EURO 2020 is rolling on at pace as the quarter-finals continue.
And what a tournament we’ve had so far – world champs France OUT, holders Portugal OUT, Belgium’s Golden Generation OUT and England FINALLY beating Germany.
The Three Lions next face Ukraine in Rome tonight in their final eight clash.
But travel restrictions mean there will be no England fans in attendance at the Stadio Olimpico.
Meanwhile Leonardo Spinazzola is reportedly out for months after being stretchered off in Italy’s win against Belgium.
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Follow ALL of the latest updates below…
SEVENTH HEAVEN
England take on Ukraine tonight in a massive Euro 2020 quarter-final.
It is the seventh time they have reached this stage of a major tournament in the last 25 years, dating back to Euro 96 on home soil.
And all the evidence suggests this evening’s game in Rome will be another tight affair.
SunSport takes a look back at the previous six crunch clashes – with just one win inside the 120 minutes and THREE penalty shootout defeats HERE.
TIME FOR PENS?
Gareth Southgate has been wearing a high-tech limited edition watch at Euro 2020, that among other things notifies him of PENALTIES.
The England manager has become something of a trend-setter, tracing back to the 2018 World Cup when his suave waist coat saw sales of the M&S garment rocket.
For this tournament, he’s been sporting a Hublot watch – one of just 1,000 made – which helps him to follow matches in real time.
The time-piece allows him to view info on any match at Euro 2020, with info displayed on the large screen face including cards awarded, substitutions and goals.
There is also the option to view line-ups and player-rankings – potentially helping the Three Lions chief with his substitutions and giving him the lowdown on opponents.
Perhaps the most notable feature on the Hublot Big Bang e UEFA EURO 2020 for Southgate is the penalty alerts with any awarded in a match flashing up on the watch.
TEAM NEWS
Two-goal last-16 hero Dolberg starts for the Danes while Boril replaces Kaderabek at left-back for Czech Republic.
TEAR WE GO
Three Lions supporters have donated tens of thousands of pounds for a tearful young Germany fan spotted sobbing after her nation’s Euros loss to England.
Generous fans opened their wallets after Welshman Joel Hughes created a JustGiving page for the girl whose reaction to Joachim Low’s team’s exit was cruelly ridiculed.
And they have since donated more than £26,000 – far exceeding the initial £500 target – ahead of England’s quarter-final battle with Ukraine.
Some attendees at the last-16 clash between England and Germany were seen cheering as footage of the young supporter crying was broadcast across screens after the match.
Gary Lineker and Stan Collymore were among the football stars who criticised the taunts directed towards the girl pictured wearing a Germany shirt.
FORZA ITALIA
Italy’s midfield maestro Manuel Locatelli has tweeted after the team got past the No1 ranked team in the world, Belgium, in the quarter-finals.
They will face Spain at Wembley in the semi-finals next Tuesday.
HOLY SCHICK
Patrik Schick’s super strike against Scotland is still goal of the tournament!
Patrik Schick’s incredible goal for the Czech Republic vs Scotland GREAT DANES
Denmark bounced back from two-straight defeats in their opening group games.
And they’re one win away from a semi-final.
Eriksen will be watching on tonight, and it would be incredible if Denmark went all the way for him.
FUTURE STAR
Belgium’s Jeremy Doku has expressed his disappointment with last night’s result against Italy.
The Rennes youngster took to Twitter saying: “Very disappointed after the result but I am grateful for the experiences I have had in my first tournament.
“Thanks to my team-mates, coaches and the fans for supporting me.
“We will be back!”
THREE LIONS
F1 driver George Russell is sporting an England top in Austria today!
IMPOSING FIGURE
Man Utd captain Harry Maguire is just as dominant in a game of volleyball as he is on a football pitch!
YELLOW PERIL
England take on Ukraine tonight in Rome with a place in the Euro 2020 semi-final up for grabs, writes JAMES ORR.
But boss Gareth Southgate faces a selection dilemma with a quartet of players on a yellow card and risking suspension for the semi-final should they pick up another one.
Which England players are on a yellow card?
England have four players on a yellow card going into tonight’s match.
They are Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, Phil Foden and Harry Maguire.
Should any of those players pick up a yellow card in Rome they will be suspended for the semi-final should the Three Lions progress.
When do yellow cards reset?
Yellow card, however, reset following the conclusion of the quarter-finals.
