Well, that was eventful. The last 16 of Euro 2024 may not have produced the most tantalising football ever played, but it certainly had everything you could ever ask for from a major tournament.
The reigning champions were dumped out of the competition, there was penalty shootout drama between Portugal and Slovenia and plenty of cracking strikes in between, capped by a truly special overhead kick from Jude Bellingham in the dying embers of England’s clash with Slovakia.
With the quarter-finals now confirmed in the calendar, it’s worth reflecting on what we learned from an engaging round of last 16 fixtures.
It’s over, Cristiano
Cristiano Ronaldo missed a penalty against Slovenia
Portugal’s clash with Slovenia proved a humbling experience for Cristiano Ronaldo. Having underwhelmed in Germany so far and thrown a strop or two already, the 39-year-old plunged to new depths of embarrassment with his display in the last 16.
Without a goal to his name so far, the Al Nassr striker has proven nothing but a hindrance to an incredibly talented squad. Ronaldo should not be starting for Portugal and he finds himself fortunate to not be warming the bench after some dire displays.
Roberto Martinez’s unwillingness to replace Ronaldo against Slovenia was remarkable. Despite offering nothing to Portugal’s forward line, the veteran continued to lead it. Handed an opportunity to be the hero in extra-time, the former Real Madrid star saw his penalty rebuffed by old Atletico Madrid adversary Jan Oblak, subsequently bursting into tears halfway through the additional period.
Anyone else may have been offered sympathy from those watching at home, but not Ronaldo. His ego – exemplified by the umpteenth free kick he smashed into the stands while Bruno Fernandes stood in wait – has become a major issue for Portugal.
The waterworks were telling; this is surely the end for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as Portugal’s de facto leader.
England are still rubbish
England struggled in the last 16 / Carl Recine/GettyImages
Any hopes that the last 16 would be a turning point for England were swiftly dashed against Slovakia. The same tepid and repetitive build-up play produced the same results, something which surprised absolute nobody – bar, seemingly, Gareth Southgate.
England found themselves on the brink of elimination from Euro 2024 after a truly woeful display against Slovakia. A goal down with seconds to play, the Three Lions miraculously found themselves in front just a minute into extra-time. Bellingham was the reason following his acrobatic late strike, but even the Real Madrid star had been appalling for 93 minutes.
Despite the desperate performances of Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and a host of other England starters, Southgate is still the focus of the nation’s ire, and rightly so. While his substitutions did help change the flow of the game, he left them far, far too late. His refusal to make any changes at half-time bordered on psychopathic and his alterations felt like a random throw of the dice rather than a calculated decision.
With Switzerland to come in the quarter-finals, England really have no chance of reaching the last four if they don’t make drastic improvements in the next few days. Their performance against Slovakia was truly alarming.
Defence is king for France
France have conceded just once at Euro 2024 / Stefan Matzke – sampics/GettyImages
Before you think France have gotten away with being rubbish, they haven’t. The pre-tournament favourites have been surprisingly dismal in their four outings to date and were slightly fortunate to edge past a similarly poor Belgium side in the last 16.
Despite boasting the deepest and most talented squad on the international stage, they still had to rely on a Jan Vertonghen own goal to progress. Les Bleus have scored just three times at the tournament, with two own goals and a penalty to their name.
However, unlike England, there are more positives for the French and they chiefly come in defence. A resilient backline has spared France’s blushes, with Mike Maignan inspired between the sticks and William Saliba, Jules Kounde and Theo Hernandez all shining in front of him. Even the much-maligned Dayot Upamecano has been surprisingly assured.
Didier Deschamps’ side still need to make rapid improvements, especially given they face Portugal in the quarter-finals. But there are seeds of hope for the 2022 World Cup finalists thanks to their watertight rearguard.
Spain must be favourites
Spain have been the standout performers at Euro 2024 / ALBERTO PIZZOLI/GettyImages
While many of Euro 2024’s big-hitters have struggled to get out of third gear, Spain have been flying down the Autobahn. They offered up another dazzling display in the last 16, putting the tournament’s lowest-ranked side Georgia to the sword.
Despite falling behind to Georgia’s first attack – yet another own goal at Euro 2024 – Luis de la Fuente’s men never panicked. Their commitment to the plan paid dividends, with Rodri levelling before the break as La Roja began to turn the screw.
A devastating second-half display saw them add another three to their tally for the evening, with Fabian Ruiz, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams all shining in the final third. They played with poise and determination, slicing Georgia open with intricate passing play and a quick turn of speed.
They have been convincing victors in all four of their matches and now must be considered favourites, even if they face hosts Germany in the next round.
The duality of Kai Havertz
Havertz scored against Denmark / Alexander Hassenstein/GettyImages
One of Euro 2024’s best performing sides will be knocked out in the last eight. With Spain on the horizon, hosts Germany‘s impressive start to the tournament may count for little come the weekend.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side didn’t always look entirely comfortable as they beat Denmark 2-0 in the last 16, with luck on their side at some key moments. They produced two goals and another clean sheet, but it could have been very different if the fine margins had benefitted their opponents.
Therefore, Nagelsmann has a few dilemmas heading into the quarter-finals, one of which may be Kai Havertz. There were calls from some Germany supporters to replace the Arsenal forward with the in-form colossus Niclas Fullkrug against Denmark, but the former Bayern Munich manager kept faith in Havertz.
