Half of the field for the quarterfinals is set at Euro 2024 following a second consecutive dramatic day of knockout action.
England and Spain advanced by coming from behind against lower-ranked nations, sparing their legions of supporters from having to book early flights back home from Germany.
But things will only get tougher for both nations from here. The English face a hard-nosed Switzerland in the next round, while a date with the host nation awaits the Spanish.
Here’s what you need to know about Sunday’s games at Euro 2024.
THE RESULTS
England 2, Slovakia 1 in Gelsenkirchen: Match report || Match stats
Spain 4, Georgia 1 in Cologne: Match report || Match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
Three Lions roar back from the dead
Three minutes. That’s how long it took for England to turn its round of 16 encounter vs. Slovakia on its head and book its passage through to the quarterfinals after a fairly insipid display. After sleepwalking their way through the group stage and the majority of this knockout round match, the English finally came good (be it ever so briefly) when it mattered the most.
Ivan Schranz’s goal in the 25th minute with a lovely finish was just a reward for a Slovakia side that started the game strong against a very pedestrian opponent. The Slovakians continued to boss the game as Gareth Southgate’s men laboured along without getting out of first gear. Slovakia did a brilliant job of game management, expertly absorbing England’s pressure and creating chances in transition with its systematic pressing game. But a first-ever win for Slovakia in the knockout round of a major competition slipped through its fingers.
Jude Bellingham’s spectacular equalizer deep into injury time (more on that later) was the first genuine moment of attacking inspiration from England. Then in the opening minute of the first extra time period, Harry Kane headed home the winner from close range after Slovakia couldn’t clear its line. It was a stunning turn of events for England, who looked certain to be on its way out of the tournament.
While England will no doubt be celebrating its great escape, Southgate has to be asking serious questions about his tactics and player selections up to this point in the tournament as he’s managed to get very little correct. His team’s efforts have been just good enough to see it progress, but it’s only going to get more difficult from here on in, and England can’t continue on like this if it harbours serious ambitions of winning the European Championship for the first time.
So long Georgia, and thanks for the good times
Most pundits wrote off Georgia ahead of Euro 2024, believing it wouldn’t get out of its opening-round group in its debut in the competition. The former Soviet republic was dead last in Sportsnet’s pre-tournament power rankings after it just barely beat Luxembourg and Greece in a pair of home playoff games to qualify.
But the Georgians didn’t go quietly into that good night, earning a draw against Czechia and upsetting Portugal in the group stage to book their place in the knockout round. Willy Sagnol’s team showed a lot of heart and played with a fearlessness that served them well on the pitch, and it also made them the most fun team to watch at this competition.
And it looked like their entertaining run at Euro 2024 would continue on Sunday. The Spaniards came flying out of the chute and dominated the game that was all one-way traffic early on. Yet, it was Georgia who jumped out in front in the 18th minute, using its pace on the counter attack to force an own-goal by Spanish centre back Robin Le Normand while under pressure from the irrepressible Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. It was the first goal conceded by La Roja at Euro 2024.
But Spain’s relentless pressure became too much for Georgia to handle. Nico Williams fed a pass through to the edge of the box to Pedri who took a touch before firing a low shot that beat goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili inside the post just before halftime. Shortly after the halftime break, Fabián Ruiz connected on a header off a perfect cross to the back post from Lamine Yamal to put the Spaniards up for good. There was no way back for Georgia, who had salt rubbed in its wounds courtesy of late goals from Williams and Dani Almo.
Farewell thee, Georgia. You brought something special to Euro, winning over neutrals with your indomitable spirit and fast-paced attack. You’ll be missed, and here’s hoping you’ll be a regular at major tournaments in the future.
GOAL OF THE DAY
England was on the cusp of elimination when Jude Bellingham scored a highlight-reel equalizer deep into injury time to keep the Three Lions alive. With Slovakia defending deep inside its box, English defender Marc Guéhi delivered a ball into the box that found Bellingham who connected on a gorgeous bicycle kick with his back to goal that sailed past Slovakian goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka.
BEST FANS
For supporters of Georgia, Euro 2024 wasn’t just about results on the pitch and cheering on their team. It was also about connecting with other fans and becoming a greater part of the European football community:
STAT OF THE DAY
Better late than never from England:
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
2. Nico Williams (Spain): He barely put a foot wrong in driving Spain forward with his immaculate distribution skills, especially in the final third of the pitch. Williams picked out Rodri with a great pass that led to Spain’s first goal and killed off the game with his first goal of the tournament.
2. Rodri (Spain): The Manchester City midfielder scored a wonderful equalizer and played a key role in helping Spain dominate possession on the night against Georgia. He also put in a solid defensive shift with three tackles and one clearance.
3. Ivan Schranz (Slovakia): The SK Slavia Prague forward effectively led the line for his team and caused plenty of problems for England’s back line with his menacing presence in and around the box. Struck a sublime shot with the outside of his foot to score his third goal of the tournament.
LOOKING AHEAD
The round of 16 continues on Monday when France tangles with Belgium in Düsseldorf and Portugal takes on Slovenia in Frankfurt. The Belgians and French somewhat underwhelmed in the group stage (they both only scored two goals) so it’ll be interesting to see if either side can hit another level in the knockout round. Portugal is coming off an upset loss to Georgia and will be looking to demonstrate that was just a fluke and remind everyone why they are rightly considered one of the tournament favourites.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.