The Dutch and Portuguese are out! Two decent teams go home after an interesting day in the round of 16. The Netherlands being beaten by the Czech Republic was a surprise. I don't think anyone thought that Holland would win the tournament but they did so well in the group stages I was sure they'd win last night. The Czech Republic played well though then stepped their game up further when Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt was sent off for handling the ball. Holland looked uncomfortable with 10 men, some of whom were playing out of position to accommodate being a man light. The Czechs piled on the pressure and ran out deserved 2 - 0 winners. This is probably the shock of the tournament so far but Jaroslav Šilhavý's men put in a good performance. They also have one of the players of the tournament in striker Patrik Schick who bagged his fourth goal of the competition.
Portugal meanwhile had their chances to score but didn't take them and were beaten by a quality strike from Thorgan Hazard. The wingers 42nd minute strike from outside of the area was enough to win a close encounter. The Goalkeeper could maybe have done better with it but Belgium showed their quality again. Although perhaps not the classic match we were expecting there was lots of good football from both sides. Belgium remain one of the tournament favourites and will play Italy on Friday. Ronaldo leaves the competition as the Euros top Scorer, for the moment, on five goals. I doubt we've seen the last of him at an International tournament. I'd expect he and Portugal to be in Qatar next year for the World Cup.
Two more knock out games today that could be close.
Croatia V Spain - Kicks of at 1700 from the Parken Stadium, Copenhagen. Live on ITV and ITV Hub.
Croatia finished second in their group with one win, one draw and one loss. They have showed moments of quality particularly through veteran midfield maestro Luka Modric and forward Ivan Perišić. They struggled a bit in their opening game as England managed to stifle Modric. Against the Czech Republic and Scotland he had more space from which to pull the strings from. The Croatians seem to be a bit like Denmark in that they are growing in to the tournament and will be difficult to beat. Spain have played some fantastic football but were hamstrung by their inability to finish their chances. Against Slovakia though they exploded in to life thrashing a half decent side 5 - 0. Both of these sides miss an out and out goal scorer but if you can share your goals through the team then you don't always need one. The Croats will surely want to keep this tight and frustrate the Spanish who will look to attack at all times. It will be interesting to see who Manager Luis Enrique starts with tonight. Will it be the energy of Rodri or the experience of Busquets in midfield? Will Azpilicueta be preferred to Llorente at right back? Azpilicueta gives the experience, leadership and defensive cover but Llorente is exciting to watch with his marauding runs forward. Alvaro Morata should start but can he be more prolific in front of goal? This could be another close game with Spain frustrated for large parts. They should just nick it though.
Frenchfooty prediction: Croatia 1 V 2 Spain
France V Switzerland - Kicks off at 2000 from the National Arena, Bucharest. Live on ITV and ITV Hub.
France, the tournament favourites, have started quite slowly in the Competition. They haven't been severely tested though despite finishing top of the toughest group of the Tournament. They opened their campaign well with a 1 - 0 win in Germany but were then held to draws against Hungary and Portugal. France under Deschamps rarely get out of 3rd gear unless they have to. With that in mind perhaps Switzerland will sit back and look to keep things tight. The highlight for France so far has been the understanding between midfielder Paul Pogba and Striker Kylian Mbappe.
Pogba performs in fits and starts for Manchester United but is majestic for France. His passing, touch and control of the ball are exceptional at times. Mbappe in particular seems to be on Pogba's wavelength with the latter picking out Mbappe's runs again and again. Deschamps will want to see some of his other stars show a little bit more tonight. Karim Benzema was quiet in the first two games but took his goal brilliantly last week against Portugal. He also held his nerve to score the equalising penalty after having missed a few for France recently. Hopefully that will give him confidence to offer a bit more up front than he did in the early group games. France could well be without their two recognised left backs Digne and Hernandez who are both carrying injuries. It will be interesting to see if Deschamps plays Rabiot as a left back or plays with three centre backs and an extra midfielder. Switzerland have no injury worries and have some good attacking players that could cause France problems. Striker Breel Embolo is strong, good in the air and very quick.He caused Wales all sorts of problems in Switzerland's opening game. He scored from a corner and created chances for his teammates with powerful runs on the ball. Playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri has also shown his quality in the Competition, particularly in the win against Turkey. He scored two of Switzerland's three goals in that game, the first a great shot from outside the area. If Embolo and Shaqiri link well they'll create chances. A lot of teams seem to be growing in to the tournament. Look what Denmark and the Czech Republic have done in the knockout rounds after inconsistent group stages. Switzerland look to be one of those teams and have played well in the tournament apart from their 3 - 0 loss to Italy. Can they step up their good performance against Turkey to pull off a shock here?
Frenchfooty prediction: France 2 V Switzerland 1
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