Euro 2020
Bundesliga man shines, Barcelona and Liverpool players impress – Spain 1-1 Switzerland Player Ratings
Spain qualified for the semi-finals of Euro 2020 following a penalty shootout against Switzerland. Spain had the better of the opening exchanges and took advantage of their dominance in the eighth minute. Jordi Alba struck a shot from range which deflected kindly into the top corner off the right boot of Denis Zakaria. It was later ruled as an own goal. There wasn’t a whole lot of first-half action outside of the goal. Cesar Azpilicueta headed straight into the arms of Yann Sommer, and Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi both missed the target from Xherdan Shaqiri corners. The whistle went with Luis Enrique’s men 1-0 up. They had enjoyed 71% possession but only managed three attempts to Switzerland’s four. The Swiss came out in the second half fighting for the equaliser. Zakaria almost atoned fo...
Inter Milan duo get on scoresheet, former Premier League defender disappoints – Belgium 1-2 Italy Player Ratings
Belgium have been knocked out of the European Championships after losing 2-1 to Italy on Friday. Italy thought they had taken an early lead when Leonardo Bonucci bundled home at the back post from a free-kick. However, replays showed that he was marginally offside, and VAR intervened to overturn the decision. Belgium responded with a couple of chances of their own. Gianluigi Donnarumma twice had to be at his best, denying Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. And moments later, Italy got themselves in front. Jan Vertonghen made a mess of a clearance, and it fell to Nicolo Barella in the box. The Inter Milan midfielder wriggled away from Thomas Vermaelen and Thorgan Hazard and slammed into the far corner. They continued to push for a second, and they were rewarded with a fantastic goal just be...
Arsenal warned off signing £35 million international star
Not long to go now folks! We’re around an hour away from the start of the quarter-finals at the European Championships. It’s the ‘tough half of the draw’ this evening as Spain face Switzerland, while Italy go head-to-head with Belgium. On Saturday we’ve got Czech Republic against Denmark and England versus Ukraine. Or, as most of the English media would have you believe, England are playing and no one else. Ahead of the action, we’ve dug out three stories that have caught our attention for our latest Euro 2020 Diary. Arsenal warned off Locatelli ‘I’m not a manager, but it’s not something I would do if I was in Mikel Arteta’s shoes.’ Nigel Winterburn there, telling the current Arsenal boss not to sign Manuel Locatelli. The 23-year-old has been superb at Euro 2020, sparking talk that he coul...
Ukraine vs England – Euro 2020 Quarter-Final Preview, H2H, Team News, Players to Watch & Predicted Line-ups
England’s pursuit of the Euro 2020 title continues at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday as they take on Ukraine in an intriguing quarter-final showdown. Ukraine came out on top of an extra-time drama against Sweden in the last-16, with Oleksandr Zinchenko’s breathtaking display nudging the Ukrainians to a 2-1 victory. Meanwhile, England’s quest to win their first European Championship title saw them crash out fierce rivals Germany 2-0 in the first knock-out round on the back of another Raheem Sterling’s heroic. But be aware that this will be England’s first match at the tournament away from Wembley. Note: You can watch all Euro 2020 games via live streaming. Ukraine Preview Artem Dovbyk’s last-gasp strike fired Ukraine past Sweden last time out, helping them reach the quarter-finals in ...
Euro 2020 Predictions: England, Denmark, Spain and Italy to progress to the semifinals
After a thrilling set of last 16 ties, the Euro 2020 quarter-finals are upon us. We could be in for another exhilarating round of fixtures. With giants such as France, Germany, Portugal and Netherlands all eliminated, the tournament is wide open. All of the remaining eight will know that there is a huge opportunity to get some silverware in the cabinet. Here are our predictions for the quarter-finals. Switzerland vs Spain Morata got his first goal of the summer in extra time Having looked down and out against France, Switzerland pulled off the shock of the tournament by coming back and defeating the world champions on penalties. Spain’s game against Croatia was equally as thrilling. They were 3-1 up going into the closing stages but conceded twice late on to go to extra time before hitting...
‘We’ve got to make sure we’re ready’: Spurs star issues rallying call
Harry Kane insists there is no room for complacency in the England camp following a memorable 2-0 win over Germany as he pinpoints Ukraine’s ‘greatest strength.’ Kane told the England team’s official YouTube channel the Three Lions have to be at their best to get past Ukraine in the quarter-finals. “We were on the couch, and we were watching it – we had it on, and it was a good game,” he said. “Ukraine had a huge high, scoring in injury-time, so I’m sure they’ll be buzzing today, and I’m sure they’ll take that into the game on Saturday. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re ready for everyone, their greatest strength is our team unity, and we need to be ready. “We know if we play to our highest abilities, we should have enough to win the game. But it’s knockout football, so we’ve got to make ...
