A lot of the favourites have not been convincing at the European Championships so far. Two of them will face each other on Friday. The two most highly rated teams are still in the competition, but they have been disappointing.
After 44 of 51 European Championship matches, only a third of the teams are left. On Friday and Saturday (6 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively) the hot phase begins and tickets for the semi-finals are up for grabs. Spain will face Germany on Friday (6 p.m./ARD and MagentaTV), then Portugal will play France (9 p.m./ZDF and MagentaTV). On the other side of the tournament tree, England and Switzerland (6 p.m./ZDF and MagentaTV) and the Netherlands and Turkey (9 p.m./RTL and Magenta TV) will face each other one day later.
The German Press Agency sorts the eight teams according to their performance so far at the tournament in Germany – and gives an outlook.
The top favorite
Spain
Dominance. Joy of playing. Spectacle. The Spanish have represented all of these things so far at this European Championship. No one has played as well as them – and no one has been as successful. The 2010 world champions have deservedly won all their games and have only conceded one goal. Up front, super talents Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are working magic, while midfielder Rodri leads the defense. The big question now is: how can Germany stop this team? The Spanish are so confident that they don’t believe anyone can stop them. Not even the hosts.
The host
Germany
Unbeaten in the quarter-finals – and now by no means without a chance against Spain. Hardly anyone would have thought that possible in the dreary November after the 0:2 defeat in Austria. But Julian Nagelsmann has managed the turnaround with his clear personnel strategy. A solid defense with boss Antonio Rüdiger. Magical young star Jamal Musiala on the way to becoming top scorer and of course Toni Kroos as a stabilizer. The fans are celebrating the black, red and gold football fairytale in pink and white. If the big coup succeeds against Spain, then anything is possible towards the final on July 14 in Berlin.
The strong ones
Switzerland
The Swiss caused a stir with a dominant victory against defending champions Italy in the round of 16. Even though the Azzurri were weak, the Swiss controlled the match with a mature performance without any problems. The team had already demanded a lot from the DFB team in the preliminary round. Granit Xhaka from Leverkusen and Ruben Vargas from Augsburg particularly stood out. Coach Murat Yakin had the players celebrate with kebabs, and the focus has long been on the Three Lions, who have been disappointing so far. The first place in the European Championship semi-finals seems more attainable than ever before.
The surprise bags
Netherlands
After a mixed preliminary round with third place in the group, the dominant performance in the 3-0 win against Romania gave great hope. “We need performances like that to have a chance of progressing,” said head coach Ronald Koeman, whose team responded impressively to the criticism at home. A quarter-final against Turkey, a possible semi-final against Switzerland or England: the path to the first European Championship final since 1988 seems open. The flexible offense around the quick Cody Gakpo, Leipzig’s top technician Xavi Simons and the center forward Memphis Depay makes you want more. The utilization of opportunities remains a sticking point, however.
Portugal
After a perfect start, the last two appearances of the 2016 European champions left some questions unanswered. Is the team better with or without captain Cristiano Ronaldo? The lucky win on penalties against Slovenia was a drama for the superstar. First he missed from the penalty spot and cried, then he scored and celebrated. Coach Roberto Martinez has plenty of top-class players in attack. The quarter-final against France will also be a benchmark for the sometimes vulnerable defense. The path to a possible second title is extremely difficult.
Türkiye
With momentum from the surprising 2:1 win over Austria, Turkey is looking forward to the big match against the Netherlands in Berlin. Captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who was suspended for the round of 16, will be available again on Saturday and is looking forward to the great support of the fans again. “It’s the same in every stadium. But it’s obviously a lot more difficult in Berlin,” said the former Bundesliga professional. The team showed its tactical flexibility in the round of 16 victory, winning with a three-man defense. This is one of the reasons why hopes of reaching the first European Championship semi-final since 2008 are high.
The disappointments
England
The experts attack, the media complain: England is probably the most criticized team at this European Championship. The team around Bayern star Harry Kane and Champions League winner Jude Bellingham has disappointed in all four games so far. Only a stroke of genius from Bellingham in the fifth minute of injury time saved the round of 16 against Slovakia. Coach Gareth Southgate is accused of being discouraged and helpless. Because the tournament tree is cheap and the potential seems huge, the Three Lions are still considered favorites to win the title despite poor previous performances.
France
There’s no question about it, that’s simply not enough for an offense like the French have. Four games, three goals – two of which were own goals and one was a penalty. What’s going on with Les Bleus? Kylian Mbappé is still having trouble getting used to his face protection after breaking his nose in the opening game against Austria, although he has tried out plenty of different masks. Antoine Griezmann is trying to find his role, and players like former Bundesliga pros Marcus Thuram and Ousmane Dembélé aren’t scoring goals either. At least the defense, which was seen as a risk before the tournament, is doing its job well for the most part. What the team of Didier Deschamps, who has coached the team since 2012, needs, however, is a convincing win with goals from open play and not from the opposition into their own goal.
Source: Stern
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