The group stage of the European Championship has been played, the favorite teams have basically entered the round of 16, the 1/8 finals started, the first two games were upset, the defending champion Italy was out of the game, lost 0-2 to Switzerland, and the host Germany team beat Denmark 2-0. On the second matchday of the knockout round, the two favourites England and Spain both refused to be upset, with England, who are the top players in the tournament, beating Slovakia 2-1 and Spain beating Georgia 4-1.
England have been favourites to win the tournament in recent years, as have Spain, with both teams showing significant ups and downs, but both have been in more consistent form at this tournament. England is currently ranked 5th in the world, but because the players are basically playing in the Premier League, the value of the squad has become very high, and the "German turn" shows that the whole England team is worth as much as 1.52 billion euros, which is quite luxurious, reaching the most luxurious level of the event, and even the most luxurious squad in world football.
Unfortunately, England's hand edge has not been able to realise quickly, which is why they have not won major tournaments in recent years. In this quarter-final, England still played hard, facing Slovakia, ranked 45th in the world and worth only 150 million euros, England was in a difficult situation, and it was not until the final stage of the game that it drew and won through extra time. In the game, England's core attackers Kane, Bellingham, Foden, Saka and others were inefficient, while Slovakia's defensive counterattack was more efficient, and in the 25th minute of the game, Schlanz counterattacked and inserted a single goal in the penalty area, England 0-1 Slovakia.
In the 90+5th minute of the game, Bellingham completed a barb in the penalty area through the sideline ball combination, England 1-1 Slovakia, and the game went into extra time. In the first minute of extra time, England seized their chances quickly when Kane scored with a header from inside the box to give England a hard-fought 2-1 victory. At full-time, England had 63% possession, 16-13 shots on goal and 2-3 shots on target compared to Slovakia, and finally turned into a narrow 2-1 victory. Although the process was difficult, England made history by reaching the quarter-finals, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in their history for the second consecutive European Championship.
Spain, by contrast, had a much easier game, maintaining a strong team posture and crushing Georgia at both ends of the pitch. Spain is ranked 8th in the world and the team is worth 960 million euros, while Georgia is ranked 74th in the world and is worth only 160 million euros. Obviously, the two teams are not in the same class, and England coach Luis de la Fuente has adopted a steady strategy, with a formation of 433, with Alvaro Morata, Yamal, Fabian Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri, Nico Williams and others leading the start.
In the game, Spain had a little slow heat, in the 18th minute of the game, the Spanish defense was lost, Lenormand made a mistake in clearing, and scored the ball into his own goal with his own own, Spain fell behind 0-1; In the 39th minute of the game, Rodri scored with a powerful shot at the top of the penalty area, and Spain tied the score 1-1; In the 51st minute of the game, Fabian Ruiz scored with a header, and Spain led 2-1; In the 75th minute of the game, Nico Williams scored with a blast, and Spain led 3-1; In the 83rd minute of the game, substitute Olmo scored a goal, and Spain won the game 4-1. Throughout the game, Spain had 75% possession, 35-4 shots on goal and 13-0 shots on target compared to Georgia, and finally turned it into a thrilling 4-1 comeback victory. With the win, Spain broke a 12-year curse and won the knockout rounds of a major tournament for the first time since 2012 in the 90 minutes.
After the two favourites qualified, the two quarter-finals were also out, with Spain battling Germany for a place in the last four and England and Switzerland for a place in the last four.