After the last round-of-16 games were played on Tuesday, the final eight of the European Championships – including England – know what it will take for them to go all the way
The full quarter-final line-up for Euro 2024 has been confirmed after The Netherlands and Turkey booked their place in the last eight with wins on Tuesday night – and England could face one of the two in the semis.
Ronald Koeman’s Dutch side secured what ended up being a comfortable 3-0 victory over Romania. Cody Gakpo ensured they led at half-time, with substitute Donyell Malen adding a late brace to make sure of the Oranje’s progress.
They’re in England’s half of the draw, as are Turkey after a nervy win against Austria. Merih Demiral fired Turkey into a first-minute lead against Ralf Rangnicks side, and added a second just before the hour mark – his first international goals since 2022 – only for Michael Gregoritsch to pull one back.
While Tuesday’s winners gave themselves a cushion, England found things much tougher on Sunday night. They needed a last-gasp goal from Jude Bellingham to force extra-time, where Harry Kane delivered a winner.
Portugal had an even tighter clash against Slovenia before progressing on penalties, though France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland all took care of business inside 90 minutes. Now the identity of all eight teams is confirmed, though England know what it will take to make it to the final.
First up for Gareth Southgate’s team is a quarter-final against Switzerland on Saturday at 5pm UK time. Win that and they’ll take on The Netherlands or Turkey four days later in the semis in Dortmund, with a place in the final – held in Berlin on July 14 – at stake.
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In the other half of the draw, host nation Germany will take on Spain in Stuttgart, with the winner of that facing either Portugal or France. Those quarter-finals will be held on Friday, with the semi for teams in the top half of the draw scheduled for July 9.
England won’t be getting ahead of themselves, though, after leaving it late against Slovakia. Quarter-final opponents Switzerland are unbeaten in the tournament, and coach Murat Yakin has laid down the gauntlet.
“If I compare the two teams, the value of the English players is much greater than ours,” Yakin told Le Matin. “But it’s going to be an open game. They’ve struggled against teams that are behind, it’s never easy. We know England’s strengths, but we also know their weaknesses.
“It will be a completely different game, with cultural differences. England have a vertical style of play, but if we push them, we’ll make it difficult for them. It’s a bit reminiscent of what we saw against Scotland, with those long balls and second balls.
“It makes the match a little unpredictable. We can’t train too much for that. We’ll just have to find the right solution to deal with them.”
Euro 2024 quarter-finals:
Spain vs Germany – Stuttgart, July 5
France vs Portugal – Hamburg, July 5
Netherlands vs Turkey – Berlin, July 6
England vs Switzerland – Dusseldorf – July 6
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