This means that the only way to miss the final through suspension would be to receive a red card in the semi-final.
CZECH MATE
The Czech Republic have been one of the surprises of the tournament so far.
The Czechs got through a group consisting of England, Croatia and Scotland.
And they saw off the Netherlands in their own back yard in the Round of 16.
They face Denmark in the quarter-finals tonight.
WRIGHT PRAISES XHAKA
Arsenal legend Ian Wright heaped praise on Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka after his performances at Euro 2020.
Speaking on ITV’s Football Show Podcast, he said: “That is the best I’ve ever seen him [Xhaka] play.
“I feel for him because he’s someone I’ve been very critical of in the past and when you see a performance like, do you blame him or the coaches for not getting those performances out of him in the past?
“I have never seen him used to that effect. There’s no way Arsenal should be selling a player that can play like that, at that level.
“So unfortunately for us it looks like he is going but I’m delighted for him because he’s answered a lot of critics. He was magnificent.”
SING AND DANCE
The Italian national team sang a little song for Leonardo Spinazzola who has picked up a nasty injury.
Spinazzola has played a key role in Italy’s Euro 2020 campaign, but won’t make the latter stages.
ROAD TO WEMBLEY
Here’s England’s possible road to the final!
TEAM NEWS: DENMARK VS CZECH REPUBLIC
The Czechs have been handed a boost with the return of left-back Jan Boril after suspension, writes JOE BROPHY.
However, captain Vladimir Darida and Jakub Jankto face a fight to get back into the side after they were benched against Holland in favour of the impressive Antonin Barak and Petr Sevcik.
Yussuf Poulsen – who bagged in games with Belgium and Russia – missed the win over Wales due to injury.
Yet the RB Leipzig striker is back in contention, as is skipper Simon Kjaer and Daniel Wass.
Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand said: “I think it would take a lot to hold him [Kjaer] back and keep him out of the match on Saturday.
“Yussuf Poulsen had something with his thigh. It’s not a strain that keeps him out for weeks. We assume he’s getting ready. And Wass is recovering.”
ALARM BEL
Kevin De Bruyne played the entire Euro 2020 quarter-final with torn ankle ligaments in a major concern to Manchester City, writes JOSHUA JONES.
The Belgium superstar, 30, was a doubt heading into last night’s crunch clash with Italy in Munich.
He raced back from a fractured eye socket to be fit for the tournament but then picked up an ankle problem in the round-of-16 win over Portugal.
However, Roberto Martinez selected his creative talisman from the outset to take on the Azzurri – with De Bruyne believing he had a ‘responsibility’ to play.
The two-time PFA Player of the Year said: “For me personally it has been four or five weird weeks. But I especially want to thank the medical staff.
“It was a miracle that I played today because there was definitely damage to my ankle. A tear in my ligaments.
“But I felt a responsibility to play for my country today. Too bad I couldn’t do more.”
Credit: GETTY IMAGES ROME-BOUND
Prime minister Boris Johnson has wished the travelling England team good luck for their Euro 2020 quarter-final game against Ukraine!
SURPRISE PACKAGE
Ukraine have been a surprise package at Euro 2020.
Managed by football legend Andriy Shevchenko, Ukraine have gone further in the competition than they ever have before.
Ukraine face England in the quarter-finals at the Stadio Olympico, Rome, tonight.
TEAM NEWS: ENGLAND VS UKRAINE
England have a clean bill of health tonight but boss Southgate has a number of selection issues to juggle for the quarter-final, writes JOE BROPHY.
Jack Grealish shone during his cameo against Germany and will be pushing for only his second start of the tournament.
Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane are both guaranteed starters so it remains to be seen whether England will revert to the 4-3-3 set-up that they used in the group stages.
Four players – Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice and Phil Foden – are also one booking away from suspension.
The Three Lions shifted to three at the back to match Germany but the formation could be tweaked to accommodate Mason Mount.
Mount and Chelsea team-mate Ben Chilwell were forced to quarantine after coming into contact with Billy Gilmour following England’s draw with Scotland on June 18.
The 22-year-old was available to face Germany but wasn’t risked after missing out on tactical work with the rest of the team during training.
Mount could now return against Ukraine as the most attacking of a midfield three alongside Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice.
Yet the latter duo are both one booking away from missing the semi-final meaning Jordan Henderson could come in.
Ukraine meanwhile will be without striker Artem Besedin after he was ruled OUT of the remainder of the Euros.
