Football
UEFA Euro 2020: Meet the Quarter-Finalists
The first knockout round of the ongoing EURO 2020 tournament came to an end on Wednesday, June 30th. The Round of 16 featured some thrilling encounters and finally, eight teams have qualified for the quarterfinals of this year European Championship. Hot favorite Belgium knocked out reigning champion Portugal, while Switzerland stunned 2018 World Cup winner France in a penalty shootout. Therefore, we can expect more exciting matches in the quarter-finals stage. The second knockout round of the competition will start on July 2nd (Friday). The teams who qualified for the UEFA EURO 2020 quarterfinals and fixtures has been discussed in this article.
UEFA EURO 2020 Quarter-Finalists
Eight teams have qualified for the quarterfinals in the 16th edition of the European Football Championship. Let's see who have advanced to the second knock-out round of the tournament.
Wales vs. Denmark
Result: Denmark win 4-0
There was a lot of expectation from Gareth Bale’s Wales side prior to their Round of 16 clash against Denmark. But Wales were comprehensively outplayed by Denmark in the Amsterdam stadium in the Netherlands, and eventually lost 4-0. The game was fairly one-sided, as Denmark took complete control after taking an early lead. Denmark's top player was Kasper Dolberg, who scored two goals in the 27th and 48th minutes.
Read:England beats Germany 2-0 to reach Euro 2020 quarterfinals
Italy vs Austria
Result: Italy win 2-1(Extra Time)
The four-time World Cup champion Italy had a fantastic time in the group stage but labored in their first knockout round encounter against Austria. Italy had to play extra time to qualify for the quarter-finals. Federico Chiesa (95) and Matteo Pessina (105) both scored in the 2-1 victory for Italy over Austria.
Read:Copa America 2021: Teams Qualified For Quarter Finals, Fixtures
Netherlands vs Czech Republic
Result: Czech Republic win 2-0
The Czech Republic upset the Netherlands in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 victory. The Netherlands were expecting a comprehensive victory, but the Czech Republic had other ideas, and they were keen to make a statement in the encounter. However, the Czech Republic had the advantage after Matthijs de Light's red card in the 55th minute.
Read Toppers of the DPL T20 2021
Belgium vs Portugal
Result: Belgium win 1-0
Belgium midfielder Throgan Hazard's stunning goal rocked the reigning European Champion Portugal and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Hazard's lone goal in the 42nd minute was enough to knock Portugal out of the competition.
Croatia vs Spain
Result: Spain win 5-3 (Extra Time)
It was one of the most thrilling Round of 16 games. Croatia surprisingly leveled the score in injury time, but ultimately lost the match 5-3 after extra time. The 2010 World Cup champion Spain now seems to have a good chance to reach the final.
Read:Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020
France vs Switzerland
Result: Switzerland win 5-4 (Penalty shootout)
It was the most shocking result in the Round of 16 stage because France were the favorite to win this year's European tournament. First and foremost, scoring three goals against France was a significant accomplishment, and later Switzerland went on to win the match in a penalty shootout.
England vs Germany
Result: England win 2-0
This English national team is regarded as one of the best in their football history, therefore there is a lot of expectation from the British fans. The 'Three Lions' beat Germany 2-0 in the tournament's first knockout stage, thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.
Read Messi Reaches Another Milestone as Argentina Win Tough Match at Copa America 2021
Sweden vs Ukraine
Result: Ukraine win 2-1 (Extra Time)
Ukraine emerged victorious in the final Round of 16 fixtures on Tuesday. They have advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Sweden 2-1 in extra time. Ukraine will face one of the favorites England in the next round.
Read Bangladesh’s Test, ODI, T20 Squads Analysis for BAN vs ZIM Series 2021
EURO 2020 Quarter-Final Fixtures
Date
Match
Venue & Time (BST)
July 2 (Friday)
Switzerland vs Spain
St Petersburg (10 PM)
July 3 (Saturday)
Belgium vs Italy
Munich (1 AM)
July 3 (Saturday)
Czech Republicvs Denmark
Baku (10 PM)
July 4 (Sunday)
Ukraine vs England
Rome (1 AM)
Sources: https://www.uefa.com/
Read:Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020
Bottom Line
We saw several upsets in the UEFA EURO 2020 round of 16, which makes the tournament even more intriguing for everyone. Among the hot favorites, only Belgium and England still remain in the competition. However, we can anticipate the deserving national team to win the trophy in the end.There will not be easy games in the quarterfinals. The teams must give it their all to advance to the semi-finals.
