Euro 2024: Journey to the quarterfinals and assessment of the teams' strength

SPAIN - GERMANY

+ Germany has not lost yet, but the draw with Switzerland shows that the host is not perfect.

Host Germany destroyed Scotland 5-1 and continued to beat Hungary to win the ticket to the next round early. They are also the team that advanced to the quarterfinals without much difficulty thanks to the 2-0 victory over Denmark. However, the path to the quarterfinals of Germany is not quite smooth for a host who wants to level everything when in the last round against Switzerland, Germany escaped defeat thanks to a goal in the last minutes.

Germany showed the most difficulty in the match against Switzerland.

The paradox of the host Germany against Switzerland is that they have a lot of possession but are stuck in finding a goal against a thick, physical defense that sticks to the players from midfield.

Facing Spain in the quarter-finals, Germany will have a hard time because Spain is rich in youth but still has a core of veterans in the middle. Spain is also a team that takes advantage of situations and quickly switches from defense to attack.

+ Spain scored 9 goals and have not let anyone score against them

The team tends to play an attacking style with 9 goals since the beginning of the tournament and one loss, but they can be proud that no one has scored against them yet, as the only goal conceded against Albania was an own goal.

Spain's youth is strong.

The Spanish defence has not yet been tested enough, but their attacking prowess and versatility often allow them to dictate their style of play to their opponents.

Spain's weakness is that the defenders often participate in attacks and have not met opponents good at counter-attacking to test the counter-attacking strategy of a team that has never lost or even drawn.

Germany will be the toughest test because the host is strong in both defense and attack. It is not wrong when experts choose this as an early final.

UK - SWITZERLAND

+ He held his breath in the quarter-finals from a moment of personal genius.

England could have left Euro 2024 early if it weren't for Jude Bellingham's brilliant overhead kick in the 90+5 minute. The equalizer was considered a life-saving goal by the player on the payroll. Because before that, no one could have realized that an England team with very high player value was stuck against a Slovakian team that played with a lot of strength and marked very tightly.

With the equalizer, England continued to score to increase the score to 2-1 from the first kick of extra time. After that, the whole team returned to defending to keep possession even though defending is not their forte.

He showed flashes of brilliance but did not show the team's stance to be ready to win the championship.

England held their breath in the quarter-finals while Switzerland were really the dark horse.

+ Switzerland is showing to be a very annoying dark horse.

Putting the home team in a draw and then impressively beating the defending champion with a very scientific and powerful style of play, eliminating all of Italy's strengths and exploiting its weaknesses.

Switzerland are playing better and better and are more confident after eliminating the defending champions and now they face a confrontation with Euro runner-up - England.

More than many teams in spirit and a strong team with an annoying playing style, Switzerland wants to make a mark by eliminating the defending champion and runner-up to enter the semi-finals.

PORTUGAL - FRANCE

The clash between two expensive and notable figures of football.

+ Portugal is strong because of Ronaldo and weak because of Ronaldo

At 39, Ronaldo is still the mainstay of Portugal, still healthy, still hungry and still showing leadership qualities, but Ronaldo's great influence sometimes limits the ability and performance of his teammates. The young stars have to play around Ronaldo, which is very different from the core and strength when playing at the club.

With Ronaldo, coach Martinez always has to calculate how the satellites will revolve around Ronaldo. The knockout match with Slovenia that had to be decided on penalties is the clearest proof. Luckily, Portugal still has goalkeeper Diego Costa to make up for his seniors' mistakes to enter the quarter-finals with France.

+ France is "lacking" in goals but is still considered a strong team

In four matches, France have only scored one penalty and the other two were own goals. They entered the quarter-finals with a strong squad but clearly their attack has many problems in handling.

Like Portugal, France rely heavily on Mbappe even though the star still has to play with a special mask that makes it difficult for him to have the best feeling for the ball.

France need a goal like the one they scored when they reached the 2022 final to beat Ronaldo's Portugal, otherwise they will pay a heavy price despite having a team with a lot of name and experience.

NETHERLANDS - Türkiye

The Netherlands has a younger median age, but Türkiye has more surprises in store.

+ Netherlands shows orange cyclone starting to appear

The way the Netherlands beat Romania 3-0 in the round of 16 has made the worries of the group stage gradually disappear. The killer goals are quite diverse and promise to continue to explode when going deeper.

The Netherlands were the team with the biggest win, although their defense occasionally showed gaps. If they continue to play like they did against Romania, they will be a difficult opponent to predict.

+ Türkiye with a goal from an extremely dangerous set piece situation

Türkiye's win over Austria had many experts predicting offside, but the way they won was completely convincing. Both goals came from corner kicks and both from aerial duels, showing that this is a very dangerous high-altitude weapon.

Türkiye's strength is the Netherlands' weakness and that is where Türkiye can play its air power.

Ho Chi Minh City Law Newspaper

Source