The 25-year-old was the victim of a horror challenge from Marcus Danielson that saw the Swedish defender shown a straight red card.
RAHEEM THE DREAM
Raheem Sterling – despite a rather poor season at Man City – has been England’s main man at Euro 2020.
GOOD MORNING EURO 2020 FANS
Italy will face Spain in the first semi-final at Wembley after both sides were victorious last night.
The Spanish edged a tight penalty shoot-out 3-1 against Switzerland after a 1-1 draw in normal time that stayed the same throughout extra-time.
Jordi Alba’s deflected effort put Spain 1-0 up inside ten minutes before Xherdan Shaqiri capitalised on some sloppy defending to make it 1-1 in the second half.
And in Munich, Italy beat Belgium 2-1 in an enthralling encounter.
Roberto Mancini’s side raced into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Nicolo Barella and Lorenzo Insigne.
But just moments after Insigne’s 44th-minute wonder strike, Romelu Lukaku scored a penalty on the stroke of half-time to make it 2-1.
Roberto Martinez’s Red Devils huffed and puffed after the break and had several huge chances but did not get the rub of the green.
Italy will face Spain on Tuesday to determine who makes the final.
And fans will have a clearer idea of who the other finalist might be tonight when England face Ukraine in Rome and Czech Republic face Denmark.
The Three Lions are sweating over the fitness of Bukayo Saka after he picked up a knock in training.
But England legend Paul Gascoigne says the Three Lions can win the Euros if we throw all our support behind boss Gareth Southgate.
Legend Gazza told fans and players ahead of tonight’s quarter-final with Ukraine in Rome: “If we trust in Gareth, everything else will come good.”
Gazza’s Three Lions battle cry came as captain Harry Kane got off the plane ready to cane Ukraine.
Urging supporters at home and in Italy to play their part, he told The Sun: “The crucial thing is for as many England fans as possible to get to the game and, most importantly, get behind Gareth. He’s the answer to everything for us, and we need to believe in him.”
Gazza, now 54, was England’s hero in the 1996 tournament and rallied to Southgate’s side after his cruel penalty miss against Germany in the semi-final.
The ex-Spurs and Lazio ace added: “I know Gareth well and we’re still good mates so I know he’s got what it takes to take us all the way. He’s the key.”
EURO STAR – EXCLUSIVE
Jose Mourinho column
As a manager going into a massive week like the one Gareth Southgate is facing, the pressure is everywhere — and you have only one option.
You become a lonely animal. You don’t socialise, you don’t walk in the street, you don’t shop, you don’t read anything, you don’t watch television, you don’t put on the sports radio in the car.
Gareth had the courage to do what he felt was best with his team selection against Germany and it paid off.
He is showing personality, a capacity to deal with all this pressure around the England team.
I think that pressure is only going to increase. Because the feeling now — and it’s my feeling too, I won’t hide it — is that England has to reach the final.
The national team is the club of everybody. Everybody cares. Everybody has an opinion.
ARE EU OK?
Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara showed his class after consoling Ruben Vargas following Switzerland’s Euro 2020 exit.
The Augsburg winger, 22, was one of three Swiss players to miss in the penalty shootout as they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Switzerland missed out on the chance to reach the semi-final of a major competition for the first time in their history.
Their defeat reduced Vargas to tears following the shootout, with Liverpool ace Thiago quick to console the youngster.
And the ex-Bayern Munich star also comforted goalkeeper Yann Sommer following his epic performance.
GAZZA BACKS GAFFER – EXCLUSIVE
Paul Gascoigne says England can win the Euros if we throw all our support behind boss Gareth Southgate.
Legend Gazza told fans and players ahead of tonight’s quarter-final with Ukraine in Rome: “If we trust in Gareth, everything else will come good.”
Gazza’s Three Lions battle cry came as captain Harry Kane got off the plane ready to cane Ukraine.
Urging supporters at home and in Italy to play their part, he told The Sun: “The crucial thing is for as many England fans as possible to get to the game and, most importantly, get behind Gareth. He’s the answer to everything for us, and we need to believe in him.”
Gazza, now 54, was England’s hero in the 1996 tournament and rallied to Southgate’s side after his cruel penalty miss against Germany in the semi-final.
The ex-Spurs and Lazio ace added: “I know Gareth well and we’re still good mates so I know he’s got what it takes to take us all the way. He’s the key.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