Read RIP Milka Singh: One of India's Finest Ever Athlete
England beats Germany 2-0 to reach Euro 2020 quarterfinals
England is unburdened by the weight of agonizing history: Germany has finally been beaten in a tournament again.
No need to endure more penalty heartache or disallowed goals this time.
Just like in the 1966 World Cup final, England triumphed over a German team at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, winning 2-0 to reach the European Championship quarterfinals.
And just like in England’s two group wins, Raheem Sterling was on the scoresheet, breaking the tense deadlock in the 75th minute in a move he started and completed.
The round of 16 finally saw England net more than once at Euro 2020, and for Harry Kane to shed the pressure on his shoulders by finally scoring. The striker headed in Jack Grealish’s cross in the 86th minute.
“With all the expectation and pressure,” Kane said. “We delivered.”
Also read: Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020
It was England’s second-ever win in the knockout stage of the European Championship. The last such triumph came on penalties against Spain at Euro ’96 before the hosts were denied a place in the final by Germany in a shootout at Wembley.
It was on penalties that Germany also beat England in the 1990 World Cup semifinals. Then there was the English goal wrongfully disallowed as Germany knocked the English out of the 2010 World Cup.
Now England will play either Sweden or Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals on Saturday in Rome, eying a return to Wembley for the semifinals and the final on July 11.
There will still be questions about England coach Gareth Southgate’s team selection and persistence with Kane when he managed only one touch in the opposition penalty area in the first half. And it was a bad one, taking a ball too far past Manuel Neuer while trying to go around the goalkeeper.
But while Sterling’s goals are spearheading England’s progress at this largely-home tournament, the saves of Jordan Pickford are proving vital, too, including using one hand to push over Kai Havertz’s shot at the start of the second half.
“We had to be brave on and off the ball,” England defender Harry Maguire said. “It was really important.”
Also read: Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020
The clamor to introduce Grealish was growing in the second half. It’s what got fans chanting inside Wembley, with a crowd of about 40,000 the biggest in Britain since the pandemic began in March 2020.
The winger finally entered with about 20 minutes to go and played a role in the opening goal.
Sterling first took on the defenders, going past Antonio Rüdiger before passing to Kane, whose layoff to Grealish then went to Luke Shaw. And it was the left back’s cross that Sterling connected with, shooting past Neuer with his right boot.
For all the experience in Germany’s side compared to the youth of England, it was World Cup winner Thomas Müller who squandered a chance to equalize in the 81st minute. Clean through with only Pickford to beat, Müller put the ball wide to leave him still without a goal at his three European Championships.
England has yet to concede in its four games at Euro 2020.
“It’s a moment none of us will ever forget,” said Kane, who scored his 35th international goal. “The perfect afternoon.”
Women's Football: Cumilla United crush Suddopuskorini JSC 5-0
Cumilla United earned a comfortable 5-0 goals win over Suddopuskorini Jubo SC 5-0 in the 2nd phase match of the "Women's Football League 2020-21" at the Kamalapur Stadium here on Tuesday.
Akhi struck twice in the 15th and 19th minutes, Rehena Akter also scored two goals in the 30th and 52nd minutes while Rojina Akter netted the other goal for Cumilla United n the 70th minute.
Also read: Women's Football: Bashundhara Kings crush FC Brahmanbaria 6-0
In the day's other match, Jamalpur Kacharipara Ekadash defeated Nasrin sports Academy by 2-0 goals at the same venue.
After a barren first half, Ratna put Jamalapur team ahead in the 47th minute while Kanon Rani sealed the fate of the match scoring one more goal in the 72nd minute.
Also read: Women's Football: Brahmanbaria beat Suddopuskorini 3-2
Surovi Akter Eity of the winning team got marching order after receiving two yellow cards in the match.
BPL Football: Uttar Baridhara beat Rahmatganj 2-1
Uttar Baridhara Club toppled Rahmatganj Muslim Friend Society beating them by 2-1 goals in a 2nd phase match of the 13-team Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Football at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Tuesday.
