EURO 2020 is rolling on at pace as we reach the knockout stages!And it’s old rivals Germany up next for England in what should be a thrilling Last 16 tie at Wembley.
France and Portugal have qualified too, while heartbroken Hungary are out
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SHEER CLASS
England stars were treated to a surprise live gig from pop star Ed Sheeran ahead of their crunch clash with Germany.
The Three Lions will renew their rivalry with the Germans next Tuesday in their Euro 2020 last-16 tie.
And manager Gareth Southgate lightened the mood in the camp by having Sheeran belt out a number of his hits at St George’s Park.
Sheeran’s impromptu gig took place on Wednesday, which has so far been players’ only day off during the tournament.
And according to The Daily Telegraph, Southgate’s troops were ‘thrilled’ by the outdoor acoustic concert.
The players were said to have sat around the ‘Shape of You’ star as he played a number of his hits.
Sheeran, 30, was given special permission to enter the England bubble.
FEELING WELL
The FA is reportedly deciding whether it is possible for Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell to take part in full training with the rest of the England squad.
Social distancing measures would have to be put in place as the Chelsea pair have had to self isolate since coming into close contact with Scotland’s Billy Gilmour, who test positive for Covid-19 after Friday’s draw at Wembley.
Mount and Chilwell have since trained in private at St. George’s Park, and have not come into contact with the rest of the squad.
But the FA is looking into the training methods used by clubs during project restart in 2020, according to Sky Sports.
Players were split into groups of five and trained without coming into contact, tackling was also forbidden.
Mount and Chilwell were sidelined for the 1-0 win over Czech Republic but will be available for selection against Germany on Tuesday.
But they will have to isolate until then, despite both returning negative tests after the match against Scotland.
As a result, they will not be allowed to participate in training unless the FA finds a solution.
VIRUS FEARS
England are embroiled in a coronavirus scare after a Sky Sports reporter tested positive at the training base.
The Daily Mail report how the journalist and cameraman were asked to leave St George’s Park.
The reporter is now self-isolating at a hotel, just five days before England’s crunch Round of 16 clash with Germany.
It comes after Three Lions duo Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell were forced to self-isolate for 10 days after coming into close contact with Billy Gilmour.
A Sky Sports spokesperson commented: “A reporter is isolating in a hotel and awaiting the result of a PCR test.
“The camera operative tested negative and has left St George’s Park to self-isolate.”
It remains unknown whether the positive test will have any further repercussions on anybody involved within the camp.
BALE FORCE
Wales are wrapping talisman Gareth Bale in cotton wool to ensure he is fully fit to face the Danes.
Captain Bale, as well as Joe Rodon and Kieffer Moore, trained separately from Robert Page’s squad during the open section of yesterday’s (Wed) training session in Rome.
Wales fly to Amsterdam today for Saturday’s Euro 2020 last-16 tie with Denmark with Bale recovering after suffering four fouls against Italy – the most of any Welsh player.
Boss Page said: “Gareth did take a kick, a knock but he’ll be fine. There’s no need now to train him for fitness.
“Now it is all about recovery for the next game and we will protect him a little bit more than we normally would. He will be fit.”
If Page’s Wales progress to the quarter-finals they would face a return to Baku and another victory in Azerbaijan could set up a potential semi-final clash with arch rivals England at Wembley.
CLASH OF THE TITANT
England welcome Germany to Wembley on Tuesday with a place in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals at stake.
But there will also be a healthy dose of pride on offer for two nations with a long and fascinating history of footballing rivalry.
An inaugural 3-3 draw in May 1930 was a strong hint of what was to come as the first four meetings between the pair threw out 22 goals.
During this period, England’s dominance showed with seven wins in a row, including an infamous visit to Berlin in 1938, that culminated in the 1966 World Cup final.
Geoff Hurst’s hat-trick at Wembley may have had a helping hand from a potentially dubious goalline decision (more of that later) but etched his name into English folklore.
To this day, that 4-2 win at Wembley marks the Three Lions’ only World Cup triumph.
LOW AND BEHOLD
England will face old foes Germany for the first time since 2017 in their crunch Euro 2020 last-16 clash.
The Three Lions take on Die Mannschaft on Tuesday at Wembley after Joachim Low’s side scraped second spot in their group.
It has been just under four years since the pair last met, battling out an underwhelming 0-0 draw at the home of football.
Boss Gareth Southgate picked England’s most inexperienced side since 1980 for the friendly as he looked to cast an eye over a number of names.
Here’a how that starting XI looked.
WINNING FORMULA?
Gary Neville has revealed his England side to play Germany which includes a formation switch.
The Manchester United legend, who was England’s assistant coach from 2012-2016, gave his tactical verdict on Twitter.
With the Three Lions set to play arch rivals Germany in the Euros last 16 at Wembley next Tuesday, Neville selected a defensive 5-2-3 formation.
It would match-up with Germany’s set-up, with Joachim Low having also opted for a three-man central defence in the tournament.
