The quarter-finals of the European Championship continue in the early hours of July 1 Beijing time, England's half of the zone is no longer the defending champion Italy, as long as the Three Lions play their strength normally, it will not be difficult to reach the final again, it will be up to Gareth Southgate to get his attacking players back on track. Spain have not conceded a goal so far, and have convincing their opponents to lose every game, such a strong championship temperament is comparable to that of Italy in the last edition.
Spain's dominance left opponents desperate
England vs Slovakia - both teams continue their form in the group stage?
Defending champions Italy are out of the tournament, which could not be better news for last year's runners-up, England. The Three Lions will not face any of France, Germany, Spain or Portugal on their way to the final, with potential semi-final opponents the Netherlands already the strongest on paper in this semi-final.
Of course, there are no weak teams in Europe, and any opponent who qualifies for the knockout stage of the European Championship should not be underestimated, not to mention that the Three Lions themselves have a lot of problems, so it is better not to be too optimistic. England's problems are mainly in attack, with just two goals in three games and only in the final game against Slovenia did they create more chances on goal than their opponents, and given the value of the players and their performances at their respective clubs, fans and the media are certainly going to be criticised.
England's stars are only getting a glimpse of what they want at the moment
Slovakia did not repeat the mistake of winning one game at the last European Championship and then suffering two consecutive defeats. They played Romania 1-1 in the final round of the group stage and finished third in the group with the third-best record. In the final round against group winners Romania, Slovakia were the first to concede, but they equalised from the penalty spot seven minutes after conceding the goal, otherwise the longer it drags on, the more likely it is that the morale of the army will be shaken. After the equaliser, the two teams completed the game very tacitly.
The Slovak authorities have finally qualified
England were in a tough group stage, as were Slovakia, and the mentality of both teams wanting to win and losing was very evident in the game. England drew 0-0 with Slovakia in the group stage of Euro 2016, but then beat their opponents twice in the World Qualifiers. The two teams even met in Euro 2004 qualifying, when Gareth Southgate was a player to help England double their opponents, so England have a clear psychological advantage and will be expected to play a two-pinch advantage in this game, while Slovakia's attack will not do much.
Spain vs Georgia - Dominance combined with explosiveness makes for favourites
Spain were the only team to have not conceded a goal in the group stage and have been extremely dominant in all three matches, in other words, they are by far the most title-winning team. In the first game against Croatia, Spain was sharp, Morata single-handed, Fabian. Luiz's mid-range shot and Carvajal's penalty spot grabbing showed the versatility of Spain's attacking approach.
Of course, looking at the performance of the Croatian back line in the next two games, I believe that Spanish fans will not be too optimistic about their offensive efficiency. The Matadors won their next two games by just one goal, but their opponents had even fewer chances to open the scoring than Croatia. Compared to Enrique's single-minded pursuit of possession, Fuente's side are significantly more capable of seizing opportunities.
Yamal is Spain's explosive power
Georgia were perhaps the most surprising team to qualify, finishing third in the group after a final round of the group stage against Portugal, the strongest side in the group, after picking up just one point from their first two games, and erasing their previous two goal nets.
Georgia is the side that is pressed against the Czech Republic and Portugal, but the 1 point from the Czech Republic is more valuable, after all, the opponent has to fight for the qualification with all its might, while Portugal has a tradition of releasing other younger brothers after qualifying, and the determination to win is not strong.
Georgia was released by Portugal
The two teams have met in qualifying, with Spain winning both legs, with a 7-1 win away from home that is likely to be a nightmare for Georgian fans to this day. Perhaps Georgia is the most desirable opponent they want to face at this European Championship. Spain are expected to play a steady two-prong, while Georgia are unlikely to be the first team to score the Spanish goal.