The European Cup ushered in the 1/8 finals, the first match day had 4 teams attacking, Italy is still the champion of the European Cup against Switzerland, the host Germany against Denmark, the two games seem to be strong and weak, but the result of the game can not be as expected before the game, the favorite Italy and Germany failed to win both to advance, Italy lost 0-2 to Switzerland, and the German team won steadily, defeating Denmark 2-0.
Switzerland are currently ranked 19th in the world and Italy are ranked 10th in the world, and the difference in quality between the two teams is obvious, but Italy is not in good form and Switzerland have played a strong overall game. Swiss coach Murat Yakin used a 3421 formation, with Embolo, Rubén Vargas, Xhaka, Akanji, Sommer and others leading the starts. Italy coach Spalletti used the 433 formation, with Scamacca, Shaarawy, Barella, Federico Chiesa, Bastoni, Di Lorenzo, Donnarumma and others leading the start.
In the game, Italy was sluggish as a whole and had low offensive and defensive efficiency, while Switzerland played very efficiently, with a high success rate in passing and shooting. In the 37th minute of the game, Vargas sent the ball into the penalty area with a cross, and Freuler met the ball and scored hard, and Italy fell behind 0-1; In the 46th minute of the game, Vargas scored with a kick near the penalty line, and Italy fell behind 0-2, and finally maintained the score until the end of the game.
At full-time, Switzerland had 49 per cent possession, 16-11 shots on goal and 4-1 shots on target compared to Italy, and it turned into a 2-0 victory that sent the defending champions out. According to statistics, Switzerland's upset to advance to the quarterfinals also broke a record in the team's history for 58 years, that is, the record of the passing success rate of the competition, and the passing success rate of the Swiss team was as high as 92% in this game, which was their best passing performance in the tournament since 1966. After qualifying, Switzerland will face the winner between England and Slovakia in the quarter-finals.
In contrast, it was no surprise that Germany made the cut, as the veteran giants have always been known for their solidity and have always been able to deliver reassuring results in tournaments. Facing Denmark, which is not weak, the German team still continues its hot form in the group stage. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann used the 4231 formation, with Kai Havertz, Musiala, Gundogan, Sane, Kroos, Rudiger, Neuer and others leading the starts. Denmark played in a 3421 formation, with Delaney, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Christensen and others leading the starts.
In the first half, the German team forced the attack to no avail, and Denmark held on to the score of 0-0. In the second half, the efficiency of the German team became higher, in the 53rd minute of the game, Andersen fouled handball in the penalty area, the referee awarded a penalty, Havertz took the penalty kick, and the German team 1-0 Denmark; In the 68th minute of the game, Musiala stepped forward and got a single chance to face the goalkeeper and directly push the far corner to score, and the German team won Denmark 2-0.
Germany had 55 per cent possession and had 15-11 shots on goal and 9-2 shots on target compared to Denmark in a 2-0 victory. After the win, the German team made history again, for the first time in the team's history, they scored 10 goals without playing a single European Championship (8 goals in the group stage, 2 goals in the 1/8 finals), and the highest number of goals scored in a single European Championship in the history of the German team is 10, which means that Germany can continue to make history by scoring another goal in the next game. In the next quarter-finals, Germany will face the winner between Spain and Georgia.