Euro 2020 LIVE: England vs Ukraine quarter-final build up, Three Lions fans not allowed in Rome – latest updates

TIME TO SHINE

Portugal may have crashed out of Euro 2020 – but Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. can still boast the most valuable watch collection.

Horology experts have calculated the combined value of timepieces from a host of European squads. The clear winner was Portugal with a watch collection estimated to exceed at least £5.4 million.

Ronaldo and his team-mates have personal collections including a Franck Muller Cintrée Tourbillon and a diamond set Breguet Double Tourbillon – estimated to be worth in excess of £1,000,000 and £560,000 respectively.

The report, compiled by pre-owned watch specialist Watchfinder & Co also revealed that France, who suffered a disappointing exit at the hands of Switzerland, have the second-most valuable collection at just over £1.9m.

Paul Pogba and Ousmane Dembele share an affinity for rare and expensive Patek Philippes, with Dembele enjoying a 5976 white gold Patek Chronograph, which was produced to celebrate 40 years of the Nautilus.

England, fresh from last-16 glory after beating Germany 2-0, placed third on the list with a collection estimated at approximately £1.8m.

HOD PICK

Glenn Hoddle expects a ‘few changes’ to England’s starting XI that beat Germany when they face Ukraine this weekend.

The 63-year-old reckons the Three Lions have a good balance going in the Euro 2020 quarter-final, and Gareth Southgate will be reluctant to make too many changes.

While speaking to Betfair, the ex-England boss said: “Don’t be surprised if there’s a few changes.”

Despite the possible return of Phil Foden, Hoddle predicts Southgate will remain cautious.

He said: “I don’t think he’ll take the reins off against Ukraine. He’s got a balance and managers are always looking for balance.

“This England team aren’t conceding goals and the goalkeeper is having a really good tournament, so you go from there. We’ve got talent and goal scorers.”

ODDS SLASHED

Raheem Sterling has emerged as the favourite to win the Best Player of the Tournament award at Euro 2020.

The winger scored both of England’s winners in the group stages and continued his red-hot form by netting the opener in the 2-0 win over Germany.

The Man City star was initially 40/1 to win the award before the tournament began.

And Sterling drifted as far as 66/1 in the bookies’ market after the goalless draw against Scotland.

But following his heroics against Germany, Betfair have Sterling at 6/1 to be named the player of the tournament.

EUR KIDDING AREN’T YA?!

1966 was the pinnacle of English international football wasn’t it?

Or was it Euro 96 when football came home again…?

It came home right?

KANE NOT BELIEVE IT

Harry Kane has described the ‘pure elation’ he felt after scoring in England’s win over Germany on Tuesday.

The Three Lions striker had a quiet game until he popped up to make it 2-0 and seal England’s spot in the quarter-final.

DARK HORSES

Switzerland could be the dark horses of Euro 2020 after knocking out world champions France on penalties in the Round of 16!

‘STRUCTURED AND DYNAMIC’

Belgium are wary of the threat Italy pose, and manager Roberto Martinez praised the host nation as ‘structured and dynamic’ ahead of tomorrow’s Euro 2020 quarter-final.

He said: “Italy will attack from the very first second; they will be very structured and dynamic.

“Every player knows his role.

“The game against Portugal was a game that could have been played a lot further down the line; usually players don’t play these physical and intense games at this stage of the tournament.

“Luckily, we have enough days to recover and prepare.”

Thorgan Hazard – who’s goal won Belgium’s Round of 16 match against Portugal – has admitted that Italy will be Belgium’s biggest test in the competition so far.

Hazard said: “Italy will be the toughest opponent we’ve met so far.

“They’ve had a good run of wins and it will be a nice challenge for us to end that sequence.

“Their style may suit us more than Portugal. They are enterprising so we may be able to profit from the open spaces, but it definitely won’t be any easier.”

EASY PHIL

England’s Phil Foden pulled off an audacious back-heel to beat Ramsdale in training!

RED DEVILS

Belgium face Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 tomorrow!

GAT’S GOOD NEWS 

Lions Boss Warren Gatland has agreed to move their mid-week game against The Sharks to set-up a potential mid-week marathon of sport, writes JONNY FORDHAM.

Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions are looking to reach the semi-finals of Euro 2020 at the same time as the Lions kick-off in Johannesburg.

The second game of the tour in South Africa is due to kick-off at 7pm UK time.

But that clashes with a possible huge showdown for England.

So TV bosses both here and back at home have come together to allow changes to give sports fans around the world a huge weekday hit.

SunSport understands that talks are on-going between Lions suits, SkySports and SuperSport in South Africa.

An insider said: “It’s a decision with the fans best interests at heart; it ensures everyone can watch both games.”

SHEAR JOY

Alan Shearer has told Gareth Southgate he’s ‘proud’ of him and insisted he never blamed him for his Euro 96 penalty miss, writes GARY STONEHOUSE.

The England boss gained redemption on Tuesday as his Three Lions beat Germany 2-0 at Wembley to set-up a quarter-final showdown with Ukraine.

That stunning victory occurred almost 25 years to the day that Southgate famously missed in the semi-final shoot-out defeat to the same nation.

Southgate said after this week’s triumph: “I can’t change the fact that the guys I played with in 96 didn’t get to play in a final. That will always live with me.

“But what this group of players have been able to do is give a new generation a lot of happy memories and another afternoon where they’ve made a bit of history.”

CLICK HERE TO READ SHEARER’S COMMENTS

QUARTER-FINALISTS

Ukraine are into the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, one of their best ever returns at a major International tournament.

And they’re being led by Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko.

GERMAN MINISTER BLAST BIG CROWDS

German minister Horst Seehofer has blasted UEFA for having large crowds at Euro 2020.

Seehofer blasted the decision as (Reuters) “utterly irresponsible” given the spread of the Delta Covid-19 variant.

The minister believes that UEFA’s decision was commercially-driven.

And that it shouldn’t rank above public health concerns.

DON’T GO

England fans have been told not to travel to Rome for Saturday’s Euro 2020 quarter-final.

And English fans will be banned from the stadium even if they have tickets for the match.

Italy is on the UK’s amber list, and anyone travelling to the country has to isolate for five days.

A statement issued by the Italian embassy in London on Thursday said: “anybody who has been in the UK in the previous 14 days, irrespective of their nationality or residency will not be admitted to the stadium, even if they have a ticket”.

RAHEEM THE DREAM

Raheem Sterling is England’s top-scorer at Euro 2020, finding the back of the net three times!

England now face Ukraine in Rome on Saturday.

‘HE IS A FIGHTER’

England manager Gareth Southgate gas hailed Raheem Sterling as a ‘fighter’.

He said: “Raheem was probably the only one of the players to come back from the World Cup with a different feeling — and I talked to him at length about that.

“Seville was a real lift-off moment for him. You could see it. He almost jumped into the second tier of the stadium if you look at the celebration that night of his goal.

“I really feel that was a significant moment for him. Of course he had been scoring for his club — but he had not been able to translate that.

“Now I think he feels happy in our environment, feels he can be himself, and knows the respect we have for him. His performances in every game this tournament has seen him become a huge threat to every opponent.

“He is a fighter. He has got an incredible resilience and hunger. He has developed over the last couple of years this real hunger to score.

“Even in the games earlier in the tournament where the ball has flashed across the box, he was there between the posts.

“He is finding himself in these areas and his drive is fantastic. We know the journey he has been on with England — and I am so happy for him to be able to deliver the performances he has.”

TOO RUUD

Man Utd legend Ruud van Nistelrooy turns 45 today!

Van Nistelrooy had a brilliant career at international level too, competing at both the Euros and World Cups.

HEIR IT COMES!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in attendance at Wembley on Tuesday alongside their son Prince George.

And the three enjoyed themselves as Sterling and captain Kane fired themselves to victory!

FINAL EIGHT

There’s now just eight teams left in the competition.

And England have a really, really good chance of making the final this year.

The final is also on home soil, at Wembley!

But first, Southgate’s men have to get past Ukraine in Rome, Italy.

EURO 2020 NEWS

England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed he was a ‘party pooper’ in the dressing room after the heroic win over Germany.