Here’s how it looks.
Gary Neville’s England side to play Germany
GREAT DANE
Denmark pulled off a remarkable result against Russia on Monday to keep their Euro 2020 dream alive – but it wasn’t anywhere near as heroic as this fan’s efforts to carry a mountain of beer.
A 4-1 victory over the Russians booked the Danes a place in the last-16 of the tournament.
But instead of marveling at Andreas Christensen’s stunner, footy fans across the world are now in awe of an unidentified Danish fan carrying a huge stack of beer.
Two days after the match, footage of a man carrying 12 – yes 12 – pints of beer started doing the rounds on social media.
And to top it off, he had a hotdog sandwiched between the top row of beer.
The beer-loving bloke – who was rocking a Denmark cowboy hat – expertly made his way up the stairs at the Parken Stadium without spilling a single drop of the amber nectar.
The Danish fan made his way through the crowd with a whopping 12 beers in hand
WALE TO WIN
David Brooks feels he owes Wales boss Robert Page a debt of gratitude for not turning his back on him after he played for England.
Four years ago, Brooks was at the centre of a mix-up when he was named by Page’s Dragons for the Toulon tournament before the Three Lions then called him up.
Brooks opted to play for England Under-20s, was named 2017 player of the competition and helped the Young Lions taste glory in France before recommitting to Wales.
Brooks said: “The whole start of it was kind of a big misunderstanding. I’d arranged to go away with England and everything was already planned. On the day of the announcement at the tournament, about an hour before I was getting announced with England, Wales announced their squad.
“I hadn’t been contacted, I’d never been called up before so I didn’t know anything about it and I was kind of just in the squad.
“I spoke to Pagey on the phone and said I’d already made commitments and promises that I’d go away with England. He wasn’t really phased by that so I had to thank him for not turning his back on me.”
MIK TAKER
Former Man Utd and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has urged England boss Gareth Southgate to be more adventurous at Euro 2020.
He told Ladbrokes: “I think Gareth Southgate could be more adventurous in midfield, rather than playing two defensive midfielders, and maybe he’s just being cautious.
“There are 70 million managers in England watching from home, and even more around the world, and so it’s sometimes easy for us to talk about who should be playing.
“England have to step things up a gear moving forward in the tournament now.
“We’ve seen players like Harry Kane struggling, but you can’t put all of the responsibility on him.”
SACRE BLEU
Cristiano Ronaldo may have equalled Ali Daei’s international record… but French publication L’Equipe were still far from impressed.
The Portugal superstar scored twice from the spot in a hugely entertaining 2-2 draw with rivals France.
It took his international tally to 109 – meaning he is just one goal away from beating Iranian legend Daei’s all-time feat.
Ronaldo is also now surging ahead in the race for the Euro 2020 Golden Boot with five from his opening three matches.
Despite his achievements, L’Equipe still handed Ronaldo a measly six in their notoriously tough player ratings.
The publication are renowned for their brutal rating system with a perfect 10 rating being dished out just 12 times.
L’Equipe gave Cristiano Ronaldo a six rating for his performance against France
COULD BE KIE
Gareth Southgate looks prime to bring Kieran Trippier back into the starting XI to face the Germans after being benched against Scotland and Czech Republic.
According to the Daily Mail. Southgate is keen to start him as he believes his dead-ball quality could prove key next Tuesday,
Nine of England’s 12 goals at the World Cup 2018 came from set-pieces but they have yet to take advantage during the Euros.
Southgate said: “Our delivery hasn’t been good, really.
“There was the one where John Stones hit the post (against Scotland) which was bang on the money and Trippier’s delivery in the first game was excellent, but we haven’t matched that since.
“It’s quite rare for us. We have gone four or five matches without a set-piece goal and that’s an area where we can improve upon.”
SHEAR BELIEF
Alan Shearer believes England are not the only top team at Euro 2020 to have shown negatives so far.
He told the BBC: “I’m sure Gareth has looked at it and thought if England had a weakness it was defensively. They’ve done very well with that.
“It’s taken a bit away from the attacking side but … there’s plenty of positives to look forward to.
“Look at the teams tonight in Portugal and France. They have their downsides too.”
GER HAVING A LAUGH
Cheeky Germany have taunted England already ahead of next week’s clash by tweeting ‘it’s coming home’.
The Three Lions faced a nervous wait later yesterday to find out their last-16 opponents of Euro 2020 after winning Group D by beating Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Following a rollercoaster climax to Group F, Germany secured third spot with a dramatic 2-2 draw with Hungary to set-up the crunch date with England.
And Germany could not resist stoking up the rivalry between the two nations as the countdown begins to the mouthwatering match.
Their FA’s official national team account tweeted: “Es kommt nach Hause… It’s @England in the last 16 in Wembley.”
That first part translates to ‘it’s coming home’ and refers to the hit song made famous at Euro 96 ‘Football’s Coming Home’.
