Euro 2024 Quarter Final Round-Up

The only way to describe the quarter-finals is tight. 3 of the games went to extra time and in each game, both sides were very evenly matched. Spain scored a 119th-minute winner against Germany and solidified themselves as tournament favourites. France bore their way past Portugal and required penalties to win whilst England required the same to get past Switzerland. To finish off the round, the Netherlands made a comeback against a strong Turkey side and set themselves up for a semi-final clash with England.

Spain vs Germany: (2-1 AET)

My Man of the Match – Dani Olmo (Honourable Mention – Florian Wirtz)

This was one of those games that everyone agrees should have been the final and the winner will likely be the one to go on to lift the trophy. Spain played quick on the attack and they looked decent in possession. Germany played with a high press once they went

behind in an attempt to spring a quick counter-attack however it was let down by a lot of cheap fouls being given away. Due to the technical ability of the Spanish players the Germans struggled to win back the ball as every tackle was turned into a foul. During the game, Germany made 22 fouls and the majority were in the centre of the pitch during the midfield battles, as seen on the pitch map. This is where they tried to spring the press but had little success. For the last 30 minutes of normal time, Germany was the better team. They brought on Wirtz and he looked like the best player on the pitch with his quick decision-making, his general creativity and eye for goal. In addition to getting himself a goal, he made 2 key passes, created 1 big chance and had a 75% dribble success rate. He popped up all over the attack and if not for wasteful strikers, very likely would have been the catalyst to a German win. Speaking of wasteful strikers, you have got to look no further than Kai Havertz who missed 2 big chances and did not look like the player he has been for Arsenal. There was a clear difference once Fulkrug got brought on and he looked like a real goal threat. He did miss a big chance but he also came close when hitting the woodwork and was more vital in the playmaking with 4 key passes and 0.5 estimated assists. Spain on the other hand was a lot more fluid going forward and possessed players who could attack with pace. The main man for Spain and my man of the match was Dani Olmo who only came on due to a Pedri injury early in the game. Olmo was the key creator for Spain and won the game for Spain with both a goal and an assist. The goal was expertly taken and also made 3 key passes, created 1 big chance, and completed 83% of his dribbles whilst also popping up all over the front line. He was arguably the game-winner for Spain and will certainly be vital for Spain throughout the rest of the tournament.

France v Portugal: (0-0, France wins on penalties)

My Man of the Match – Ousmane Dembele (Honourable Mention – Jules Kounde)

Pre-game everyone expected it to be tight and fairly dull but this really did exceed expectations. Neither team created much for themselves and it was a game

full of sideways passes. Portugal was actually the slightly better team throughout the match as they dominated possession, created more xG and utilised the wide positions well. Leao

and Mendes looked like the best outlet for Portugal down the left-hand side with over 50% of attacks coming down that side. However, Jules Kounde at right-back was up to the challenge and did well at minimising the goal threat that they could provide. Kounde made 5 tackles, 4 clearances, won 66% of ground duels and made 9 ball recoveries. He did well at matching Leao and was vital in France keeping their clean sheet. The main worry for France however is going forward. They have still managed to not score a goal from open play throughout their first 5 games of the tournament and don’t really look like doing so. The main threat for the French was Dembele who didn’t even start the game. The winger completed 75% of his dribbles, managed to make 6 key passes and came very close to scoring. His weakest asset is definitely his shooting as he would have the Portuguese defence on strings but would then put the ball 20 yards over the bar. He looked like the only player on the pitch who could break the French woes upfront but was still wasteful whilst the rest of the squad struggled to add numbers to the attack when he would run at the defence. On the other side, the Portuguese attack was poor and I have to put that down to one man… Cristiano Ronaldo. He offers very little upfront and seemingly refuses to accept that he is not good enough anymore. He is greedy with the ball and seems to miss big chances every game. In addition, the manager seems scared to bring him off and give the likes of Jota or Felix a go up front. Fernandes was one of Portugal’s best players in the first 60 minutes but rather than bringing off a lacklustre Ronaldo, the manager decided to bring off Bruno. This will be Ronaldo’s last Euros and given his performance during this tournament, will unfortunately actually be seen as a positive thing for the squad.

England vs Switzerland: (1-1, England wins on penalties)

My Man of the Match – Bukayo Saka

This was another tight game that was also extremely dull. England played better than they had throughout the tournament but were still poor and lacked a lot of creativity. There were a lot of sideways passes and attacks which capitulated in the final third even with a change in formation. England went to a 3 at the back formation with wings backs who would get higher up the pitch and make the pitch wider but the same pattern of few chances being

created continued. Trippier on the right-hand side was poor and didn’t look right in his role but Saka on the other side had a really good game and was easily the best player on the pitch. In addition to getting his goal, he also made 2 key passes, completed 100% of his dribbles and made 3 runs in the penalty area which is the second most in the England side. Switzerland on the other side weren’t the same team they were in the previous games. They made too many unforced errors with the 3 centre backs losing possession 35 times between them. It was a lot of simple passes getting misplaced and they refused to change their way of playing out from the back. In the first half, the Swiss sat back and created very little and it was only once Ndoye got pushed further forward that they looked a real threat. He added that extra bit of speed to the offence and allowed Embolo to stop being man-marked out of the game by Konsa. Ndoye provided a good assist for the goal and was half an inch away from winning the game near the end. Another good player for the Swiss was Xhaka who looked both composed and was a leader for his team. He made 114 passes in the middle of the pitch whilst also making 3 tackles and winning 6 ground duels. They will feel hard done by to be knocked out but can still be proud of their efforts. England will celebrate getting to the semis but require a lot more work to progress further.

Netherlands v Turkey: (2-1)

My Man of the Match – Baris Alper Yilmaz (Honourable Mention – Memphis Depay)

This was the only game of the round to be decided in normal time. For the first 70 minutes, Turkey held on well and defended excellently. They restricted the space for the Dutch and didn’t allow Simons and Gakpo the space to make a difference. Turkey played really well on the counter as well and this is down to the ability of Baris Alper Yilmaz

upfront. Although the numbers don’t back up his performance, the eye test was able to see just how good he was. Every time there was a clearance or a long ball, he was there and he did so well in holding up the ball. He was vital in dragging Turkey up the pitch and causing the likes of Van Dijk all kinds of trouble. As seen on the heatmap he was constantly popping up all over the pitch and was all over the opposition’s half of the pitch. In addition, Arda Guler had a great game with his ability to put in a peach of a ball as well as dribble around players. He looks like the real deal and even at just 19 years old looks like the main man for Turkey. The Netherlands were slow for the majority of the game and struggled to break down the stiff Turkey defence. Depay’s movement was good however the players around him struggled to create any concrete chances for him. It was only when Weghorst came on that the Dutch started to test the defence and actually put the ball into the box. This allowed Depay to drop deeper and really get involved in play. He got himself an assist with a great cross into the box as well as making 3 key passes and creating 2 big chances all in the second half. He was vital in the Dutch revival and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in behind Weghorst in the next game.