Only four teams remain in Euro 2020 after the quarter-finals stage came to a close in the early hours of Sunday. Spain needed penalties to beat Switzerland, while Italy and Denmark grabbed a narrow win over Belgium and the Czech Republic, respectively. England made it to the last four after an emphatic 0-4 win over Ukraine.
Qualified Teams
An own goal put Spain ahead against Switzerland in the first quarter-final. In the second half, La Roja paid the price for some slack defending as Xherdan Shaqiri leveled the game in the 68th minute. Switzerland was down to ten men after Remo Freuler received a red card for his reckless tackle on Gerard Moreno. Goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s heroics took the match to extra time and then penalties. Spain skipper Sergio Busquets missed the first spot-kick in the shoot-out, but three Switzerland players failed to beat Unai Simon from the spot. Mikel Oyarzabal converted the fifth penalty to take Spain into the semi-finals.
The much anticipated Italy-Belgium clash saw all three goals scored in the first half. The Azzurri went up by two goals, courtesy of strikes from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne. But Belgium pulled a goal back through Romelu Lukaku in stoppage-time. A gritty defensive display by Italy in the second half saw them holding onto their lead and setting up a clash with Spain in the last four.
Denmark went into the half-time break with a two-goal lead against the Czech Republic in the third quarter-final. Thomas Delaney netted the opener in the fifth minute and, with three minutes left for the half-time whistle, Kasper Dolberg made it 0-2. Patrik Schick was on target as the Czech opened their account early in the second half. However, the Danes backline kept Czech players at bay to continue their fairytale run in Euro 2020.
First-time quarter-finalists Ukraine failed to turn up against England and suffered a heavy defeat in Rome. England, who led 1-0 at half-time, struck thrice after the break to register one of their biggest wins in the competition. Harry Kane struck a brace, while Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson scored a goal each. Manchester United’s Luke Shaw grabbed two assists in the match.
Semi-finals Schedule
| Date |
Match |
Timing (IST) |
| July 7 |
Italy vs Spain |
12:30 AM |
| July 8 |
England vs Denmark |
12:30 AM |
*IST: Indian Standard Time
Parameswaran Sankaranarayanan
Parameswaran Sankaranarayan is a sports enthusiast who has worked in print, website, and other digital platforms. He was part of the editorial team of first-ever Indian football-based website - IndianFootball.com (now defunct) - and passionately follows the latest happenings in world football. During his time as a journalist, he had the opportunity to interact with some of the iconic personalities in Indian sports and witness some memorable moments in Indian football.
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