With their 3rd win, Uttar Baridhara Club advanced to the 9th slot toppling Rahmatganj in the league table securing 15 points from 16 matches .
Also read: BPL Football: Abahani, Mohammedan play out 1-1 draw
Rahmatganj MFS suffered nine defeats in the league on Tuesday and went down to the 10th place with their previous credit of 14 points from 17 outings.
In the day's lone match, Ivory Coast forward Lorougnon Christ Remi put Rahmatganj ahead in the 35th minute (1-0) while Uzbek booter Saiddoston Fozilov levelled the margin for Baridhara Club just three minutes later (1-1).
Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara continue unbeaten run beating Rahmatganj 2-1
Fozilov again scored the match decider for Baridhara Club in the stoppage time (90+5 minute)of the match from a penalty (2-1).
Rahmatganj MFS were restricted to 10- man in the 88th minute of the match as their Liton received red card.
3rd Div Football: Bikrampur Kings beat Narinda 1-0
Bikrampur Kings earned a 1-0 victory over Narinda Junior Lions Club in the "Metropolis 3rd Division Football League 2019-20" at the Kamalapur Stadium here on Tuesday.
Jony scored the match-winner for Bikrampur Kings in the stoppage time (45+2 min) of the first half.
Also read: BPL Football: Abahani, Mohammedan play out 1-1 draw
In the day's other match, Alamgir Samaj Kallayan and Krira Sangshad defeated Jabid Ahsan Sohel Krira Chakra by 2-1 goals at the same venue.
Ridoy scored both the goals for the winners in the 32nd and 83rd minutes while Ripon netted the lone goal for the losers in the 50th minute from a penalty.
Also read: BPL Football: Bashundhara continue unbeaten run beating Rahmatganj 2-1
Jamil Kazi of the losing side got marching orders in the 41st minute of the match.
Copa America 2021: Teams Qualified For Quarter Finals, Fixtures
The group stage of the ongoing South American Championship finished on June 29th.We saw some exciting matches in the first round, but had to wait until the final group stage fixtures to learn who would qualify for the next round. Eight teams qualified for the quarter-finals and all the expected national teams have progressed to the next round.Argentina finished top in Group A, while Brazil took the first spot in Group B.The competition's first knockout round will begin on July 2. This article has discussed the teams that qualified for the Copa America 2021 quarterfinals and fixtures.
Teams Qualified for the Quarter Finals Phase
The top four teams from each group qualified for the quarterfinals in the 47th edition of the Copa America tournament. Let's see who have advanced to the next round from each group.
Group A
One of the favorites of the tournament, Argentina topped the group A with the most points 10 points, followed by Uruguay (7), Paraguay (6), Chili (5) and Bolivia (0).
Read UEFA Euro 2020: Round of 16 Qualified Teams, Fixtures
Table topper, Argentina won three matches and drew one in the group stage. Argentina held a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Chili. After that, they won by a lone goal against Uruguay and Paraguay respectively before winning 4-1 against Bolivia in their last encounter. So, Argentina had a terrific time in the group stage and will seek to continue their winning streak in the knockout phase.
On the other hand, Uruguay recovered from a slow start to win their remaining two group stage matches and finish second in the points table. Meanwhile, Chili had struggled in their last two matches.
Read:Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020
Group B
The hot favorite, Brazil won three matches and drew one in group B, finishing top in the rankings with ten points. Peru (7), Colombia (4), Ecuador (3), and Venezuela (2) placed second, third, fourth, and fifth respectively at the end of the group stage.
Brazil started off well, winning three of their first four matches, but they held a 1-1 draw against Ecuador in the last group stage encounter. Ecuador have qualified for the quarterfinals after drawing their match against Brazil.
On the other hand, Peru moved up to second position after defeating Venezuela 1-0 in their last group stage game. Colombia had to settle for third place with only one win. They lost two games during the group stage. Colombia must regroup before the crucial quarterfinals.
