Five most memorable moments from Euro 2020 Round of 16

The beginning of the knockout stages turned out to be heavily exciting as the games were high on action and entertainment.

The UEFA Euro 2020 Round of 16 fixtures concluded as Ukraine beat Sweden in a breathtaking tie in Glasgow. Andriy Shevchenko’s men scored the winner in the injury-time of extra time, to advance to their maiden quarter-finals of the European Championships - making it one of the top moments of the ongoing edition.

The edge of the seat stuff completely enthralled the spectators, however, this has been the story of most matches in the Round of 16. Major upsets, fabulous goals and exceptional performances - the first knockout round of Euro 2020 had many top moments. Four out of eight matches needed extra time to determine a winner while one was decided via penalty shootout.

As the Euro 2020 heads into the quarter-finals, we take a look back at the five top moments from the Round of 16. 

5. Spain and Croatia’s record-setting goal fest

The match between Croatia and Spain turned out to be one of the most iconic matches in the history of the Euros. La Roja overcame their opponents in an eight-goal thriller. The match had numerous talking points, be it the crazy own-goal by Pedri from 40-yards away, or the eight goals which is second in the list of highest goal-scoring fixtures in the tournament’s history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMgRSt5W7dg

Leading 3-1 in the regulation period, Spain were on their way to the quarter-finals. However, Croatia scored two late goals to take the game into extra time. However, Luis Enrique's men once again took control of the game and score two more goals, including a sensational volley from Alvaro Morata. 

4. Czech Republic ousting the Netherlands

There were a few major upsets as well during the Round of 16 fixtures. The first of the lot was the Czech Republic defeating the Netherlands by a 2-0 margin. The Czechs outperformed a much stronger Dutch outfit, who were strong favourites to reach the latter stages of the tournament.

A collective display from the eventual winners saw two second-half goals from Tomas Holes and talismanic striker Patrik Schick. The latter scored his fourth goal of the tournament while Matthijs De Ligt, on the other hand, saw a straight red card for a clumsy hand ball. Frank De Boer stepped down as the Netherlands manager in the aftermath of the defeat. 

3. England overcoming Germany in a nail biter

England facing Germany was one of the most high-profile fixtures from the Round of 16 matches. The long-lasting rivalry between the two nations saw two evenly matched teams fight for a spot in the quarter-finals. England delivered one of the most impressive performances in the tournament so far, despite Gareth Southgate receiving criticism for his team selection.

The Three Lions stopped the 2014 World Cup winners from creating goal-scoring chances. Raheem Sterling’s opener and Harry Kane’s late second sent the fans inside the Wembley stadium into delirium. The celebratory scenes were infectious while Germany licked their wounds as they bowed out.

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2. Ukraine’s last-minute winner

Sweden and Ukraine played out one of the most entertaining games of the tournament yet. The Swedes were favourites to win but Ukraine had other ideas. They started the game on a high tempo and took a quick lead, courtesy of Oleksandr Zinchenko’s powerful left-footed shot. Emil Forsberg brought the game on level terms by scoring his fourth goal in as many games before the first-half whistle.

Both teams stepped out in the second half looking for a second goal. Serhiy Sydorchuk hit the post for Ukraine while Forsberg should have had a hattrick, if not for two shots that hit the post. Sweden’s Marcus Danielson saw a straight red for a dangerous tackle in extra-time as well. However, in the absolute dying phase of the extra-time, a 121st minute winner from Artem Dovbyk sent his nation into the final eight.

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1. Switzerland causing the upset of the tournament

In perhaps the biggest upset of Euro 2020 yet, Switzerland produced the most memorable moment when they defeated the reigning world champions France on penalties. The match ended with a scoreline of 3-3, which warranted extra time. As teams could not be separated after the extra time, penalties were needed to settle the matters.

The nail-biting encounter had a penalty miss from Ricardo Rodriguez in regulation time, two quickfire goals from Karim Benzema, a top-corner curler from Paul Pogba and two late goals from Switzerland to send the tie into extra time.

Eventually, the poster boy of French football, Kylian Mbappe, missed the decisive penalty that sent France crashing out of the Euros.

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