He said: “I thought it was a brilliant afternoon. We’ve talked about bringing enjoyment to the nation and this afternoon was what that’s all about.

“The players were absolutely immense, right the way through the team, and the fans were as well. There were only 40,000 but it was as good an atmosphere as I can remember at Wembley.

“But I was the party pooper in the dressing room – I just said that it means nothing if we don’t capitalise on Saturday now. We’ve given people another day to remember, and now we’ve got to do it in Rome.”

Meanwhile, England have been handed a Euro 2020 boost with the news that Ukraine star Artem Besedin has been ruled OUT of their quarter-final clash.

Besedin was the victim of a horror challenge from Marcus Danielson that saw the Swedish defender shown a straight red card.

Besedin has returned home for treatment and is out of the rest of the tournament should Ukraine beat England.

The centre-forward came off the bench for Ukraine in three of their four matches at Euro 2020.

In other news, Alan Shearer has hailed Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka as England’s best player.

The Newcastle legend said: “England need more players like that.

“He’s been so brave, when someone’s marking him tightly he still wants the ball. I think he’s been our best player.”

And finally, Germany midfielder Toni Kroos is set to retire from international football after Germany’s exit from Euro 2020.

Bild are reporting that he is expected to announce his retirement soon, despite the World Cup in Qatar just a year away.

OBERHAUL

Germany have responded to their crushing last-16 defeat to England by launching ‘Project Future’.

The beaten Germans’ project is aimed at reviving their flagging fortunes — and finally producing a world class centre-forward again.

National team director Oliver Bierhoff says it is unacceptable that the country failed to make it to the quarter-finals at Euro 2020 on the back of their embarrassing group-stage exit at the last World Cup.

He said: “We cannot be satisfied with dropping out at the round of 16 stage. England were a beatable team, but they were better than us on the night — that said we need and want to get back to the world elite.

“So, we cannot be satisfied with our own performance — we’re disappointed.”

Read more HERE.

TAKE XHAK

Arsenal ace Granit Xhaka has starred at Euro 2020 for Switzerland.

No other midfielder left in the tournament has made more progressive passes.

GLASSES HOUSES FULL

An England fan who wrecked his glasses celebrating the Euro 2020 win over Germany has been leant a helping hand by Harry Kane.

The Three Lions captain headed home the second goal of Tuesday’s memorable 2-0 win at Wembley.

And the ensuing mayhem across the country led to one supporter’s glasses getting scratched to oblivion.

Billy Taylor tweeted that he was planning a trip to Specsavers for a new pair after the game.

But the opticians, who have run numerous ads backing England’s trophy bid this summer, were quick to lay down a challenge for Billy to bag a free replacement.

If striker Kane retweeted the picture of his smashed lenses, he would receive the new pair free of charge.

And the classy captain duly obliged, with Specsavers confirming his reward via Twitter.

FORWARD THINKING

England boss Gareth Southgate has spoke of his delight that forwards Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane scored against Germany.

Sterling now has three goals in Euro 2020, while Tottenham ace Kane opened his account for the tournament.

Southgate said: “I was pleased for both of them because they both have to prove people wrong all the time. 

“Raheem has been immense for us over a three or four-year period. He knows he has our trust and his performances have been electric.

“It was a really important moment for Harry, I think.

“It doesn’t matter what else you’re doing in the game as a forward, you need those goals so I was pleased to see the second one go in, I have to say.”

LION TAMER

Gareth Southgate has revealed he was a ‘party pooper’ in the dressing room after the heroic win over Germany.

The Three Lions sent the nation into one huge party on Tuesday night after KO’ing the old enemy at Wembley.

He said: “I thought it was a brilliant afternoon. We’ve talked about bringing enjoyment to the nation and this afternoon was what that’s all about.

“The players were absolutely immense, right the way through the team, and the fans were as well. There were only 40,000 but it was as good an atmosphere as I can remember at Wembley.

“But I was the party pooper in the dressing room – I just said that it means nothing if we don’t capitalise on Saturday now.

“We’ve given people another day to remember, and now we’ve got to do it in Rome.”