Read:Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020
Copa America 2021 Quarter Finals Fixtures
Date
Match
Venue & Time (BST)
July 3 (Saturday)
Peru vs Paraguay
Goiânia (3 AM)
July 3 (Saturday)
Brazil vs Chili
Rio de Janeiro (6 AM)
July 4 (Sunday)
Uruguay vs Colombia
Brasília (4 AM)
July 4 (Sunday)
Argentina vs Ecuador
Goiânia(7 AM)
Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_Copa_Am%C3%A9rica
Read:Denmark on the road for 1st time to face Wales at Euro 2020
Bottom Line
The strongest national teams of South America have qualified for the Copa America 2021 quarter-finals. As a result, we can expect the title to be won by the deserving national team in the end. In the next round, reigning champion Brazil will play a strong Chili side. Chili won the championship in 2015 and 2016, thus it will be a tough battle for Brazil. However, there will be no easy matches in the quarter-finals. The teams must put up their best effort to advance to the semi-finals.
Read:Messi breaks Argentina’s record for caps at Copa America win
Messi breaks Argentina’s record for caps at Copa America win
Lionel Messi became Argentina’s most capped international player on Monday, marking the occasion with two goals as he led his national team to a 4-1 win over Bolivia at the Copa America.
The 34-year-old Messi’s 148th appearance for Argentina beat the mark previously held by retired defender Javier Mascherano.
Read: Messi Reaches Another Milestone as Argentina Win Tough .
His two goals and one assist helped Argentina ensure top spot in Group A, setting up a quarterfinal against Ecuador on Saturday.
Messi made his Argentina debut in 2005 in a 2-1 win in a friendly against Hungary. He was sent off during that match after hitting a rival with his elbow.
The Barcelona striker, who holds the all-time Argentina high of 75 goals, is also seeking to break two South American records: Pele’s as the top goal scorer of a national team (77 for Brazil), and Chile’s Sergio Livingstone mark of 34 for most Copa America appearances (Messi has 31).
Diego Maradona scored 32 goals in 87 matches for Argentina, including the 1986 World Cup triumph. Messi, despite his impressive individual statistics, is yet to win a major title for Argentina.
Read: Messi to play for Argentina in Copa America, coach says
He was runner-up at the 2014 World Cup and at two editions of Copa America in 2015 and in ’16.
Swiss beat France on penalties at Euro 2020
The Latest on soccer’s European Championship:
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Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer saved a penalty kick from Kylian Mbappe in a penalty shootout to knock France out of the European Championship.
Switzerland won the shootout 5-3 after a 3-3 draw through extra time.
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France and Switzerland are headed to a penalty shootout in the round of 16 of the European Championship.
The match ended 3-3 after 90 minutes and neither team was able to score in extra time.
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France and Switzerland are headed to extra time in the round of 16 of the European Championship.
Mario Gavranovic scored the equalizer for Switzerland in the 90th minute in Bucharest.
READ: Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020
It’s the second match of the day to go to extra time. Spain and Croatia were also even at 3-3 after 90 minutes. Spain ended up winning 5-3 in Copenhagen.
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England coach Gareth Southgate is deciding whether to include Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell in the squad to face Germany at the European Championship after a week in self-isolation.
The players had to split from the rest of the England squad after being deemed close contacts following a conversation with Chelsea teammate Billy Gilmour after the match against Scotland. Gilmour later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mount and Chilwell were able to do fitness work away from the rest of the England squad on a training field.
England hosts Germany at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday in the round of 16.
Southgate says “it’s really complicated because there’s the physical periodization you want for a game like this.”
Mount started two group games at Euro 2020 before missing last Tuesday’s win over the Czech Republic while isolating.
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Alvaro Morata and Mikel Oyarzabal scored in extra time to give Spain a 5-3 win over Croatia and a place in the European Championship quarterfinals.
Spain gifted Croatia a bizarre own-goal in the first half and then threw away a 3-1 lead but Morata made it 4-3 when he controlled a cross with one deft touch in the 100th minute and sent a shot past goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
Oyarzabal doubled the lead three minutes later.
READ: BPL Football: Abahani, Mohammedan play out 1-1 draw
Mislav Orsic had pulled one back for Croatia in the 85th and Mario Pasalic equalized in injury time.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon’s massive blunder gave Croatia a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute when he failed to control a long back pass.
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Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko says he’s concerned about Sweden’s threat at set pieces in their match in the round of 16 at the European Championship.
Ukraine’s two losses at Euro 2020 came with a header from the Netherlands after a cross and from Austria scoring on a corner kick.
