- The four Euro 2024 quarter-finals took place on Friday and Saturday
- Several players from all eight nations shone , but others struggled to impress
- LISTEN to It’s All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Gareth Southgate is the first England manager to be criticised while winning
The Euro 2024 quarter-finals took place over the weekend and there was plenty of drama as the semi-final clashes were confirmed.
Bukayo Saka saved England to redeem himself after the disappointment of Euro 2020 as the Three Lions came from behind to beat Switzerland in dramatic fashion on penalties.
Elsewhere, the highest ranked team in Europe, France, scraped through unconvincingly against Portugal as Joao Felix missed his penalty in the shoot-out, surely ending Cristiano Ronaldo’s journey in the competition for good.
The Netherlands beat Turkey while Spain defeated hosts Germany to also secure their spots in the final four.
Following the conclusion of the quarter-finals, Sofascore have revealed their best and worst XI’s based on their player ratings.
WORST XI
Four Turks including a goalkeeper, centre back and full back contribute to the XI, highlighting their defensive frailties after a late collapse that left attacking talents such as Real Madrid star Arda Guler and the self-crowned ‘best playmaker in the world’ Hakan Calhanoglu, helpless.
Goalkeeper Mert Gunok, Abdulkerim Bardakci, Mert Muldur and Burak Yilmaz were among their contingent in this side.
Gunok produced a heroic last-minute save in the last-16 against Austria to ensure his side made the quarter-finals, but could not repeat his performance against the Dutch.
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Meanwhile, a flurry of attacking talent led the line after the eight teams were narrowed down to just four.
Arsenal’s £65m man Kai Havertz drew his tournament to a close with a rating of 6.4 as he failed to convert the two big chances that fell his way.
Following on from an improved season after his move across London to Arsenal the German would have hoped to put his previous goal scoring woes behind him and bow out from the tournament in a better way.
Fellow German team-mate Leroy Sane failed to have an impact on the game after being subbed off at half time having only registered 16 touches of the football, ending an unproductive season.
The form that he brought to the national team was representative of his season at Bayern Munich in which he only managed eight league goals. The winger, who was once tipped for greatness by Premier League viewers, has struggled to hit the expected heights since his transfer.
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Maximilian Mittelstadt was the third out of four Germans in the team as he struggled to cope with Spain’s attackers.
Elsewhere, the only Spaniard to make the team was French born centre back Robin Le Normand.
The relatively unknown defender has been playing in Spain for multiple years and is now 27.
He is known for his ball-playing ability but there have been questions about whether he is physical enough to play at the highest level.
The worries will have to be put on hold due to him being suspended alongside Dani Carvajal for the semi-finals as a result of him picking up two bookings in the tournament.
The midfield pair of Switzerland’s Michel Aebischer and Germany’s Robert Andrich were the best out of a bad bunch in the worst XI, with both players receiving a rating of 6.8.
Andrich had previously impressed in the earlier stages of the competition but against Spain his defensive capabilities were exposed as he lost six duels.
Leading the line for Sofascore’s worst XI is PSG and France star Randal Kolo Muani, who has endured a difficult spell in his career since missing a gilt-edged chance in the 2022 World Cup final.
BEST XI
The biggest contributors to Sofascore’s best XI were Spain whose young team continue to impress on the biggest stage.
The highest-rated player was Dani Olmo who started their clash with Germany on the bench but was introduced early on in the tie as the injury prone Pedri fell victim to a strong challenge from Toni Kroos which resulted in a knee injury.
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The stage was set for Olmo, who scored and assisted late on to send his nation sailing into the semi-finals of the Euros.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Unai Simon recorded an impressive 8.3 rating despite almost gifting Kai Havertz a crucial goal in the tie.
Aymeric Laporte completed a trio of Spain stars in the XI as he continued his impressive tournament, despite his defensive partner Le Normand making it into the worst XI.
The left side of defence is occupied by a mixture of Portuguese youth and experience.
Nuno Mendes, the full back who has had a mixed time since moving to PSG, was pivotal in Portugal’s attacking joy against France due to his overlapping runs around Rafael Leao.
The veteran Pepe looks to have signed off from international football in style after the 41-year-old consistently performed throughout the tournament and secures a place in the best XI.
Meanwhile, Bukayo Saka saved England to redeem himself after the penalty miss at the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
The young but experienced winger cut inside and curled a beautiful effort off the post and in five minutes after Switzerland had taken the lead and just when it looked like England were heading out.
Saka’s goal was another moment of brilliance that kept England afloat for thirty more minutes, following on from Jude Bellingham’s heroics in the last-16. He then slotted away his penalty after extra time to put his team into a strong position in the shoot-out.
It was a performance that deserved a rating of 8.4 and carried England into the last four. His club and country team-mate Declan Rice also made the XI after a dominant display in the middle of the park.
Despite their exit, two German players featured in the team.
These were talented attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, who started on the bench but struck late when subbed on to take the game to extra time, while Joshua Kimmich also slotted in at right back.
Wirtz directed a low bouncing effort into the corner of the net in the 89th minute which forced another thirty minutes of play.
Late into extra time he had another effort that was inches away from bringing Germany glory.
Kimmich was consistent throughout the tournament in the right back role that he has returned to this season and his performances have likened to Germany legend Phillip Lahm.
Finally, leading the line for this team was the Netherlands’ forward Memphis Depay, as the former Manchester United flop earned his place with a rating of 8.1 after an assist against Turkey, while Aurelien Tchouameni was the sole French representative having caught the eye in midfield against Portugal.