Portugal overthrows Cristiano Ronaldo! Very realistically, Belgium beat defending champions Portugal (1-0) on Sunday in Seville to join Italy in the Euro quarter-finals, where the Czechs unexpectedly beat the Netherlands (2-0).
The kings of European football dig the dust in the eighth: a powerful strike from Thorgan Hazard (42H) It was enough for the Belgians to get rid of the reigning European champions… and the image of frank romantics that has stuck to the skin of the Red Devils since their disappointing third place in the 2018 World Cup.
It's already over for Portugal, a team calculating but caught in its own trap. It's already over for Ronaldo, who was dreaming of a second European crown in a row and the possibility of obtaining a sixth Ballon d'Or, but he leaves empty-handed despite scoring 5 goals in four matches.
On the other hand, the Euro continues for Belgium, which has certainly seen the master of its game Kevin De Bruyne (48H) and Eden Hazard (87H), but he has gained the status of a scarecrow before facing Italy next Friday in Munich. The Czech Republic will face Denmark, another surprise in the tournament, next Saturday in Baku.
Have the Belgians finally learned to 'win ugly'? After suffering the 2018 World Cup against France, and defeating Belgium in the semi-final with a narrow score and a simple match (1-0) before winning the final, it seems that Roberto Martinez's team has matured.
Great resistance from the Belgians
It frustrated Portugal, leaving the ball to this opponent who was more comfortable without it. She endured Ronaldo's few attempts without giving up. The Portuguese star's long-range duel with Romelu Lukaku ended short, as a powerful free kick was blocked by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (25).H).
Then, a shot from Thorgan Hazard against the run of play put Belgium in the perfect position. Then he resisted well in the second half, where he blocked Courtois' shot in front of Ruben Dias (82HThen an attempt by Rafael Guerrero hits the post (83H) I offered him salvation and rehabilitation.
“We eliminated the defending champion, it was very complicated. In a tournament, to get to the end, you have to know how to suffer,” Thorgan Hazard commented on RTBF TV.
Enough to allow the Red Devils to finally dream of the coronation that will reward their golden generation, which reached the quarter-finals of the 2016 European Championship and then reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
But the road is still bumpy until the final match in London on July 11, as the Netherlands saw the number of teams reduced to ten teams and eliminated even though they were favorites to win in the round of 16 against the Czech Republic.
The Netherlands falls from a height
In Budapest, the Dutch squad lost significantly against the Czechs, affected by the deserved exclusion of Matthijs de Ligt due to a severe blow (53).H) and then by Thomas Holz (68H) and the great striker Patrik Schick (81H) scored his fourth goal in this Euro.
De Ligt admitted to Dutch broadcaster NOS that the red card “changes the situation, and I feel responsible for it.” “I feel bad about this procedure.”
Many did not expect to see the “Orange” team eliminated at the beginning of the knockout stages, after a flawless first round (three wins in three matches).
But the final squad for the 2010 World Cup, which dreamed of reconnecting with its glorious past after missing out on qualifying for the 2016 European Championship and then for the 2018 World Cup, was unable to contain the collective power of the Czech Republic, carried by its fans. A group to Hungary and qualified for the last quarter of the Euro in its history (after 1996, 2004 and 2012).
Therefore, it is the Czech Republic that will face next Saturday in the quarter-finals in Baku, one of the other surprises of the Euro, Denmark, which beat Wales on Saturday (4-0).
It serves as a warning to all other countries favoring the euro: no one is safe from the axe, a saying that France, which opposes Switzerland in Bucharest, will be able to contemplate on Monday (at 3 p.m. Montreal time), or Spain. and Croatia, who will face each other in Copenhagen for a place in the quarter-finals (noon).
