The first two European Championship quarter-finals didn’t disappoint, with Spain and Italy progressing after two entertaining matches.
Spain defeated Switzerland on penalties in the opening fixture, while Italy deservedly defeated over-hyped Belgium in the second game.
Ahead of the remaining two quarter-finals, we take a look at a few Euro 2020 talking points from the last 24 hours.
Keown fluffs his lines
If you’ve been following this column during the tournament, you will know that we’ve not been overly enamoured with some of the co-commentators and pundits.
Robbie Savage? Biased. Danny Murphy? Lousy. Jermaine Jenas? Terrible. After last night’s games, we have another addition to the list – Martin Keown.
Keown” “its been the game of the tournament” LOL. and he gets paid for this? Best teams maybe – best match, no way.
— Kirk Degiorgio (@KirkDegiorgio) July 2, 2021
Keown’s commentary style leaves a lot to be desired, with his habit of framing every point as a question smacking of someone who isn’t sure that what he spouts make sense.
The former Arsenal star’s declaration that the clash between Belgium and Italy was the ‘game of the tournament’ demonstrated his inability to deliver sensible insights. Get in the bin.
Lukaku flops
Visit most football websites and they will tell you that Romelu Lukaku is a £90 million striker.
Judging by his pitiful miss during Belgium’s defeat against Italy, you would be hard pushed to think he is worth £90.
These are the games people pretend didn’t happen when they’re tweeting wHy DiD uNiTeD sELL LuKaKu aGaIn?!1?! 👀 pic.twitter.com/HOwzXOJMeG
— Scott Patterson (@R_o_M) July 2, 2021
Lukaku’s record in the Premier League was decent enough, but he is not an elite-level striker.
The calmer waters of Serie A suit Lukaku down to the ground – talk of a £90m move elsewhere is fanciful.
Ban Italian cheat
Italian striker Ciro Immobile’s cheating antics undoubtedly soured his team’s victory over Belgium last night.
He pretended to be caught by Jan Vertonghen, before rolling around like he’d been shot by a sniper.
Funny or annoying?pic.twitter.com/VfbBJan08L
— Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) July 3, 2021
Teammate Nicolo Barella then fired home Italy’s opener, sparking Immobile back into life as he joined the celebrations.
The sneaky look towards the referee as he hit the ground gave the game away. He’s a cheat – ban him from the rest of Euro 2020.
Read: Euro 2020 Fixtures & Results – Full Euro 2020 Schedule & Dates.