‘This should not frighten us’: Man City star not phased by facing England
Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko believes in Ukraine’s chances of surpassing England in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals this Saturday. In an interview with The Independent, Zinchenko maintained England’s strength and squad depth but insisted Ukraine will fancy their chances in Rome. “I watched almost all of their matches at the Euros except for (Germany),” he said. “I know many players of the team personally, thanks to the matches in the Premier League. “It is very difficult to score for this team. It is a great team with a fantastic selection of performers. “If you look at their bench, there are players worth, probably, like three national teams of Ukraine. “But this should not frighten us, but rather motivate us. I have already felt that everything in this life is real. I will perso...
Former Tottenham star shows up biased pundit
It happened folks! England finally got the job done in a big game against Germany on Tuesday. The Three Lions just about deserved their 2-0 win, although it wouldn’t be England if there weren’t a few scary moments along the way. In our latest Euro 2020 Diary, we look at a couple of talking points around the game and assess what lies ahead. England unites People have had a tough time of things over the last year and a bit, but football is once again proving how it has the power to lift everyone. The viewing figures for England’s game highlight that point to perfection, and they are likely to increase if the team goes further. Peak TV audience on @BBCOne for the England game yesterday was 20.6m = 80.1% of audience. — Simon Stone (@sistoney67) June 30, 2021 The atmosphere at Wembley Stadium w...
2 England, 1 Belgium, 2 Switzerland – Best XI from the round of 16
As the group stages came to a close, the knockout rounds of Euro 2020 begun, and the round of 16 certainly didn’t disappoint. We’ve had everything you could possibly want. Penalty shootouts, giant killings, last gasp winners, eight-goal thrillers, screamers, VAR drama – it’s what we live for as football fans. Here are our picks for the best XI from the round of 16. Jordan Pickford (GK) – England’s goalkeeper position has been the subject of debate for a while now, with many of the fans preferring the likes of Nick Pope and Dean Henderson over the Everton stopper. However, Gareth Southgate stuck with Pickford and has been rewarded for his faith. Against Germany, the 27-year-old was on top of his game, making crucial saves to deny Timo Werner and Kai Havertz at 0-0. Cesar Azpilicueta (R...
‘What a player’: Some Man City fans praise ‘masterclass’ performance of £22.5m-rated star
Some Manchester City fans on Twitter hailed the performance of Oleksandr Zinchenko during Ukraine’s 2-1 win over Sweden at Euro 2020. The 24-year-old has had a fantastic tournament and he played a key role for his nation last night with a goal and an assist against Sweden. He opened the scoring for Ukraine in the 27th minute. He unleashed a powerful shot on the half volley after a clever cross from Andriy Yarmolenko. Zinchenko, who started at left wing-back, was lively throughout the game, and he eventually produced a moment of brilliance for the winning goal. The game appeared to be heading for penalties at 1-1 before Zinchenko came up with sumptuous long-range cross that was headed in goal by Artem Dovbyk. With just two minutes left, Sweden had no time to respond. Ukraine reached the qua...
West Ham star responds in five words to Leeds player’s IG post after Euro win
England end a 55-year wait for a knockout tie victory over Germany after winning 2-0 on Tuesday afternoon at Wembley. Gareth Southgate’s side earned a memorable victory with Raheem Sterling and skipper Harry Kane scoring for the home side to put them through to the quarter finals. Sterling, who scored the winners against Croatia and the Czech Republic in the group stage, gave England the lead after slotting home a Luke Shaw cross from the left in the 75th minute. Kane opened his scoring account of the tournament after heading in from substitute Jack Grealish’s perfect delivery. Jordan Pickford was sensational once again, with the Everton goalkeeper yet to concede a goal in the tournament. He made two crucial saves from Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in eac...
Man City man shines, Bundesliga midfielder scores again – Sweden 1-2 Ukraine Player Ratings
Ukraine reached the quarter-finals in dramatic fashion, defeating Sweden 2-1 with a goal in the last minute of extra time. Both sides came close to opening the scoring in the first 20 minutes. Emil Forsberg and Alexander Isak both struck wide for Sweden, while Roman Yaremchuk had an effort saved for Ukraine. In the 27th minute, Ukraine managed to get themselves in front. Andriy Yarmolenko found Oleksandr Zinchenko with the outside of his left foot, and the Manchester City man struck a powerful effort into the far corner, with goalkeeper Robin Olsen getting a hand to it. This lead lasted until just before half time, when Forsberg managed to hit his fourth of the tournament. He picked up the ball from outside the box and saw his long range shot deflect kindly off Illia Zabarnyi and into the ...
