The 'comfort' is about to disappear
The current format of EURO 2024 allows the giants to both play and experiment in the group stage.
Only 8/24 teams were eliminated after the group stage. That means unless the big teams make a huge mistake, otherwise, they will comfortably move on. In fact, many strong teams are so comfortable that they only need to win the first match, then... they can calculate freely (because 3 points after 1 win has a very high chance of getting a ticket to the next round, at least as 1 of the 4 third-placed teams with the best group stage performance, 4 points is considered a sure ticket).
Belgium cannot afford to be careless in the round of 16.
For example, the England team beat Serbia in the opening match, then almost paused, played very leisurely in the remaining 2 matches and still won the top spot in Group C.
After the win over Albania at the start of the group stage, Italy had plenty of time to experiment in the match against Spain right after, before still having a ticket to the next round thanks to a late draw with Croatia in the final match of the group stage. Or Portugal, after 2 wins, did not use all their strength in the loss to Georgia this morning (June 27), still topped Group F.
However, that composure may end in the knockout stages. Teams will no longer be able to experiment, because a misstep in the next round means there is no chance of recovery.
Clash of the Brightest Stars
The most exciting match of the round of 16 will be the clash between the current world runners-up France and the team that once held the number 1 position in the FIFA world rankings, Belgium. It will also be a match between two of the best stars in the world right now: Kylian Mbappe of France and Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium.
France (blue shirt) meets Belgium in the round of 16
Passing the round of 16, France and Belgium will have an extremely tense group, possibly with the presence of Portugal (in the quarter-finals), Spain or Germany (in the semi-finals), if these teams also win in the round of 16. This is a very anticipated group. Except for Belgium, none of the teams in the group France, Spain, Germany, Portugal have ever won the EURO. The remaining group is theoretically easier, but still has the presence of Italy, England and the Netherlands. Of these, England was a world champion (in 1966), the Netherlands was a European champion (1988), while Italy has won the World Cup 4 times (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006) and 2 EURO championships (1968, 2020).
No more boring matches
But before they can meet in the next round, Italy must overcome Switzerland, and the Netherlands must beat Romania. These are not easy tasks for the big teams.
Italy faces tough opponent Switzerland
The Italian team is usually not afraid of strong teams, but they are extremely wary of teams that are of average or better quality.
The Italian team, who are not good at attacking, will have to face a Swiss team that plays extremely scientifically and tightly. An opponent like Switzerland will haunt the Italian team more than when playing against a big team. When facing a big team, the big team will rush forward to attack, while the Italians will be free to play offensively according to their strengths.
But when facing Switzerland, it is not difficult to imagine that Switzerland will not play offensively and the Italian team will not easily deploy their signature counter-attacking style. Remember, at EURO 2020, the tournament that Italy won, how hard the blue team struggled against the Austrian team in the round of 16 (only winning 2-1 in extra time).
Austria are basically on the same level as Switzerland, with a similar playing style to Switzerland. Therefore, the Italy-Switzerland match in the round of 16 is a potentially risky match for the Italians.
Likewise, the match between the Netherlands and Romania. The Netherlands may have to face a version of themselves, because Romania plays a total game like the Netherlands. The Romanian players are both fast and skillful, just like the Dutch players.
Of course, Romania is at a slightly lower level than the Netherlands, but in a specific match, with a little more luck, Romania is completely capable of making up the small gap between the two sides. In general, apart from the fact that the big guys are no longer leisurely experimenting, from the knockout round, the audience will not have to witness matches that cause… sleepiness, like the final series of matches in the group stage. From this stage, the matches of EURO 2024 will be confrontations of a true do-or-die type.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/euro-2024-cho-doi-vong-knock-out-khong-gay-buon-ngu-nhung-nhanh-dau-mot-mat-mot-con-185240627113005734.htm
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