Shevchenko says “definitely we have to be really careful at set pieces. Sweden is a team that uses set pieces really well.”
Sweden has not yet scored from a free kick or a corner and coach Janne Andersson has noted the absence.
Andersson says Sweden has a bit of a height advantage “so we are hoping that we are able to take advantage of that” against Ukraine in Glasgow.
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Croatia and Spain will play extra time in the round of 16 at the European Championship.
Mario Pasalic scored for Croatia in injury team to make the score 3-3 in Copenhagen.
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The captains of Germany and England will wear rainbow armbands in the round of 16 at the European Championship.
The England team says the move by Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and England striker Harry Kane is “to mark the end of Pride month.”
UEFA had looked into whether Neuer breached regulations by not wearing the official armband in the opening two games of Euro 2020. But Germany later said UEFA accepted its argument that the rainbow armband is a symbol of diversity and can therefore be categorized as a “good cause.”
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Spain scored a bizarre first-half own-goal against Croatia in the round of 16 of the European Championship after a massive blunder by goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Simon failed to control a back pass in the 20th minute and the ball trickled slowly into the net.
Spain had dominated play until then but the goal gave Croatia a 1-0 lead.
It was the ninth own-goal so far at Euro 2020.
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Unbeaten and underestimated Sweden has quietly progressed into the round of 16 at the European Championship with a coach who says he no longer yells at players because it doesn’t make them better.
The Swedes will next face Ukraine in the round of 16 on Tuesday in Glasgow.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson says “to yell at people is rarely something that helps them so I don’t believe in that way of working.”
He says he prefers to “explain to them where they are doing things wrong and how they can improve.”
Andersson did have a confrontation with the Poland coaching staff during Sweden’s 3-2 win last week. Andersson says to yell at opponents is “a different thing.”
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Belgium coach Roberto Martinez says Kevin De Bruyne’s injury is not serious and he will remain with the squad at the European Championship.
De Bruyne was replaced early in the second half of Belgium’s 1-0 victory over Portugal on Sunday in the round of 16. De Bruyne hurt his left ankle after being tackled from behind by Portugal midfielder João Palhinha.
Martinez says it’s too early to know if De Bruyne will be available for Friday’s quarterfinal match against Italy at Euro 2020.
The Belgium coach says Eden Hazard also doesn’t have a serious injury. The playmaker was replaced late in the match because of a muscle problem.
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A health official in Finland says he hopes soccer fans in the country won’t travel to neighboring St. Petersburg for Friday’s European Championship quarterfinal match in the Russian city.
The Finns saw a spike in coronavirus cases that has been traced to soccer fans returning from Russia. Finland played two of its group matches in St. Petersburg but the team has been eliminated from the tournament.
Helsinki University Hospital doctor Markku Makijarvi says “I hope that it is now clear to everyone that the rest will be watched from Finland.”
More than 200 cases of the virus have been reported among people who have arrived from neighboring Russia in recent days and nearly 500 people have been quarantined. Health officials say these cases either were soccer fans or people who took part in the traditional mid-summer celebrations.
At least 2,000 Finns are estimated to have traveled to St. Petersburg for the earlier games.
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Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand says he expects captain Simon Kjaer to be able to play in the team’s quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic at the European Championship.
Kjaer had to exit Saturday’s game against Wales in the round of 16 after getting his right thigh wrapped in the second half. Hjulmand says Kjaer is still undergoing treatment but that the center back should recover in time for Saturday’s game in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Hulmand says ”they’re working on Simon and we all think he’ll be ready.”
Hjulmand says he has ”no reason to believe” that he won’t have all his players available.
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World Cup champion France will play Switzerland for a spot in the quarterfinals at the European Championship.
The French team lost in the Euro 2016 final before winning the World Cup three years ago. They finished first in their group at Euro 2020 but won only one match.
The game against the Swiss will be played in Bucharest.
Spain will take on Croatia in Copenhagen in the early match.
Women's Football: Bashundhara Kings crush FC Brahmanbaria 6-0
Title aspirant Bashundhara Kings crushed FC Brahmanbaria by 6-0 goals in the 2nd phase match of the "Women's Football League 2020-21" at the Kamalapur Stadium on Monday.