In one sense, that faith paid off. Havertz scored from the spot against Denmark and proved a handful at times with his intelligent runs, dragging all three centre-halves around the pitch. However, he also missed three big chances with an expected goals tally of 1.85, again showing his inconsistency in the final third. Whether he can be relied on in the biggest games remains to be seen.
Real Madrid will be aiming to bounce back from a heavy defeat in El Clasico when they continue their 2024-25 Champions League campaign with a contest against Italian giants, AC Milan, on today.
Los Blancos have picked up six points from their three European matches this season to occupy 12th in the Champions League table, while Milan have collected three points from their opening three games to sit in 25th position.
Real Madrid will be well-rested heading into their European contest with Milan, as their La Liga contest with Valencia, which was due to take place on Saturday night, was postponed due to the devastating floods in Spain.
As a result, Carlo Ancelotti’s side have not been in action since their 4-0 loss to Barcelona on October 26, and are nine points off the top of the La Liga table after Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Espanyol Sunday evening.
Real Madrid must put league matters aside for the moment, though, and fully focus on the Champions League, with the reigning European champions bidding to move onto nine points in the Champions League table.
Ancelotti’s team have beaten Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund in the competition this season, but they lost in Lille last month, and a total of six points from three matches has left them in 12th spot, one point behind eighth-placed Sporting Lisbon.
Los Blancos are yet to hit full flow this season and have now lost two of their last five matches in all competitions, but they will be expecting to record two wins over Milan and Osasuna ahead of the November international break.
Real Madrid have faced Milan on 15 previous occasions, with both sides posting six wins, but this will be the first meeting between the two sides since the group stage of the 2010-11 Champions League.
Milan have only ever won once at Bernabeu, which came in the group stage of the 2009- 10 Champions League, and the most famous meeting between the two sides took place in the final of the 1958 European Cup, with Real Madrid recording a 3-2 victory.
The last six meetings between the two sides have taken place in the group stage of the Champions League, with Milan posting two wins during that period, and the Italian giants will be aiming to secure an upset on Tuesday night.
The Red and Blacks lost their opening two matches in the league phase of this season’s competition to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, before recording a 3-1 victory over Club Brugge last time out, a total of three points from three matches has left them in 25th spot.
Paulo Fonseca’s side will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Monza on Saturday, with the team bouncing back from their 2-0 home defeat to Napoli at the end of last month.
Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are set to feature as the front two, but Luka Modric may be given the nod over Aurelien Tchouameni in the middle of midfield, with Ancelotti wanting more control in that area of the field.
Rafael Leao started from the bench against Monza, with the attacker only managing one goal during a disappointing start to the campaign, but Fonseca has hinted that the Portugal international will be in the XI against Real Madrid.
Emerson Royal and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are also expected to earn recalls following the clash with Monza, while there should be a spot at centre-forward for former Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the Accra Sports Stadium to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier between Ghana and Sudan.
The Black Stars face the Falcons of Jediane on match day three of the qualifying series for the tournament to be hosted in Morocco.
Prior to the approval, CAF had directed the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to select an alternative venue for the game after the temporary approval of the Baba Yara Stadium was lifted.
CAF inspected both the Cape Coast Stadium and the Accra Sports Stadium last week before eventually turning down the former.
A statement from CAF on the approval read:
‘’Following a comprehensive review of the reports of the CAF independent inspection regarding the Cape Coast and Accra Sports Stadia, we are pleased to inform you that the Accra Sports Stadium has been approved to host the AFCON Qualifiers for Morocco 2025. Specifically, it will host the Group F – Matchday 3 encounter between Ghana and Sudan, which is scheduled for October 11, 2024.
“In light of this approval, we kindly request that the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and the stadium management team prioritise the necessary enhancements to the pitch and other critical areas of the stadium leading up to the match day to ensure an optimal experience for both teams and the attending fans.
“Please note that CAF will continue to closely monitor the readiness of the stadium for this match, as well as for future CAF-sanctioned events.”
The Black Stars are hoping to get their qualifying campaign back on track after failing to win any of their opening two games against Angola and Niger.
This fixture is scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2024.
Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that he is no longer focused on being the best player in the world or chasing records.
Instead, the 39-year-old Portuguese star emphasised his desire to help his team and enjoy the game.
Speaking after Al-Nassr’s 2-1 AFC Champions League win against Al-Rayyan, where he scored his 904th career goal, Ronaldo reflected on his current priorities.
“It is not important anymore whether I am the best or not, I no longer care about that,” Ronaldo said. “I am used to breaking records, and I no longer look for them. The most important thing for me now is to enjoy and help Al-Nassr and my team-mates to win.”
Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 after leaving Manchester United, has already left an indelible mark in Saudi football, setting a new league scoring record with 35 goals in the Saudi Pro League last season.
Despite his personal achievements, Ronaldo’s focus now seems to have shifted towards his team’s success rather than individual accolades.
Looking ahead, Ronaldo hinted that he could retire with Al-Nassr, stating in August, “I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al-Nassr.”
While Cristiano Ronaldo has helped Al-Nassr lift the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, he has yet to secure domestic or continental silverware with the club.
Despite this, the Portuguese legend has set a personal target of reaching 1,000 career goals before hanging up his boots.