shootout and ended up in the top 16.
The Poles successfully advanced to the quarterfinals and are waiting for their next opponent.
Three hours later, in another British civil war, Wales relied on an own goal from its opponent to defeat Northern Ireland 1:0 and secured its second place in the quarterfinals.
Compared with the group stage, the knockout stage schedule is very compact.
Shortly after the game between Wales and Northern Ireland, the game between Croatia and Portugal also started.
Because Portugal's road to promotion is very bumpy, if Ronaldo hadn't exploded in the end, they would have been carried away long ago.
On the other hand, Croatia advanced by stepping on the corpse of world champion Spain.
Therefore, before the game, the outside world was more optimistic about Croatia.
However, this game is far more exciting than everyone imagined.
In the first half, neither team scored a goal, and in the second half, both teams were still unable to score.
The game was forced into overtime!
In the first half of overtime, both sides continued to achieve nothing. In the second half, the plot was exactly the same as before.
Seeing that the game was about to be dragged into a penalty shootout again, a discarded player from Barcelona and Inter Milan, a person who was ridiculed by many people, stood up. His name is Quaresma!
In the 116th minute of the game, Croatia took advantage of Pepe's mistake and found an opportunity. Perisic's header hit the post!
Portugal escaped by chance, and then Portugal launched a counterattack. Sanches advanced quickly and passed to Nani. Nani passed the ball. Ronaldo's shot from the back point was saved by the goalkeeper. Quaresma easily headed the ball in front of the goal. A follow-up shot, hitting the ball into the empty goal to complete the victory!
The performance of both teams in this game was not good. Maybe the shooters on both sides were out of shape, or maybe the defense intensity of both sides was too strong. In the first 90 minutes, of the more than 20 shots taken by the two teams, not one shot was on target.
It can only be said that Portugal has better luck than the opponent. If Perisic's header did not hit the post, this may be another story.
But football is like this. In addition to strength, there is also a certain amount of luck.
Unfortunately, Croatia fell in the round of 16 and failed to achieve further goals.
Portugal, under the leadership of Ronaldo, continues to move forward tenaciously.
…
On June 26, the knockout rounds continued, with the French team taking the lead!
Perhaps because of underestimating the opponent, the French team gave the opponent a big gift-a penalty kick just 2 minutes after the start!
The Irish accepted the gift with a smile and rewritten the score to 1:0!
Many French people struggled to find their seats, only to find that their team was lagging behind when they sat down.
This made them confused. Not only them, but also the French players on the field and the French coach Deschamps and others on the sidelines were also a little confused.
The frustrated French even started booing their own players!
What the hell are you kicking?
Do you want to play at your home stadium in front of tens of millions of spectators across the country?
Have some face!
During the halftime break, Deschamps, who has always been good-tempered, couldn't help but get all fired up. He caught the players and sprayed them wildly for more than ten minutes until the end of the halftime break.
Maybe the head coach's hair dryer had an effect, or maybe his own pride didn't want them to suffer this humiliation.
After the start of the second half, the French launched a fierce counterattack.
Griezmann completed two consecutive hits in the 58th and 62nd minutes of the second half to help the team complete the reversal.
Seeing that the team realized their shame and bravely reversed the game, the French fans in the stands regained their smiles and happily cheered for the team.
After all, Ireland is a weak team, and they were soon unable to withstand the fierce counterattack of the host country.
Their center back even received a red card for a foul and was ejected.
With the score leading and one less opponent, there was no suspense in this game.
The French team defeated Ireland 2:1 and advanced to the next round.
After winning the game, the French seemed very happy, so they showed off everywhere.
Facing the ostentatious French fans, the Germans said calmly: Let you see how a truly strong team wins!
So he scored one goal after another, and even though he missed a penalty kick, he still beat his opponent 3:0.
Slovakia was unable to fight back, and the whole game saw them being pinned to the ground and rubbed repeatedly by the Germans.
Seeing such a fierce performance by the Germans, the French couldn't help laughing.
It was also a victory. It was easy for the Germans to win.
Speaking of which, Slovakia is much stronger than Ireland!
But they were like three-year-old children in front of the German team, with no power to fight back.
On the other hand, the French team has had such difficulties even playing in Ireland. If they really meet the German team...
When the French were still immersed in the shock that the Germans had brought to them, the European Red Devils showed up and taught the whole world a lesson about what it means to chop melons and vegetables.
Facing the top spot in Group F, the Belgians scored a very exaggerated score - 4:0!
In this game, the Belgians flourished more, with Alderweireld, Batshuayi, Hazard and Carrasco scoring goals one after another.
They blasted 26 shots in the whole game, beating the Hungarians to the point where they were all scratching their heads!
Hungary is really not a weakling, and being first in the group is enough to prove their strength.
But their luck is so bad. Belgium may be the second strongest group among all groups except Spain!
Moreover, Belgium is still a top-heavy team, and their offensive firepower is extremely fierce. Hazard, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Carrasco...
As long as these people cooperate well, few teams in Europe can stop their attack!
Poor Hungary, although they had more ball possession than their opponents and took 15 shots, the offensive efficiency of the two sides was not at the same level.
Their team lacks a core midfielder like De Bruyne who can deliver passes as precise as a scalpel!
After the Belgian team won this victory, the outside world's evaluation of them soared, and their winning odds also quickly rose to third place, even surpassing the host France team, second only to Germany and Spain.
Strangely enough, Spain lost to Croatia in the last game of the group stage, but its odds of winning the championship increased instead of falling.
The main reason for this situation is the appearance of Lin Quan. Even if he just sat on the bench and did not play, it still increased Spain's odds of winning a lot.
As for whether it can continue to rise, it depends on Spain's performance in the next game.
After the match between Belgium and Hungary, it was Spain's turn.
At 7pm on June 26th, Saint-Denis, France.
The match between Spain and Italy started on time.
This game is undoubtedly the focus of this round of knockout rounds. The reason is very simple. Spain and Italy were the champions and runners-up of the last European Cup, and they are also the favorites to win this European Cup.
For fans, this is a top-notch audio-visual feast.
Therefore, the tickets for this game are very tight. They were sold out early before the game started. When the game started, the entire stadium was packed with tens of thousands of fans.
In the players' tunnel, the Italian's expression was very solemn.
Their eyes were all fixed on a player on the other side. The jersey number that person was wearing was No. 10!