In the day's match, National women's team captain Sabina Khatun, who emerged as the country's first women's footballer to reach a landmark of scoring 100 plus goals in the top league, opened the floodgate for the Kings in the very 6th minute.
READ: BPL Football: Abahani, Mohammedan play out 1-1 draw
Krishna Rani Sarkar struck twice in the 18th and 21st minutes, Sirat Jahan Swapna also netted two goals in the 49th and 90+3 minutes while Sultana scored the other goal for the Kings in the 89th minute
The day's other league match between Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan College SC and Kachiihuli Sporting Club could not held as per schedule at the same venue as the later team did not appeared at the match venue in time.
READ: Denmark beats Wales 4-0 at Euro 2020
Belgium edges Portugal, reaches quarterfinals at Euro 2020
Belgium stopped Cristiano Ronaldo on one end, and had just enough attacking power on the other.
The top-ranked Belgians held Ronaldo scoreless Sunday and held onto a first-half lead to beat Portugal 1-0 and advance to the quarterfinals of the European Championship.
Read: Denmark beats Wales 4-0 at Euro 2020
Ronaldo, who threw his captain’s armband to the ground in despair after the final whistle, is still one goal shy of becoming the all-time men’s top scorer in international soccer. He came into the match tied with former Iran striker Ali Daei at 109 goals.
Belgium, which has never before won a major soccer title, will next face Italy on Friday in Munich.
Belgium’s potent attack, led by Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, also struggled, but Thorgan Hazard scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute with a swerving shot from outside the area. Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patrício was left wrong-footed and was late to swat the ball away.
“In these kinds of games you have to grab your chances with both hands,” Thorgan Hazard said. “The goalkeeper expected me to choose the other corner, so the ball went in.”
Read: Denmark on the road for 1st time to face Wales at Euro 2020
Belgium played most of the second half without De Bruyne, who had to be substituted after being tackled from behind and injuring his left ankle. De Bruyne missed the team’s first game at Euro 2020 while recovering from a facial injury sustained in the Champions League final.
Portugal had several good chances to equalize late in the match, including a header by Rúben Dias saved by Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and a shot by Raphael Guerreiro that hit the post.
The Portuguese did most of the attacking in the second half, finishing the match with 24 attempts. Belgium had six in total and scored the only time it hit the target.
“Looking at that second half, we are lucky to win,” Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen said. “Portugal made it really hard for us. We had to really stay focused. It has cost us a lot of energy, but we have some time to recover and now we are looking forward to the game against Italy.”
While Portugal’s run for a second consecutive European title ended, Belgium stayed on track to end its title drought. The Belgians lost in the European Championship final in 1980 and finished third three years ago at the World Cup for their best finish at that tournament.
The Red Devils have won all four matches so far at Euro 2020 and won all 10 qualifiers for the tournament. The team is unbeaten in 13 consecutive matches in all competitions, since a loss to England last year in the Nations League. Belgium has lost only one of its last 27 international matches.
“We showed incredible concentration and defended really well,” Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said. “We scored a very good goal and then in the second half, as you would expect, the momentum went to Portugal more. We had to show an incredible mentality.”
Ronaldo was kept in check for most of the match, with his best scoring chance coming from a free kick saved by Courtois in the 25th minute. He also was off target with a free kick in the 74th, and then only managed a weak shot on goal from inside the area a few minutes later.
The Juventus striker seemed frustrated by the lack of opportunities, and he also couldn’t do much to help his teammates, with Diogo Jota misfiring from close range after a pass from Ronaldo in the 56th.
“We have some players crying in the changing room, and I’m sure that many Portuguese fans are as well,” Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. “We were confident with our chances of winning the European title and we thought we could win it. Portugal deserved to win this match but it didn’t happen.”
It had been a slow start at La Cartuja Stadium on a hot night in southern Spain, with neither team threatening much offensively.
Portugal kept Belgium’s attack under control until Thorgan Hazard scored after a failed clearance in front of the area. The buildup to the goal started with Courtois dummying Ronaldo inside his own area. The forward tried to put pressure on the goalkeeper but he cut back with the ball as Ronaldo went past him.
The game grew heated at times, with a small altercation starting in the 76th after Portugal defender Pepe came in hard on Thorgan Hazard while play was stopped as Lukaku waited to be attended by doctors after being hit on the head by an opponent’s foot.