GOOD MORNING EUROS FANS
England will take on old rivals Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020.
The Germans were held to a 2-2 draw by Hungary yesterday, setting up the tasty showdown at Wembley.
Meanwhile, France and Portugal also drew 2-2.
The French will face Switzerland in the next round, with Portugal taking on Belgium.
It was a big game for Cristiano Ronaldo, who has now beaten Miroslav Klose’s record of goals in tournament football.
He levelled the legendary Klose’s tally of 19 with his strike against the Germans on matchday two.
And it took him just half an hour of last night’s match to reach the magic 20 with a penalty against France – before extending his lead with a SECOND spot-kick.
Elsewhere, Spain will take Croatia after a 5-0 win over Slovakia.
And Sweden face Ukraine after knocking Poland out with a 3-2 victory.
Finally, Wembley will reportedly host up to 2,000 overseas fans for the Euro 2020 final in July.
Up to 1,000 supporters from each finalist country will be allowed to travel to watch the match without having to quarantine.
But they will remain in a bubble for the duration of their UK visit, and will fly in just before the match and return to their respective countries immediately after the final draws to a close.
FT – PORTUGAL 2 FRANCE 2
Portugal will take on world No1 side Belgium in the last 16 after a third-place group finish.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties as the current Euro champions were held by France.
Didier Deschamps’ world champs will face Switzerland after Karim Benzema’s double earned them a point tonight.
READ THE MATCH REPORT HERE
FT – GERMANY 2 HUNGARY 2
Germany set up a last-16 clash against England at Wembley as they finished second in their group.
Joachim Low’s men went behind twice at home but fought back with goals thanks to Kai Havertz and Leon Goretzka.
READ THE REPORT HERE
ENGLAND FATE DECIDED
England will play Germany in the last 16 of Euro 2020.
The two old foes will clash next Tuesday at Wembley in a tasty clash.
FANS IN THE RON
Cristiano Ronaldo was pelted with objects by fans as he celebrated his second goal during Portugal’s crunch game against France.
The Juventus superstar was interrupted during his trademark jump in the air and swivel after he was struck in the back by cups.
The incident happened after Ronnie fired in a second penalty to level the scores at 2-2.
Cristiano Ronaldo pelted with objects as he celebrates second Portugal goal in France crunch
RON OF A KIND
Cristiano Ronaldo has beaten Miroslav Klose’s record of goals in tournament football.
The Portugal star, 36, levelled the legendary Klose’s tally of 19 with his strike against the Germans on matchday two.
And it took him just half an hour of tonight’s match to reach the magic 20 with a penalty against France.
CHASE THE RAINBOW
A pitch invader crashed Germany’s clash against Hungary tonight carrying a rainbow flag after UEFA’s controversial ban.
Rainbow flags were handed out to supporters attending the final group stage fixture in Munich.
And one fan made it onto the field holding the colours aloft in front of Hungary’s players during their national anthem.
The pitch invader was greeted with loud cheers from the German supporters in the Allianz Arena before he was tackled by security.
Pitch invader crashes Germany vs Hungary carrying pride flag after controversial Uefa rainbow stadium ban
EXCLUSIVE BY JOE BROPHY
Uefa have been accused of “staggering failure” after insisting they DO support the LGBTIQ+ rainbow despite banning it from being used tonight.
Euro bosses refused to give permission for the rainbow colours to light up Bayern Munich’s home ahead of Germany’s final group game with Hungary.
READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE
FLIGHT CAMERA ACTION
A Euro 2020 cameraman ensured he kept his eyes on the action by heading the ball back into play without dropping his equipment.
The television operator was tasked with screening Spain’s 5-0 demolition of Slovakia for UEFA’s feed across the continent.
And the cameraman gained plenty of plaudits for fans for his skilful way he allowed the match to continue without jeopardising the action.
As the ball was lofted out of play the man in charge of filming managed to head it towards Peter Pekarik whilst walking backwards.
Euro 2020 cameraman heads the ball back into play without dropping his equipment during Spain vs Slovakia
TEAM NEWS – PORTUGAL VS FRANCE
Bruno Fernandes has been DROPPED for Portugal’s crunch clash against France, with William Carvalho also out.
Renato Sanches and Joao Moutinho are both involved, with Cristiano Ronaldo continuing to lead the line.
Meanwhile, France have left out Benjamin Pavard and Adrien Rabiot.
Jules Kounde and Corentin Tolisso have both been drafted in by Didier Deschamp, but Karim Benzema keeps his place up front ahead of Olivier Giroud.
FOLLOW THE ACTION WITH OUR LIVE MATCH BLOG
TEAM NEWS – GERMANY VS HUNGARY
Germany have made just one change for their final Euros group game against Hungary.
Leroy Sane comes in for Thomas Muller up top as the Germans look for their second win.
Meanwhile, RB Leipzig stars Willi Orban and Peter Gulacsi both start for Hungary, who still have a chance of making the last 16.
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